Background: University represents a critical period for the cultivation of health behaviors, self-efficacy, and psychosocial development. It affects how well students do in their studies, their day-to-day life, and where they're headed in the future. However, in recent years, the physical fitness levels of Chinese university students have declined. This study investigated, through a 12-week intervention, whether a blended learning method could improve the physical fitness and basketball skills of male university students in China. Methods: A total of 69 male first-year students from Jiangsu University of Science and Technology (mean age = 18.6 ± 0.7 years; range = 18-20 years) were recruited and randomly assigned to either an experimental group (blended learning) or a control group (traditional learning) using a cluster randomized controlled trial design. The experimental group engaged in a blended learning approach, which integrated several key components. The approach included pre-class MOOC-based instructional videos, in-class differentiated skill training, and post-class online quizzes with reflective tasks. Meanwhile, the control group followed a traditional teacher-centered model. Fitness measures included body mass index (BMI), vital capacity, pull-ups, standing long jump, 50-meter sprint, and 1,000-meter run, while basketball skills were evaluated through set shot and half-court dribbling-and-shooting test. All data were analyzed with SPSS 27.0, with the significance level set at p < 0.05. Results: Following the 12-week intervention, both learning approaches significantly enhanced overall physical fitness. Significant differences between groups favoring the experimental group were observed in pull-ups (p < 0.001, d = 2.03) and standing long jump (p < 0.001, d = 1.04). In contrast, no significant difference was found for the 1,000-meter run (p = 0.597). Notably, the experimental group showed a greater reduction in BMI (d = -0.54) and greater improvement in 50-meter sprint times (d = -0.30) compared to the control group. In basketball skills, the experimental group surpassed the control group with large effect sizes for both the set shot (d = 1.63) and half-court dribbling and shooting (d = 1.55). Conclusion: The 12-week blended learning approach enhanced the overall physical fitness of university students. Furthermore, this approach was highly effective in promoting the development of basketball skills. However, the approach showed limited effects on BMI and sprint outcomes, suggesting that blended learning may require enhanced explosive training components to address these fitness dimensions.
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