## 4 Discussion  
The present study revealed that multi-feeding (MF) drills elicited significantly higher external and internal loads compared to simulated match play (SMP) across key variables, including RD, ExpID, RJumps, and heart rate responses (HRavg and HRpeak). In addition, players perceived more intense MF drills than SMP, as reflected by higher Session RPE scores. These results support our original hypothesis and align with previous research in  
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline \hline  & & & \multicolumn{3}{c}{\(p\) Value} \\ \hline  & & **Females (n = 18)** & **Males (n = 24)** & **Situation** & **Interaction Situation—Sex** \\  & & & **(MF vs. SMP)** & **(Cohen’s d 195% CI)** \\ \hline \multirow{2}{*}{RD (m/min)} & MF & \(61.3\pm 8.9\) & \(60.3\pm 8.5\) & \multirow{2}{*}{\(<\)0.001} & \multirow{2}{*}{\(0.215\) [\(-\)0.2579 to 0.995]} \\ \cline{2-3}  & SMP & \(41.0\pm 7.9\) & \(51.2\pm 11.4\) & & \\ \hline \multirow{2}{*}{ExpID (m)} & MF & \(497.6\pm 165.1\) & \(432.9\pm 121.0\) & \multirow{2}{*}{\(0.028\)} & \multirow{2}{*}{\(0.392\) [\(-\)0.3882 to 0.853]} \\ \cline{2-3}  & SMP & \(286.4\pm 110.3\) & \(291.5\pm 138.5\) & & \\ \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**AccMAX (m/s\({}^{2}\))**} & MF & \(6.7\pm 1.5\) & \(8.2\pm 1.7\) & \multirow{2}{*}{\(0.008\)} & \multirow{2}{*}{\(0.26\) [\(-\)0.369 to 0.873]} \\ \cline{2-3}  & SMP & \(9.1\pm 0.4\) & \(8.5\pm 1.2\) & & \\ \hline \multirow{2}{*}{AccRel(n/min)} & MF & \(38.0\pm 4.1\) & \(41.4\pm 1.4\) & \multirow{2}{*}{\(0.639\)} & \multirow{2}{*}{\(0.727\) [\(-\)0.490 to 0.788]} \\ \cline{2-3}  & SMP & \(37.8\pm 9.9\) & \(40.1\pm 2.5\) & & \\ \hline \multirow{2}{*}{RJumps (n/min)} & MF & \(0.80\pm 0.3\) *\({}^{\text{\text{\text{\text{\text{\textbadminton [7; 11] and other racket sports, such as tennis [10; 27], which demonstrated that structured drills can induce substantial neuromuscular and cardiovascular stress, often exceeding that observed during match play. Notably, the large effect sizes observed for RD (d = 1.58), HRavg (d = 3.09), and RJumps (d > 1.4 in both sexes) suggest that these differences are not only statistically significant but also practically meaningful, highlighting MF drills as a potent stimulus capable of inducing high training loads. These findings suggest that MF drills offer a valuable opportunity for controlled overload, particularly when aiming to target specific physical capacities such as repeated accelerations, jump frequency, and explosive efforts. Given that MF sessions elicited greater overall loads than SMP, practitioners should consider strategically implementing these drills to enhance player conditioning, simulate peak match demands, and improve players' tolerance to high-intensity efforts. Moreover, load monitoring during multi-feeding should be emphasized to ensure adequate recovery periods are prescribed, minimizing the risk of non-functional overreaching or injury in developing athletes. A secondary aim of this study was to explore whether sex moderated internal and external load profiles of MF and SMP. In this regard, males demonstrated consistently higher RJumps and preserved higher SpeedMAX across both MF and SMP conditions, with statistically significant sex \(\times\) situation interaction effects observed for these two variables. This confirms earlier findings, reported during an international junior tournament [6], showing sex-based differences in movement demands, with male athletes typically achieving greater distances, more accelerations, and higher frequencies of explosive actions. Notably, HR and RPE values were similar between sexes despite these external differences, which may indicate that female players experience greater relative internal strain when exposed to comparable workloads [13]. These observations highlight the limitations of homogenized, mixed-gender training practices in badminton [6; 11], and reinforce the need for individualized conditioning strategies that account for sex-specific responses.