Jump performance, lower limb function and inter-limb asymmetry: Seasonal variation in university team-sport athletes

Thirty-eight university basketball, hockey and netball athletes (age: 20.1 ± 1.4 yrs; height 1.8 ± 0.1 cm; body mass: 77.6 ± 12.7 m) completed bilateral and unilateral countermovement (CMJ) and horizontal jumps (HJ) across four seasonal timepoints. Mixed-design ANOVAs assessed longitudinal sex- and sport-based differences in jump performance (normalised height/ distance), lower limb function (normalised CMJ power and impulse) and inter-limb asymmetry. Kappa coefficients (κ) assessed directional consistency in asymmetry scores. Males consistently outperformed females across all measures (all p < 0.05) and basketballers exhibited larger HJ distances and improved lower limb function than hockey and netball players (all p < 0.05). HJ performance and unilateral CMJ power improved significantly across the sample from preseason to competition (all p < 0.05), but improvements in CMJ performance and impulse were only observed in females and netballers. HJ derived inter-limb asymmetry decreased from preseason to competition (all p < 0.05), while CMJ derived asymmetries remained unchanged. Directional consistency in asymmetry was poor to substantial (κ = −0.20–0.80), with over 60% of athletes switching limb preferences across timepoints and up to 42% between tasks. These findings support the use of multidirectional jump testing for seasonal monitoring, although practitioners should consider both sport-specific and sex-specific factors when interpreting jump performance, function and asymmetry across a season.