Abstract
The purpose of this study was to quantify changes in jump performance and variability in elite female basketballers. Junior and senior female representative basketball players (n = 10) aged 18 ± 2 years participated in this study. Countermovement jump (CMJ) data was collected with a Gymaware™ optical encoder at pre-, mid-, and post-season time points across 10 weeks. Jump performance was maintained across the course of the full season (from pre to post). Concentric peak velocity, jump height, and dip showed the most stability from pre- to post-season, with the %CV ranging from 5.6–8.9%. In the period of the highest training load (mid-season), the variability of within-subject performance was reduced by approximately 2–4% in all measures except for jump height. Altered jump mechanics through a small (0.26 effect size) increase in dip were evident at mid-season, suggesting that CMJ analysis is useful for coaches to use as an in-season monitoring tool. The highest coefficient of variation (8–22%CV) in inter-set scores in all measures except eccentric peak velocity also occurred mid-season. It appears that in-season load not only impairs jump performance, but also movement variability in basketball players.
Highlights
Vertical jump performance has been studied extensively in male basketball players as an indicator of lower limb power, with more elite players recording greater jump heights [1]
Concentric peak velocity, jump height, and dip showed the greatest consistency from pre- to post-season, with the CV ranging from 6–10%
Concentric peak velocity, jump height, and dip showed the greatest consistency from pre- to post-season, with the CV ranging from 6–10%, which may be attributed to the established relationship between jump height and velocity [24]
Summary
Vertical jump performance has been studied extensively in male basketball players as an indicator of lower limb power, with more elite players recording greater jump heights [1]. Time on court correlates highly with the anaerobic performance of vertical jump height, speed, and agility, indicating that physical capabilities play a strong role in team selection [2]. Analysis of an athlete’s SSC can be useful in monitoring the effects of fatigue on performance [7]. This type of analysis has not been conducted previously on elite female basketball players across a competition season
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