Block Jump Height Assessment Based on Kinetic Approach in Volleyball Players: Is There any Difference Between Methods?

Abstract

Purpose: Various kinematics and kinetics methods have been proposed for the assessment of jumping ability as a critical skill in professional volleyball players, but little is known about the accuracy and differences between these methods. Therefore, the objective of the current study was to answer the question “Is there any difference between the results of various kinetic methods in the assessment of block jump height in volleyball players or not?” Methods: Twenty-one healthy male junior volleyball players of the Iran national team performed the block jump task on a force platform. Three common formulas mostly used in literature based on kinetics output of force platform were selected for the comparison of resultant jump height. Descriptive analysis, Shapiro-Wilk test, and ANOVA were used for statistical calculations (p<0.05). Results: The results showed no significant difference between the means of block jump heights measured based on different kinetic methods in volleyball players. Conclusion: Formula calculation methods are very valid for measuring the jump height of the block jump and lead to very similar results for estimating jump height and are also replaceable with each other.