Jump-specific mechanical load and perceived exertion during collegiate dance training

Jumping is a primary contributor to mechanical loading in collegiate dance training, yet objective, style-specific indicators of training load remain poorly defined. This study examined how jump-related external and internal training loads behave during real-world dance classes by evaluating repeated measures of jump landing impact, jump height, and perceived exertion. Eighteen female collegiate dancers completed three standardized ballet and modern dance classes while wearing waist-mounted inertial measurement units (IMUs). Jump landing impact and jump height were recorded across eleven ballet and eight modern jump types, and session rating of perceived exertion (sRPE) was collected after each dance style segment. Jump landing impact and jump height demonstrated good-to-excellent within-session reliability (ICC = 0.75-0.98), supporting their use as indicators of external mechanical training load for repeated monitoring. Across classes, most jump types exhibited stable landing impacts and jump heights, while select jumps (e.g., sautés, prances, tuck jumps) exhibited day-to-day differences under natural training conditions. Contrary to expectations, variation in jump metrics was not significantly associated with sRPE, indicating a dissociation between external mechanical and internal perceptual training loads. Modern dance elicited significantly higher landing impacts, jump heights, and sRPE than ballet, demonstrating clear style-specific differences in training load. These findings highlight the value of jump-specific, style-specific mechanical metrics for monitoring external training load in collegiate dance and suggest that perceived exertion alone may not reflect jump-related mechanical demands. Wearable IMUs enable practical, movement-specific assessment of training load during real-world dance classes and provide a foundation for longitudinal workload monitoring in collegiate dance programs, informing training management and injury risk reduction strategies.