## 4 Discussion  
Given the existing research's primary focus on general team sports or specific sports like soccer, and the considerable variability in CT protocols (i.e., exercise type, load, volume, sequence, rest duration, and training frequency), there is a need for a systematic review that specifically addresses the acute and chronic effects of CT in basketball players. The primary purpose of this systematic review was to determine the acute and chronic effects, as well as the moderators (i.e., volume, intensity, series, and reps) characteristic of complex training (CT) in basketball players. This review included a total of 14 articles and 412 participants. The main findings indicate that CT training induces improvements in athletes' physical performance both in the acute (i.e., short term) and chronic (i.e., long term) realms, especially in critical areas such as jump height, lower body strength, and change of direction ability. It was also found that this type of training was more effective than regular basketball training independently of age, regarding physical fitness performance in players. The load moderators in studies analyzing the acute effects of CT are characterized by performing 2-4 sets of 5-12 reps at 85% 1 RM, including explosive exercises before or after resistance exercise [33], 2 sets of 4 repetitions of back squats at 80% 1 RM and 10 bi or unilateral drop jumps [30], and 5 sets at 8 RM for half-squats [29]. Factors such as the program duration (\(\geq\)6 weeks), the intensity of conditioning activity (<85% 1 RM), and the rest interval between sets (\(\geq\)2 min) appear to influence the positive response to CT in team sports [16; 42; 43]. The main characteristics of the interventions' moderator effects of CT in long-term performance included intervention duration (6-10 weeks), intervention frequency (2-3 sessions per week), sets per session for a given exercise (1-12 sets), repetitions per set (3-15 repetitions), and set intensity (40-85% 1 RM or 0.8-1.0 m/s). However, the studies had a certain level of heterogeneity regarding the nature of the interventions (i.e., sex, age, or competitive level) and moderating variables (i.e., load, repetitions, or duration of intervention). Within the acute effects of CT, several relevant aspects are highlighted. [PERSON] et al. [33] demonstrated similar effects on jump capacity (CMJ and SLJ) regardless of the order of exercises (first resistance or first explosive) in CT. Moreover, performing CT with unilateral or bilateral exercises did not yield different acute effects on jump capacity or COD [30]. It has been observed that both isometric and dynamic conditioning activities have been shown to be effective in inducing the PAPE effect, suggesting that the specific selection of the type of conditioning activity may not be crucial for the manifestation of the phenomenon [44; 45; 46]. However, fatigue produced in the activities performed may influence the acute response, as suggested by the possible negative impact on men due to fatigue generated by the protocol. Along with this, [PERSON] et al. [21] demonstrated that CT acutely improves sprint performance at 10 and 30 m after 5 min but not immediately after its application. However, it is important to consider interindividual variability in the response to conditioning activity, suggesting the need for further studies to address this issue [47]. In addition, limitations of the study are noted, such as the lack of a crossover design and the possibility that the order of assessment and training volume influenced the results. The findings from these studies highlight the complexity of the acute effects of CT and the need for a more complete understanding of its underlying mechanisms and the factors that may modulate its efficacy in basketball players. The meta-analysis conducted by [PERSON] and [PERSON] [48] primarily focused on the chronic effect of CT on vertical jump performance in basketball players.