Influence of Knee-to-Feet Jump Training on Vertical Jump and Hang Clean Performance

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Motor Learning
• Strength and Conditioning

Background:

• The transfer of training effects from practice to performance is crucial in sports.
• Understanding how novel training movements influence established athletic skills is key for program design.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the training effect of a novel knee-to-feet (K2F) jump movement.
• To determine if a 6-week K2F jump training program positively transfers to vertical jump height (VJH) and hang clean (HC) performance.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-six intercollegiate athletes were divided into control and experimental groups.
• The experimental group underwent a 6-week progressive K2F jump training program alongside their regular regimen.
• Pre- and post-training assessments measured K2F jump height, VJH, and 2-repetition maximum (RM) HC performance.

Main Results:

• The experimental group showed significant improvements in K2F jump height.
• VJH increased significantly from pre- to posttest, but without significant group or interaction effects.
• No significant differences were observed in HC performance between groups or over time.

Conclusions:

• K2F jump training effectively enhances performance in the specific K2F movement.
• The training did not induce a significant positive transfer effect to VJH or HC performance.
• Findings suggest K2F jump training specificity, informing strength and conditioning professionals on targeted program design.