The Agreement Between a Portable Contact-Mat and Force-Plates During Bilateral Vertical Jumps

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Sports Science
• Human Movement Analysis

Background:

• Force plates are standard for vertical jump assessment but can be costly and impractical.
• Alternative methods are needed for accessible and widespread performance evaluation.
• Contact mats offer a potential solution for measuring jump kinetics and kinematics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the agreement between bilateral force plates and a new contact mat for vertical jump performance.
• To assess the validity of the contact mat in measuring jump height and flight time (FT) during countermovement jumps (CMJ) and squat jumps (SJ).
• To determine if the contact mat can accurately measure individual limb flight time.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-four participants performed CMJ and SJ while standing on a contact mat placed over bilateral force plates.
• Jump height, flight-time (FT), and individual limb FT were recorded for each jump.
• Agreement between the contact mat and force plates was analyzed using ordinary least products regression.

Main Results:

• The contact mat showed agreement with force plates for CMJ and SJ jump height.
• Individual limb FT during CMJs and left-leg FT during SJs were also in agreement.
• The contact mat provided valid assessment of individual limb FT during CMJs, but not SJs.

Conclusions:

• A bilateral contact mat can be used interchangeably with bilateral force plates for measuring squat jump (SJ) and countermovement jump (CMJ) performance.
• This provides a practical and affordable alternative for assessing vertical jumping ability.
• Further research may be needed to refine individual limb FT measurements during SJs.