Exploratory study of reactive agility and sprint performance during Ramadan intermittent fasting in male adolescent handball players from a Tunisian club

Background: This exploratory study investigated performance changes across the Ramadan period in adolescent U18 male handball players, focusing on reactive agility, linear sprint performance, and pre-planned change-of-direction (Modified Agility Test: MAT) in U18 male handball players. Given the observational design, findings should be interpreted cautiously. Methods: Thirty adolescent players (mean age 17.5 ± 0.09 years) from a competitive Tunisian club were assessed at five time points: before Ramadan, during weeks 1, 2, and 4, and two weeks post-Ramadan. Tests included 10 m, 20 m, and 30 m sprints, the Modified Agility T-test (MAT), and a Y-shaped reactive agility test (RAT). Data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA. Results: RAT performance progressively deteriorated across Ramadan and remained impaired two weeks post- Ramadan (p < 0.001). Sprint performance showed transient improvements early in Ramadan, followed by declines, particularly over 20-30 m. MAT performance remained relatively stable across all time points. Body mass and body mass index decreased significantly during Ramadan (p < 0.001) and returned close to baseline post-Ramadan. Conclusion: This exploratory study observed selective performance changes across the Ramadan period, with RAT declining most consistently, sprint performance showing transient changes, and MAT remaining relatively stable despite statistically significant differences. These findings may reflect the combined influence of physiological and contextual factors. However, due to the observational design and absence of a control group, causality cannot be established and results should be interpreted cautiously.