Finding the Signal in the Noise-Interday Reliability and Seasonal Sensitivity of 84 Countermovement Jump Variables in...

Mercer, RAJ, Russell, JL, McGuigan, LC, Coutts, AJ, Strack, DS, and McLean, BD. Finding the signal in the noise-interday reliability and seasonal sensitivity of 84 countermovement jump variables in professional basketball players. J Strength Cond Res 37(2): 394-402, 2023-This study examined the measurement characteristics of countermovement jump (CMJ) variables in basketball athletes using different variable selection criteria. Test-retest reliability (noise) and seasonal variability (signal) CMJ data were collected from 13 professional basketball athletes playing for the same club throughout 1 competitive season. Interday reliability (coefficient of variation [CV] and intraclass correlation coefficients) were calculated over 3 preseason tests conducted on 3 consecutive days. To evaluate sensitivity, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was calculated by dividing seasonal variability (CV) from 8 in-season CMJ tests (collected from November to February) by preseason reliability (CV). Players performed 3 CMJs each testing day, and 3 data analysis techniques were applied: a single variable from the trial with either the best jump height (BestJH; calculated by flight time) or the best flight time to contraction time (BestFT:CT) and mean output across 3 jumps (Mean3). Mean3 was the most reliable data analysis technique, with 79 and 82 of 84 variables displaying lower interday CVs compared with BestJH and BestFT:CT, respectively. Overall, many CMJ measures display seasonal changes that are greater than the inherent noise, with 77 variables producing SNR of >1.00 for Mean3 compared with 65 and 58 variables for BestJH and BestFT:CT, respectively. To improve reliability and sensitivity, it is recommended that practitioners use the average of multiple CMJ trials and regularly reassess measurement characteristics specific to their cohort and environment.