Team Ranking Differences in Countermovement Vertical Jump Force-Time Metrics in Professional Female Handball Players

The purpose of the present study was to examine whether countermovement vertical jump (CMJ) force-time metrics differ among teams with three ranking statuses competing within the same professional women’s handball league in Europe (i.e., SuperLeague). Following a standardized dynamic warm-up procedure, twenty-six professional female handball players (top-ranked: n = 8; mid-ranked: n = 8; bottom-ranked: n = 10) performed three CMJs on a uni-axial force plate sampling at 1000 Hz (VALD Performance). Nineteen force-time metrics were derived to characterize neuromuscular performance qualities during both the eccentric (i.e., braking) and concentric (i.e., propulsive) phases of the jumping motion. A one-way ANOVA revealed no statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) between the teams for any CMJ force-time metric of interest (i.e., peak and mean eccentric force and power, jump height, reactive strength index-modified, countermovement depth, eccentric and concentric duration) across ranking status in either phase of the movement, nor for anthropometric characteristics (i.e., height and body mass). Overall, the results indicate that CMJ force-time metrics did not differentiate team ranking status within this sample of professional female handball players. These findings suggest that, within a homogeneous cohort competing at the same level of play, CMJ-derived neuromuscular performance characteristics may have limited sensitivity for distinguishing between teams of different competitive rankings. While CMJ force-time analysis remains a useful tool for monitoring individual neuromuscular status, the present results do not allow conclusions regarding the role of other performance determinants (e.g., tactical or technical factors), which were not directly assessed in this study.