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Lower-Limb Neuromuscular Profiles from Force Plate Testing During Elite Women's Basketball National Team Camps: A
Hiroki Ogata1,2, Kazuya Yamazaki3, Tomohiro Usui2
1Graduate School of Physical Education, National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya, Kagoshima 891-2311, Japan.
Sports (Basel, Switzerland)
|February 26, 2026
Summary
Roster status in elite female basketball did not correlate with force plate measures of lower-limb strength and power. Performance metrics did not differentiate selected from non-selected players, suggesting other factors influence team selection.
Area of Science:
- Sports Science
- Biomechanics
- Athletic Performance
Background:
- Elite female basketball players are selected for international competitions based on various factors.
- Objective performance metrics, such as force plate data, are increasingly used in talent identification.
- The relationship between objective strength and power metrics and selection status in elite female basketball is not well-established.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare lower-limb strength and power metrics derived from force plate testing between selected (roster) and non-selected (non-roster) female basketball players.
- To investigate whether force plate metrics can differentiate elite players who make major international competition rosters from those who do not.
Main Methods:
- Thirty-two elite female basketball players underwent isometric mid-thigh pull (IMTP) and countermovement jump (CMJ) testing using dual force plates.
- Key metrics included IMTP peak force, rate of force development (RFD), CMJ height, and phase-specific kinetics.
- Analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) were used to compare groups, adjusting for age and playing position due to significant age differences between groups.
Main Results:
- No significant differences were found in IMTP or CMJ performance outcomes between rostered and non-rostered players after adjusting for age and playing position.
- All comparisons yielded non-significant results (p ≥ 0.12) with small effect sizes (partial η² = 0.00–0.09).
- The rostered group was significantly older than the non-rostered group.
Conclusions:
- In this cohort of elite female basketball players, selection for major international competitions (roster status) was not associated with differences in force plate-measured lower-limb strength and power.
- Factors beyond objective strength and power metrics, such as age and prior international experience, may play a more significant role in team selection.
- Force plate metrics alone may not be sufficient to predict or explain roster selection in elite female basketball.
