One leg lateral jumps - a new test for team players evaluation

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Biomechanics
• Human Movement Analysis

Background:

• Lateral acceleration in monopodalic support is crucial for team sports performance.
• Assessing this ability requires specialized testing beyond standard vertical jumps.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the capacity of athletes to accelerate laterally during monopodalic support.
• To determine if standard vertical jump tests can predict lateral jumping technical ability.
• To establish a method for assessing both power and technical efficiency in lateral jumps.

Main Methods:

• 22 athletes performed 10 lateral jumps between force platforms.
• Measured vertical and horizontal accelerations of the Centre of Mass (CM), contact, and flight times.
• Calculated power output and 'Push angle' (technical ability) using force platform and Optojump data.

Main Results:

• Horizontal acceleration of CM estimated from jump times closely matched force platform data.
• The 'Push angle' could be accurately assessed using only Optojump data.
• Maximal muscular power in lateral jumps correlated with vertical jumps, but technical ability (Push angle) did not.

Conclusions:

• Standard vertical jump tests are insufficient for assessing technical ability in lateral movements.
• Lateral jump testing allows for separate evaluation of an athlete's maximal muscular power and technical efficiency.
• Coaches can use lateral jump data to tailor training programs, aiming for high power and low 'Push angle' (efficiency).