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CHANGES IN COUNTERMOVEMENT JUMP PERFORMANCE ACROSS THE PRESEASON AND SEASON IN DIVISION 1 BASKETBALL PLAYERS

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Basketball is a physically demanding sport that requires players to compete in repeated bouts of sprinting, jumping, and lateral shifting. Between practices, games, and strength and conditioning sessions, there are numerous repeated bouts of maximal and submaximal exertion which accumulate over a season, potentially increasing player load. Recently, the countermovement jump (CMJ) has been utilized to monitor athletic performance and player readiness in various sports. Thus, it stands to reason that examining changes in CMJ performance throughout a season may provide insight into maximizing athletic performance and mitigating fatigue. The purpose of this study was to examine the changes in CMJ performance across a preseason and season in Division 1 basketball players. METHODS: A sample of n=10 Division 1 basketball players completed regular CMJ assessments throughout the preseason and season (August through April). Players completed CMJ assessments twice per week, and data were averaged across all attempts within each month. Metrics taken were jump height (JH), reactive strength index (RSI), peak relative propulsive power (PRPP), peak relative propulsive force (PRPF), and braking rate of force development (BRFD), which are commonly used to assess CMJ performance. Repeated measures ANOVAs assessed month-to-month changes in CMJ metrics. RESULTS: JH increased from August to September (p=0.012) and plateaued from September to April (p≥0.139). RSI was the same for August to September (p=1.000), decreased from September to October (p=0.005), plateaued from October to March (p=1.000), and increased from March to April (p=0.010). PRPP, PRPF, and BRFD remained the same from August to April (p≥0.238). CONCLUSIONS: The present results suggest that commonly assessed CMJ performance metrics (JH and RSI) may be sensitive to changes across a preseason and season for Division 1 college basketball, while force-derived metrics (PRPP, PRPF, and BRFD) may be less sensitive to these changes. Thus, consistent monitoring of JH and RSI may provide information regarding performance improvements and/or decrements in Division 1 basketball players, particularly when examining changes from preseason (August and September) to season (October and onward). Nevertheless, future studies should consider further examination of CMJ metrics to better understand the usefulness of the CMJ to monitor performance in basketball players.

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