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EVALUATION OF A SENSOR BOARD AS A MEASURE OF VERTICAL JUMP PERFORMANCE

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The vertical jump has been shown to be a reliable predictor of physical fitness and athletic performance. Jump height is an indicator of lower limb power output, a variable coaches may use to group their athletes and measure their performance. As such, the vertical jump performance is used across a variety professional and recreational settings as both performance and functional assessments. The vertical jump is evidently widely used as a measure of performance, however, methods for assessment can be problematic for practitioners due to the inefficiency of the equipment implemented. However, in recent years sensor board and jump mats have been developed to provide a feasible and practical method of assessment. Despite the widespread use of these devices, their validity is often called into question. The purpose of the study was to evaluate a sensor-based pressure platform (QuickBoard: Memphis, TN) as a measure of vertical jump performance against the industry gold standard. METHODS: Healthy, college aged students (18-30 years) were recruited for the study (n=37). Participants completed a single visit consisting of a standardized warm up and 5 assessments of their vertical jump. Vertical jump was measured simultaneously on the QuickBoard, Vertec, the Vicon 460 Motion Capture measurement system. Participants were equipped with 4 Helen Hayes markers on the anterior and posterior portions of the pelvis for all jumps. Pearson’s correlation were utilized with an alpha set a-priori, p ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: The Pearson’s correlation coefficient for the sensor board and Vicon values was r=0.81, suggesting the there was a strong correlation between the estimates provided from the sensor board and motion capture. The analyses further revealed a correlation between the Vertec and the sensor board of r=0.79. The results suggest the sensor board jump height estimates were significantly correlated (p<0.05) to both those recorded from the Vertec and Vicon. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the study suggest the sensor board records a valid alternative to the gold standard for vertical jump assessment. Clinicians and coaches could potentially utilize this tool as an alternative to the gold standard, which offers efficiency and feasibility.

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