The Difference Between Countermovement and Squat Jump Performances: A Review of Underlying Mechanisms With Practical Applications

Abstract

Van Hooren, B and Zolotarjova, J. The difference between countermovement and squat jump performances: a review of underlying mechanisms with practical applications. J Strength Cond Res 31(7): 2011-2020, 2017-Two movements that are widely used to monitor athletic performance are the countermovement jump (CMJ) and squat jump (SJ). Countermovement jump performance is almost always better than SJ performance, and the difference in performance is thought to reflect an effective utilization of the stretch-shortening cycle. However, the mechanisms responsible for the performance-enhancing effect of the stretch-shortening cycle are frequently undefined. Uncovering and understanding these mechanisms is essential to make an inference regarding the difference between the jumps. Therefore, we will review the potential mechanisms that explain the better performance in a CMJ as compared with a SJ. It is concluded that the difference in performance may primarily be related to the greater uptake of muscle slack and the buildup of stimulation during the countermovement in a CMJ. Elastic energy may also have a small contribution to an enhanced CMJ performance. Therefore, a larger difference between the jumps is not necessarily a better indicator of high-intensity sports performance. Although a larger difference may reflect the utilization of elastic energy in a small-amplitude CMJ as a result of a well-developed capability to co-activate muscles and quickly build up stimulation, a larger difference may also reflect a poor capability to reduce the degree of muscle slack and build up stimulation in the SJ. Because the capability to reduce the degree of muscle slack and quickly build up stimulation in the SJ may be especially important to high-intensity sports performance, training protocols might concentrate on attaining a smaller difference between the jumps.

Countermovement Jump Training Is More Effective Than Drop Jump Training in Enhancing Jump Height in Non-professional Female Volleyball Players

“…The attack jump on the other hand, which is performed with a run-up, can be regarded as a combination of a drop jump (DJ) and a CMJ (Sattler et al, 2012). CMJs and DJs are stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) movements, which involve a high-intensity eccentric contraction immediately before a rapid concentric contraction (Komi and Bosco, 1978;Van Hooren and Zolotarjova, 2017). Thus, in order to maximize performance in these jumps, it is important to quickly switch from yielding work to overcoming work and to rapidly develop maximal forces during the concentric phase (Bosco et al, 1981;Bobbert, 1990).…”

Effects of Beetroot Juice Supplementation on Performance and Fatigue in a 30-s All-Out Sprint Exercise: A Randomized, Double-Blind Cross-Over Study

“…The countermovement jump (CMJ) is a useful test to explore the muscle contractile properties and neuromuscular performance of the lower-limbs [ 25 ]. This test has been extensively used in high-intensity sports in which the stretch-shortening cycle plays a pivotal role [ 26 ]. Further, given that fatigue can be defined as a reduction in strength or power regardless of the ability to sustain a required task [ 27 ], conducting the CMJ before and after an extenuating task is an effective method of monitoring muscle fatigue [ 28 ].…”

Acute effects of isoinertial resistance application on sprint, vertical and horizontal jump performance

“…During an eccentric contraction that contains maximal or supra-maximal contractions that cause recruitment of large motor units, elastic energy is stored in serial elastic elements and is used during concentric contraction where contractile elements and serial elastic elements shorten [22]. For the activation that has a concentric contraction during SJ, more time is required for activation in CMJ that contain a concentric contraction right after an eccentric contraction [23]. Therefore, with…”