Association Between Body Composition and Vertical Jump Performance in Female Collegiate Volleyball Athletes

Abstract

Background of Study: Associations between measures of body composition and vertical jump height have previously been established using a range of instrumentation and prediction equations. Limited data has presented using gold standard measurements for both variables Objective: This investigation sought to examination the relationship between total body and lower extremity measures of body composition and vertical jump performance using gold standard measurements within an athletic population. Methods: Using a cross-sectional, correlational research design fourteen collegiate female volleyball athletes completed body composition, three countermovement jumps (CMJ) and three squat jumps (SJ) analysis using DXA and force platforms. Results: High to very high positive relationships were seen between total body lean (p < 0.001) and fat mass (p < 0.05), lower extremity lean and fat mass (p < 0.01), and CMJ force and power. High negative relationships were present between total body fat percentage(p < 0.05), total fat mass (p < 0.01) and CMJ jump height. Relationships between all body composition variables and SJ performance tended to be weaker, with the exception of total body lean mass (p < 0.05), lower extremity lean mass, and power output (p < 0.01). Conclusions: These findings support much of the previous literature in that increases of mass have subsequent increases in force and power production; however caution should be taken will increases in mass coming from fat or lean tissue.

Correlation of Vertical Jump Height with Ground Reaction Force and Anthropometric Parameters of Male Athletes

“…The findings of this study regarding the negative and significant correlation between body fat percentage and jump height are consistent with the results of previous studies (19, 20, 24-26, 30, 31). In this study, the correlation coefficient between body fat percentage and jump height was found to be -0.491, which is in agreement with the coefficient of -0.39 in the research of Legg et al and the coefficient of -0.35 indicated by Pérez-López et al (18,19). On the contrary, the study by Ishida et al showed no significant relationship between vertical jump height and body fat percentage in male soccer players on a university team (27).…”

“…In addition to mechanical principles, previous studies have also examined the effect of individual factors on vertical jump performance that may be correlated with jump height. Anthropometric and body composition parameters are essential in an athlete's vertical jump performance (6,(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22). Reeves et al investigated the relationship between upper limb anthropometric parameters and countermovement vertical jump height and indicated that forearm length was the only parameter with a significant but weak correlation with jump height (17).…”

Examination of Countermovement Jump Performance Changes in Collegiate Female Volleyball in Fatigued Conditions

“…During the NAS trials, a dowel (polyvinyl chloride, <1.0 kg) was placed across the upper back in a manner similar to the position of a barbell during the back squat exercise [ 1 , 2 ]. Participants were instructed to maintain contact between the dowel and the upper back during the duration of the trial.…”

“…Raw vertical ground reaction force data was then exported and analyzed using a customized Excel spreadsheet (v.2308, Microsoft, Redmond, WA, USA) [ 1 , 2 , 16 ]. The spreadsheet was modeled using methods previously reported by Chavda et al [ 17 ].…”

“…The sport of volleyball emphasizes having a strong ability to jump as it is a critical component of the technical skills needed to compete (blocking and hitting) [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. Vertical jump testing has become a common assessment of neuromuscular fatigue in athletic populations [ 4 , 5 ].…”