A Comparison Of Vertical Jump Assessment Technologies For Vertical Displacement And Lower Body Power

Vertical jump is a well documented performance tool to measure vertical displacement as a proxy for anaerobic power. In an attempt to improve the efficiency and accuracy of vertical jump assessment a number of tools have evolved. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare vertical jump differences between G-Flight (G) technology to a traditional vertical jump measure. METHODS: 54 Division II Collegiate athletes (age 20.26 ± 2 yrs, height 172.7 ± 12.3 cm, body mass 73.9 ± 15.2 kgs) volunteered to perform a total of six Vertical Jump (VJ) trials, equally divided between the Vertec vertical jump tester (V) and the G-Flight (G). Participants were provided a familiarization with both tools and were given explicit instruction to complete the VJ with a two-handed reach, including taking off and landing with both feet in unison. The participants performed a 5 minute warm up on a cycle ergometer at 50 watts, which was then followed by six maximal effort VJ. The trials were randomized between the two conditions. Participants were provided 60 seconds of recovery between jumps, and 120 seconds between testing modalities. The average of the two best jumps within each trial was used for statistical analysis. Statistical analysis by paired samples t-test (P < .05) was applied to these data. RESULTS: Mean values for the V and G trials were 54.6 ± 12.7 cm and 48.3 ± 10.4 cm, respectively. A statistically significant difference between the two testing modalities (p < .001) was evident. CONCLUSION: The significant difference between the two modalities, may be associated with motor control and movement strategy differences that may be required utilizing each modality. Additionally, despite the utilization of a two arm reach in both conditions, the visual cuing that is afforded by V may also contribute to the higher VJ scores.