The Contribution of Stretch-Shortening Cycle and Arm-Swing to Vertical Jumping Performance in Children, Adolescents, and Adult Basketball Players

Abstract

This study examined from childhood to adulthood: (1) the effects of countermovement (use of stretch-shortening cycle-SSC) and arm-swing (AS) on vertical jumping (VJ) performance and (2) the ability to use the SSC and AS during VJ. Male basketball players (n = 106) were divided according to their age into: children (12.0 +/- 0.23), young adolescents (14.5 +/- 0.41), old adolescents (16.9 +/- 0.27), and adults (21.9 +/- 0.32). Each participant executed three maximal squat jumps (SJ), countermovement jumps without arms (CMJ) and with arms (CMJA). The contribution of SSC and AS was calculated by the augmentation (difference and percent change) in performance between CMJ and SJ, and CMJA and CMJ, respectively. CMJA performance was significantly (p < .05) higher than CMJ and SJ, and CMJ was higher than SJ within all age-groups. There were no significant differences (p > .05) among children, young and old adolescents, and adults in the percent contribution of SSC and AS to VJ performance. The variability in the contribution of SSC and AS to VJ performance was about twofold higher in children vs. adults. It appears that the ability to use the SSC and AS is not affected by the maturation process in males, trained in basketball.

Understanding Stretch Shortening Cycle Ability in Youth

“…In both situations, poor execution of the SJ would increase the ratio of Δv TO between CMJ and SJ. The variability in jumping performances observed by Harrison and Gaffney which is suggestive of motor control issues related to maturity, has been observed in many other studies on jumping in youth (77,(79)(80)(81)(82)(83). The variability could also possibly suggest an inability to exploit SSC.…”

Peak Jump Power Reflects the Degree of Ambulatory Ability in Patients with Mitochondrial and Other Rare Diseases

“…However, test retest analysis on select patients exhibiting static disease showed an average of 8% variability in PJP (n ¼ 6, unpublished data). The major limitation in this study was that some the PJP may have been overestimated because if subjects did a countermovement during some of their jumps thereby decreasing their stretch shortening cycle (SSC; active stretch of a muscle-eccentric contraction followed by an immediate shortening of the same muscle-concentric contraction) (Gerodimos et al 2008). Children and adults with these rare diseases, however, are going to naturally perform a jumping maneuver in the way that is most comfortable for them.…”

Avaliação funcional em idosas: uma proposta metodológica

“…Este estudo foi realizado com idosas (idade: 65,15 ± 4,96; estatura: 162,06 ± 6,35) com idade entre 60 e 75 anos da cidade de Porto Alegre-RS. O cálculo amostral foi baseado em estudos [11][12][13] , sendo que o cálculo foi realizado para amostras emparelhadas através do cálculo do Normograma de Altman, 1982 apud Whitley & Ball 14 , em que foi adotado um nível de significância de 0,05, um poder de 80% e um coeficiente de correlação de 0,7 para todas as variáveis. Com base nos desvios-padrão e nas diferenças entre as médias obtidas dos estudos anteriormente citados, os cálculos realizados demonstraram a necessidade de um "n" de, no mínimo, 30 mulheres para o grupo experimental.…”

“…No teste de countermovement jump (CMJ), o indivíduo foi posicionado de pé próximo à plataforma de força AMTI -(Advanced Mechanical Technology, INC -modelo OR6-WP-1000), com as mãos na linha da cintura e acima das cristas ilíacas, com o intuito de diminuir a participação dos membros superiores durante o salto 13 . Ao comando do controlador do teste, o indivíduo deveria executar um passo para o centro da plataforma de força e realizar um salto o mais vertical possível, buscando atingir o máximo de altura possível sem flexionar os membros inferiores durante a fase de voo.…”