Validity, reliability, and usefulness of jump performance from a low-cost contact mat

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to establish the validity, reliability, and usefulness of a low-cost contact mat equipment (CM) with a force plate (FP) as the reference. Eleven female (18.6 ± 3.67 yrs.) and male (18.2 ± 2.71 yrs.) basketball athletes performed hands-on-waist countermovement jump (CMJ) and squat jump (SJ) trials. Flight time (FT) and jump height (JH) in CMJ and SJ were subjected for analysis. Relative error expressed as percentage (%RE) was utilized to examine criterion validity between CM and FP. Concurrent validity was also established using Pearson moment correlation (r). Absolute reliability was determined using coefficient of variation (%CV). Relative reliability was identified using intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). Usefulness was established by comparing typical error (TE) vs. smallest worthwhile change (SWC). Results revealed that CMJ and SJ from a low-cost CM can be used as an alternative tool in assessment of jump performance.

Criterion Validity and Reliability of the Compact Infrared-Based Photocell ADR Jumping to Estimate Vertical Jump

“…This could indicate that systematic errors are lower in studies utilizing the flight-time method compared to those utilizing force plate as a criterion instrument [40,68]. Similarly, the degree of validity found is in line with that found for other devices that use FT to estimate VJ height such as jump mats [32,69] or photogrammetry [26,28,70,71]. Regarding the analysis of the Bland-Altman plots, LoA ranging from 8 cm to 13 cm were observed, and all points were within the LoA, indicating a small dispersion in the differences.…”

“…It should be added that the correlations obtained from the Passing-Bablok regression model between ADR jumping and MoCAP were almost perfect, with random error values of SEE 0.95 cm, which can be quantified as small, according to the standardized SEE of 0.2 [62]. Similarly, a fitting equation was obtained showing an intercept of 10.92 cm (systematic error) and a slope of 0.991, very close to linearity meaning proportional error, similarly to other photocells [32,37]. The CCC values indicated poor correlations (0.25), largely due to the lack of precision (ρ) derived from the systematic error.…”

“…The estimation of jump height based on flight time (FT) has led to the development of various instruments, such as jump mats and linear position or electronic transducers, but these methods require further processing and may be expensive or not usable on all surfaces [25][26][27][28][29][30][31]. Jump mats are a low-cost and reliable option for estimating jump height from the time between take-off and landing, but they can only be used on specific surfaces, limiting their ecological validity [18,20,[32][33][34].…”

Acute Effects of Loaded and Unloaded Whole-Body Vibration on Vertical Jump Performance in Karate Athletes

“…A rapid downward movement (approximately semi-squat level) was then executed, and followed by an upward maximal jump. Athletes were instructed to land at the same starting spot, while bending the knees upon ground contact to reduce mechanical stress ( Pojskic et al, 2022 ; Washif and Kok, 2022 ). The CMJ was conducted using commercial equipment (Optojump System, Microgate, Bolzano, Italy), with the best trial used for further analysis.…”

The Relationship Between Maximum Lower Limb Strength & Power, and GPS Acceleration Speed in Elite U20 Gaelic Football Athletes

“…CMJ performance was tested using a portable jump mat (Jump Mat Pro, FSL Scoreboards, United Kingdom) as a part the subject's routine strength and conditioning session. The use of a contact mat for accurate CMJ testing has been previously demonstrated with ICC values of > 0.70 indicating an accepetable level of relative reliability (36). CMJ testing was completed post the standardised warmup and prior to commencing strength lifts.…”