Concurrent validity and reliability of torso-worn inertial measurement unit for jump power and height estimation

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the concurrent validity and test-retest repeatability of torso-worn IMU-derived power and jump height in a counter-movement jump test. Twenty-seven healthy recreationally active males (age, 21.9 [SD 2.0] y, height, 1.76 [0.7] m, mass, 73.7 [10.3] kg) wore an IMU and completed three counter-movement jumps a week apart. A force platform and a 3D motion analysis system were used to concurrently measure the jumps and subsequently derive power and jump height (based on take-off velocity and flight time). The IMU significantly overestimated power (mean difference = 7.3 W/kg; P < 0.001) compared to force-platform-derived power but good correspondence between methods was observed (Intra-class correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0.69). IMU-derived power exhibited good reliability (ICC = 0.67). Velocity-derived jump heights exhibited poorer concurrent validity (ICC = 0.72 to 0.78) and repeatability (ICC = 0.68) than flight-time-derived jump heights, which exhibited excellent validity (ICC = 0.93 to 0.96) and reliability (ICC = 0.91). Since jump height and power are closely related, and flight-time-derived jump height exhibits excellent concurrent validity and reliability, flight-time-derived jump height could provide a more desirable measure compared to power when assessing athletic performance in a counter-movement jump with IMUs.