Reliability and usefulness of maximum soccer-specific jump test: a valid and cost-effective system to measure on soccer field

Abstract

ABSTRACT The aims of this study were (a) to assess intra-session reliability and usefulness of the soccer-specific maximum vertical jump (heading test, HT) and (b) to analyse the validity of the easy-to-use and cost-effective instrument (smartphone camera, MOB) compared with gold-standard instrument (3D motion capture system, MOCAP) to obtain the vertical jump performance during HT. Twelve semi-professional high-level and fifteen amateur soccer male players (23.9 ± 3.6 years) performed three HT attempts, and kinematic data were recorded with MOB and MOCAP. Intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and coefficient of variation (CV) were used as measures of intra-session reliability. T-test with Cohen’s effect size (ES), Pearson’s product moment and Bland-Altman analysis were used to obtain MOB validity. Regarding intra-session reliability, the CV was 1.13%, and ICC was 0.98, considered acceptable. Respecting validity criteria did not reveal significant differences (p < 0.05; effect size = 0.06, considered trivial), ‘almost perfect’ correlation (Pearson) (r = 0.98; p < 0.05), and strong agreement were obtained between MOB and MOCAP. This finding showed a test (HT) with a specific character, using cost-effective instrument and applicable to all soccer fields (adjusted to the standardised lines in the soccer field), all of them backed-up by reliability, usefulness and validity criteria.