1 Selecting Metrics that Matter: Comparing the use of the

2 Countermovement Jump for Performance Profiling, Neuromuscular

5 Authors

6 Chris Bishop1, Matt Jordan2, Lorena Torres-Ronda3, Irineu Loturco4, John Harry5,

7 Adam Virgile6, Peter Mundy7, Anthony Turner1, and Paul Comfort8

10 Affiliations

11 1. London Sport Institute at Middlesex University, London, UK

12 2. Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada

13 3. Spanish Basketball Federation, Madrid, Spain

14 4. Nucleus of High Performance, Sao Paulo, Brazil

15 5. Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, USA

16 6. Los Angeles Clippers Basketball, Los Angeles, California, USA

17 7. Hawkins Dynamics, Portland, Maine, USA

18 8. University of Salford, Manchester, UK

19

20

21 Correspondence:

22 Name: Chris Bishop

23 Email: [email protected]

24 Address: As above for affiliation No. 1

1
25 Abstract

26 The countermovement jump (CMJ) is one of the most used performance assessments

27 in strength and conditioning. While numerous studies discuss the usability of

28 different metrics in this test, this is often done within the context of a specific aim.

29 However, to our knowledge, no information currently exists providing practitioners

30 with some over-arching recommendations on which metrics to choose when the

31 purpose of using the test differs. This article discusses how the metrics selected to

32 monitor during CMJ testing might differ when aiming to use it as a proxy for athletic

33 performance, as part of neuromuscular fatigue monitoring, or as part of a test battery

34 for return to performance in injured athletes.

2
35 Introduction

36 Jump testing is a common performance assessment in many sports owing to its

37 relative simplicity (7,14), time efficiency (6), and kinematic correspondence (i.e.,

38 triple flexion and extension) to the sport itself (16,40,46,54). While numerous jump

39 tests exist, their implementation as a test protocol should be guided by the needs and

40 demands of an athlete or sport (7), and the countermovement jump (CMJ) is

41 arguably the most commonly implemented jump test by practitioners and

42 researchers (7,12). This may, in part, be because of the technical demands of other

43 jump protocols. For example, the squat jump is challenged by small amplitude

44 countermovements that occur readily at the beginning of the movement (53),

45 reducing the occurrence of a purely concentric jump strategy. Similarly, drop jumps

46 likely represent a more technically demanding task than a CMJ (37,45) that may not

47 be appropriate for some athletes (e.g., youth or untrained) to perform. While

48 different underlying reasons may exist for using one jump test over another, the CMJ

49 is likely to be a more natural movement pattern for many athletes, and has become

50 commonplace in practice and research (12,20).

51 A recent opinion piece from Bishop et al. (7) suggested that practitioners may wish

52 to consider ‘linking metrics together’ when interpreting data from jump testing, as it

53 enhances their ability to utilize all available information concurrently. For example,

54 previous research has shown that CMJ height may be less sensitive to change after

55 intense exercise than other strategy-based metrics, such as time to peak power and

56 time to take-off (TTTO) (20-22). Additional research has also shown that increases in

57 power are not always mirrored by increases in jump height (39), which may be

58 explained by the fact that power only accounts for ~50-60% of how high an athlete

59 jumps (35). Consequently, when faced with a scenario where one metric improves

60 but another does not, it can be challenging to determine whether overall jump

61 performance has truly got better, worse, or not changed, when monitoring multiple

62 metrics concurrently. As a means of trying to overcome such challenges, recent

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63 literature has outlined the importance of linking CMJ metrics during the ongoing

64 monitoring process (7). For example, when starting with a metric such as reactive

65 strength index modified (RSI_Mod), which has been given increased interest in

66 recent years (7,17,56), the metrics to monitor alongside this should likely be selected

67 automatically. Jump height and TTTO represent the two component parts and

68 should be interpreted with RSI_Mod so that practitioners can correctly understand

69 how any change in RSI_Mod has been achieved. This is because changes in RSI_Mod

70 can occur as a consequence of increases in jump height, reductions in TTTO, or both.

71 Although anecdotal, this line of thinking about linking metrics together seems hard

72 to dispute. However, it fails to acknowledge that consideration must first be given to

73 which metrics are most appropriate in the first place. For example, previous research

74 has investigated the association between the CMJ and independent measures of

75 physical performance, such as strength (29,42), linear speed (10,26), and change of

76 direction ability (36,41). Other studies have used the CMJ to detect an athlete’s

77 neuromuscular fatigue status (20,21). Finally, the CMJ is also commonly employed in

78 injury-based research as part of test batteries that provide information for an

79 athlete’s rehabilitation journey (13,23,25). Consequently, with various reasons for

80 using the CMJ, this brings into question whether the same metrics should be

81 employed for different scenarios.

82 Therefore, the aims of this review are threefold: 1) to provide an overview of some of

83 the common ways in which the CMJ has been used in research, 2) to provide some

84 practical suggestions on how selecting metrics might differ when the purpose of

85 using the CMJ test changes, and 3) discuss how subsequent data analysis methods

86 might differ when aiming to detect true change for both group and individual

87 athletes – noting that once we have chosen which metrics to monitor, understanding

88 how best to utilize the data is a key part of the ongoing monitoring process.

89

90 Associations between the CMJ and Independent Measures of Performance

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 91 Determining the relationship between a test and other physical or athletic

92 performance measures provides a biological basis for including it in a given set of

93 protocols (7). Physical capacities such as strength, linear speed, and change of

94 direction ability have all been deemed important to monitor in sports such as soccer

95 (60), rugby league (15), tennis (47), netball (58), and even surfing (52). Thus, the

96 forthcoming sub-sections will provide an overview of the association between CMJ

97 performance (determined by different metrics) and these independent physical

98 performance measures. However, it is important to note that these sections are only

99 meant to provide a summary showcasing the consistent associations between CMJ

100 performance and different physical capacities, thus, justifying the use of the CMJ

101 test, as it links back to additional measures of capacity in sport.

102

103 Strength

104 When considering the association between the CMJ and strength, previous research

105 has shown CMJ peak force is strongly associated with maximal force production

106 capability during the isometric mid-thigh pull (IMTP; r = 0.43-0.64), isometric squat

107 (r = 0.64), and 1RM back squat loads (r = 0.79) (42,59), highlighting its importance

108 across a range of strength assessments. The same can be said for CMJ peak power,

109 which shows large relationships with strength measures across multiple studies.

110 Specifically, peak power has been associated with maximal force production

111 capability during the IMTP (r = 0.43-0.75), isometric squat (r = 0.71), and maximal

112 strength while squatting (r = 0.66-0.84) (9,42,59). Unsurprisingly, jump height has

113 also been commonly used as a metric when investigating associations with strength

114 measures in both absolute and relative data. For example, previous studies have

115 shown weak to moderate relationships with absolute peak force during the IMTP (r

116 = 0.27-0.41) (29,42), ISOS peak force (r = -0.07), and 1RM back squat (r = 0.22) (42).

117 However, when these relationships were determined with relative strength levels,

118 these values changed considerably: IMTP peak force (r = 0.59), ISOS peak force (r =

5
119 0.28), and 1RM back squat (r = 0.69). In contrast, strong associations have been

120 reported elsewhere between CMJ height and both absolute (r = 0.74) and relative (r =

121 0.79) eccentric peak force during the squat (9).

122 Collectively, these studies show that several CMJ metrics (e.g., jump height, peak

123 force, and peak power) are often significantly associated with strength, which we

124 know to be a critical physical quality for both athletic development (57) and injury

125 risk reduction (31).

126

127 Linear Speed

128 When considering the association between CMJ performance and linear speed, the

129 outcome measure of jump height has been the most popular investigated metric. For

130 example, previous research has shown moderate to strong relationships with 10-m

131 or 10-yard acceleration times (r = -0.49 to -0.69), 30-m or 30-yard times (r = -0.58 to -

132 0.77), 40-yard time (r = -0.58 to -0.79), 60-m time (r = -0.58 to -0.79), and 100 m (r = -

133 0.57) (55,63). Of note, these relationships are all negative, indicating higher jumps

134 were associated with faster sprint times. However, when velocity is used as the

135 outcome measure, correlation values become positive, noting that the desired

136 outcome for both jump height and velocity are the larger values. With this in mind,

137 previous research has shown moderate to very strong associations between CMJ

138 height and velocity at 10-m, 30-m, and 50-m (r = 0.82-0.86) (32) and peak in-match

139 running velocity for female soccer players (r = 0.50) (43). Concerning the latter

140 finding (43), this is arguably more important than establishing a relationship

141 between CMJ performance and sprinting during a test protocol (as previous studies

142 did) because in-match running speed is more likely to be considered a key

143 performance indicator, having been established in a competition scenario. This is

144 especially important given that prior literature has emphasized the importance of

145 relating our test protocols to sporting performance (1,24,64).

6
146

147 Change of Direction Ability

148 Similar to the associations with linear speed, jump height has been a commonly

149 investigated metric when determining the relationships between the CMJ and

150 change of direction ability. Specifically, moderate to large relationships have been

151 reported between jump height and the Illinois and pro-agility tests in both high

152 school soccer (r = -0.36 to -0.48) and collegiate soccer and lacrosse (r = -0.55 to -0.70)

153 athletes (63). Additionally, the agility t-test (r = -0.59) and zigzag test (r = -0.77) have

154 also shown meaningful associations with CMJ height (2,26), highlighting the

155 consistent moderate to large associations between how high an athlete can jump and

156 faster change of direction speed times. Furthermore, the CMJ has also been used to

157 distinguish between players of different abilities during a modified agility t-test (51).

158 While no relationships were reported, a median split analysis was conducted to

159 determine how CMJ characteristics differed between faster (n = 12) and slower (n =

160 12) players. While no meaningful differences occurred in CMJ height between

161 groups, CMJ relative peak force was significantly higher in faster players (ES = 0.98;

162 p < 0.05), again potentially highlighting the importance of concurrently monitoring

163 peak force as a metric during the CMJ for performance profiling purposes.

164 Although the information above summarizes the association between the CMJ and

165 different physical capacities, metrics such as jump height, peak force, and peak

166 power are consistently related to independent measures of strength and speed.

167 However, it is worth noting that the consistency of these relationships with linear

168 and change of direction ability may partly be due to the metric of ‘time’ often being

169 the selected outcome measure for the locomotive-based task. Consequently, and as

170 has been done in jump testing (8,20,21), we suggest a more in-depth analysis of

171 linear and change of direction ability is conducted, which is then linked back to

172 metrics during the CMJ test. This would enable us to comprehend the link between

173 proxy measures during jump testing and strategy data during locomotive-based

7
174 tasks. Regardless, given the importance of strength and speed for many athlete

175 populations (31,57), it seems that a strong basis exists for including metrics such as

176 jump height, peak or mean force, and peak power, during CMJ testing.

177

178 Neuromuscular Fatigue Monitoring

179 An additional interest in CMJ research is its ability to detect neuromuscular fatigue

180 in athletes (12,20,21,48,50). A previous meta-analysis investigating the efficacy of the

181 CMJ in detecting neuromuscular fatigue noted that across 151 studies, 63 CMJ

182 metrics had been utilized, with jump height and peak power being the most

183 commonly reported metrics (12). However, results showed that both maximal jump

184 height (effect size [ES] = -0.04) and peak power (ES = -0.04) were not sensitive to

185 changes following fatiguing protocols. Thus, while these metrics appear to be

186 strongly associated with independent physical performance measures, there may be

187 better choices for neuromuscular fatigue monitoring.

188 In contrast, previous studies have shown that some time-based metrics may be more

189 appropriate for practitioners to choose when using the CMJ. Specifically, metrics

190 such as relative net impulse (ES = -0.69) and flight time (ES = -1.4) have shown the

191 greatest changes immediately after intense exercise. However, when assessing

192 changes over subsequent days (e.g., 24-72 hours), metrics such as time to peak power

193 (ES = 0.41 to 1.5) and flight time:contraction time ratio (ES = -0.44 to -1.6) have shown

194 the most notable changes (20,21). Of note here, all the metrics above have some

195 element of ‘time’ being assessed with them, indicating that this is likely to be an

196 important metric for neuromuscular fatigue monitoring. This is because athletes may

197 adjust their jump strategy to produce the same force and achieve the same jump

198 height (8,20).

199 Finally, an additional study by Gathercole et al. (22) investigated the effect of an

200 acute repeated stair climbing protocol on CMJ performance and the chronic

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201 adaptations on CMJ performance after a structured 19-week training period. Results

202 are shown in Table 1. To summarize, the chronic changes are less important, given

203 that this section focuses on the effectiveness of the CMJ in detecting acute

204 neuromuscular fatigue. However, compared to the acute changes, they showcase an

205 important distinction for peak force and time-based metrics (i.e., eccentric,

206 concentric, and total duration). Specifically, with very large increases in peak force

207 and large reductions in duration-based metrics chronically, we can deduce that

208 larger forces are being applied in a shorter period, which should be seen as a

209 positive adaptation over the 19-week training period. However, the opposite is

210 evident for the acute changes, with less force being applied and athletes taking

211 longer to do it. Naturally, these reductions in CMJ performance are in response to

212 being fatigued. Still, the results highlight that some metrics (which primarily focus

213 on time) are more sensitive than others to elicit meaningful change.

214

215 ** Insert Table 1 about here **

216

217 To summarize, and when this evidence is considered collectively, jump height and

218 peak power may be less sensitive to detecting neuromuscular fatigue than other

219 metrics, which might limit their applicability if practitioners wish to use the CMJ for

220 neuromuscular fatigue monitoring. In contrast, time-based metrics such as time to

221 peak power, flight time:contraction time ratio (essentially the same as RSI_Mod), and

222 total phase duration (i.e., time to take-off) may be more appropriate choices this

223 context.

224

225 Testing for Injured Athletes

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226 The third area of interest relating to the CMJ for practitioners and researchers is

227 monitoring jump performance for injured athletes as part of their rehabilitation

228 journey. At this point, it should be acknowledged that there is an abundance of

229 injury-focused literature that has used unilateral jump testing protocols (27,30,49);

230 however, the associated data is almost always limited to outcome measures of height

231 and distance, with a recent systematic review highlighting the limitations of this

232 during ongoing monitoring in rehabilitation settings (28). This is further supported

233 by additional measures in the CMJ, where research has shown that peak power was

234 not associated with future injuries in professional rugby league (18) and Australian

235 rules football players (19). Thus, it seems likely that the metrics that seem relevant

236 for performance profiling (e.g., jump height and peak power) may hold less

237 relevance during the injury rehabilitation process.

238 However, previous studies have shown that measuring landing forces and

239 asymmetry data may be relevant during an athlete’s rehabilitation journey. For

240 example, Cohen et al. (13) quantified CMJ peak force during take-off and landing in

241 injured and healthy soccer players. Take-off peak force asymmetries were 8% greater

242 in injured players (d = 0.13), but landing force asymmetries were 57% greater (d =

243 0.65). Similarly, Hart et al. (23) also utilized the CMJ to compare jump performance

244 in healthy and previously injured players. No significant between-group differences

245 existed for jump height (ES = -0.24), relative peak power (ES = -0.22), or flight

246 time:contraction time ratio (ES = -0.47). In contrast, previously injured players

247 showed significantly greater asymmetries for concentric impulse (ES = 1.01),

248 concentric peak force (ES = 1.35), eccentric:concentric force ratio (ES = 0.87), eccentric

249 deceleration rate of force development (ES = 1.05), eccentric peak force (ES = 0.73),

250 and force at zero velocity (ES = 0.73). Given that previous literature has outlined that

251 asymmetries > 10% are associated with increased injury risk (30) and that consistent

252 limb differences should be considered as an opportunity to develop increased

253 maximal force production in the weaker limb (1,34), it seems plausible that

10
254 performance variables such as jump height or peak power, may not be the most

255 appropriate choice to monitor in injured athletes (44).

256 Considering all the information above, Figure 1 has been created, which provides a

257 schematic of some of the metrics the evidence would support for monitoring (in

258 addition to our anecdotal experiences) for performance profiling, neuromuscular

259 fatigue monitoring, and injury rehabilitation assessments. As a final point, it is

260 important to note that this article has focused on kinetic information obtainable from

261 a force platform. However, especially where assessments are being performed for

262 profiling during injury rehabilitation, video analysis, and kinematic data will also

263 likely have their place, given that metrics such as knee valgus have consistently been

264 shown to be a risk factor for severe knee injuries (44).

265

266 ** Insert Figure 1 about here **

267

268 Considerations for Testing based on Current Evidence

269 Despite our suggestions in Figure 1, additional factors surrounding the broader

270 notion of testing and analyzing CMJ data should also be considered, regardless of its

271 purpose. Firstly, practitioners should be aware that specific verbal instructions are

272 likely to impact the outcome of each recorded metric. For example, previous

273 literature has suggested that it can be challenging to obtain maximal force and rate

274 of force development data during the same trial (33), owing to one of these metrics

275 being centered around maximal force production and the other focused on the rate

276 of its production. Although this notion was originally discussed about isometric

277 strength, any specific verbal cueing would likely impact jump performance, too (45).

278 For example, in recent years, there has been a growing interest in time-related data,

279 including metrics such as time to take-off and phase duration appearing in many

280 studies (7,12,37). The relevance here is that any instructions that encourage the jump

11
281 to be performed as quickly or ballistically as possible (in addition to jumping as high

282 as possible) likely have the possibility of impacting time-based data. Therefore, once

283 practitioners understand why they are using the CMJ, they should align their test

284 instructions accordingly and remain consistent.

285 Second, practitioners should also be mindful of appropriate terminology during data

286 analysis. For example, previous research has referred to the “eccentric” and

287 “concentric” phases of movement during CMJ research (21,23). This would suggest

288 that muscles are either lengthening or shortening, as defined by two distinct

289 movement phases. However, it is not possible to determine this from force plate

290 analysis; thus, more recent suggestions have proposed terminology, such as

291 “braking” and “propulsive” phases, before take-off (11,38). Naturally, this is

292 suggested because braking forces can be determined from force-time data, but also

293 because a CMJ starts with an unweighting phase (38), a passive movement, as

294 opposed to a conscious eccentric action.

295 Third, when aiming to assess changes in CMJ data, some previous studies reported

296 measurement error or reliability data (20,21), which should be considered positive.

297 However, this has often been done in a silo, with the data not linked to the change in

298 test scores. Consequently, it would be more meaningful to establish whether any

299 change in a given metric is greater or less than the error in the test (e.g., the

300 coefficient of variation), which has been conducted in previous literature (5,7) and

301 would provide a greater layer of depth in data analysis, given measurement error is

302 likely to vary between populations. Furthermore, practitioners should also be

303 cognizant of how long it takes metrics to return to baseline or non-fatigued values,

304 highlighting the importance of test-retest protocols if using the CMJ for

305 neuromuscular fatigue monitoring purposes.

306 Finally, during injury-based literature which reports asymmetry data, it seems rare

307 for studies to have statistically quantified the direction of the imbalance. This is

308 likely down to raw data being presented within the context of one injured limb and

12
309 one healthy limb; thus, the assumption is that the asymmetry is present for a specific

310 reason, with the injured limb always having lower capacity or test scores. However,

311 it’s worth acknowledging that much research has been done specifically on the

312 direction of asymmetry in recent years (3,4,5) and has shown that large fluctuations

313 in limb dominance can occur between test sessions, even when the magnitude of

314 asymmetry is greater than 10%. Thus, and as previous literature has suggested

315 (3,4,5), it is important that practitioners also consider fluctuations in the direction of

316 asymmetry, as well as any changes in the magnitude value.

317

318 Practical Applications: Determining Real Change at the Group and Individual

319 Level

320 Regardless of why practitioners may use jump testing, and based on previous

321 suggestions surrounding the importance of measurement error (7,61), it seems

322 prudent to offer practitioners some guidance on undertaking data analysis to

323 determine true change. Further to this, given that practitioners are often challenged

324 to individualize analysis and training when working with large groups of athletes,

325 this section will outline how true change can be determined at both the group and

326 individual level.

327 Table 2 shows some example data which provides three different jump metrics being

328 monitored pre and post-training intervention for 20 athletes. This data is

329 hypothetical, so the details of any intervention are redundant here. Rather, how the

330 data is analyzed is useful when working with large squads of athletes. Pre and post-

331 intervention scores have been reported, accompanied by baseline coefficient of

332 variation (CV) values for each metric, percentage change, and a Hedges g ES value

333 with 95% confidence intervals (CI). So, when analyzing group mean data, it is

334 important to establish whether any subsequent change in test scores is greater than

335 the variance or measurement error in the test (CV) (7,61). In doing so, practitioners

13
336 can be confident that a real change has occurred. Specifically, jump height shows a

337 2.9% change which is less than the 3.8% CV value; thus, it cannot be considered real.

338 In contrast, time to take-off (TTTO) exhibits a 4.2% CV value, but the percentage

339 change is greater and can be considered real. This is supported by the larger ES seen

340 for TTTO compared to jump height. In addition, it is worth noting here that

341 practitioners can be confident of a significant change in the metric of TTTO because

342 the confidence interval of the ES does not cross 0 (i.e., both numbers in brackets are

343 negative – and the same would apply if both had been positive). Finally, RSI_Mod

344 exhibits a percentage change greater than the CV; however, the ES value is blunted

345 compared to TTTO. This is because it is a ratio metric calculated as jump height

346 divided by TTTO. Simply put, with an ES value of -0.75 for TTTO and 0.15 for jump

347 height, it stands to reason that the ES for RSI_Mod is somewhere in-between, given

348 how it is calculated. This provides a brief overview of how data can be analyzed

349 when working with groups of athletes; however, results at the group level cannot be

350 attributed to all individual athletes.

351 Table 3 provides example data for three individual athletes for the metric of jump

352 height. This time, when aiming to establish true change at the individual level, each

353 athlete’s CV value is used (noting that this is their natural variability) to set a target

354 score for the post-intervention testing. Step one is to convert the CV % to a decimal

355 by dividing it by 100 (noting that CV values are typically reported in percentages,

356 which are relative and computed by multiplying by 100 initially). Once converted to

357 a decimal, this is added to a value of one and then multiplied by the previously

358 determined test score (62). The advantage is that each athlete will exhibit their

359 variation during testing, so any target is then specific to their variability. Table 3

360 shows that athletes 1 and 3 have shown a test score greater than their target value;

361 thus, practitioners can be confident that this resultant change is greater than their

362 own variance in the test. When practitioners are aware of such information, it

363 enables them to consider the efficacy of their training interventions on an individual

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364 level, providing a deeper understanding of which athletes have responded best to

365 the previous block of training and which ones perhaps require an alternative

366 stimulus to drive positive adaptation.

367

368 ** Insert Tables 2 and 3 about here **

369

370 Conclusion

371 In summary, practitioners may wish to consider that the metrics we monitor from

372 CMJ testing may vary, depending on why we use the test. Specifically, outcome-

373 orientated metrics such as height, force, and power seem to be strongly associated

374 with independent measures of strength, linear speed, and change of direction ability

375 across numerous studies, thus, justifying their inclusion as proxy measurements.

376 From a neuromuscular fatigue monitoring perspective, time-based metrics such as

377 RSI_Mod, time to take-off, and time to peak power appear to be sensitive to

378 detecting the true change after intense exercise. Finally, if used as part of testing

379 protocols for injured athletes, outcome measures-based data may still retain

380 importance; however, landing force and inter-limb asymmetry metrics may be more

381 effective at highlighting residual deficits in capacity between limbs.

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Table 1. Effect size data showcasing the magnitude of change in countermovement jump (CMJ) variables after an acute fatiguing

protocol and in response to 19 weeks of structured training. Note: Table has been modified from Gathercole et al. (22), and effect

size descriptors have been taken directly from the source.

Acute Changes Chronic Changes

CMJ Metrics Effect Size Descriptor Effect Size Descriptor

Absolute peak power (W) 0.70 Small increase 0.17 Trivial increase

Absolute peak force (N) -2.15 Large reduction 2.93 Very large increase

Relative peak power (W·kg-1) 0.78 Small increase 1.52 Moderate increase

Relative peak force (N·kg-1) -1.25 Moderate reduction 3.23 Very large increase

Peak velocity (m·s-1) 0.36 Small increase 0.59 Small increase

Jump height (m) 0.47 Small increase 0.42 Small increase

F-V AUC (N·m·s·kg-1) -1.25 Moderate reduction 4.57 Extremely large increase

Eccentric Duration (s) 1.91 Large increase -2.80 Very large reduction

Concentric Duration (s) 0.88 Small increase -1.60 Large reduction

Total Duration (s) 1.90 Large increase -3.09 Very large reduction

W = watts; N = Newtons; W·kg-1 = watts per kilogram; N·kg-1 = Newtons per kilogram; m·s-1 = meters per second; m = meters; N·m·s·kg-1 = Newron meters

per second per kilogram; s = seconds.

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Figure 1. Schematic overview of possible metrics that practitioners could consider, depending on why the countermovement jump

(CMJ) is being used as an assessment method.

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Table 2. Example mean ± standard deviation (SD) data for 20 athletes, with baseline coefficient of variation (CV) for the group,

percentage change, and accompanying Hedges g effect sizes with 95% confidence intervals (CI).

Metric Mean ± SD (pre) Mean ± SD (post) CV % (pre) % Change g (95% CI)

Jump Height (cm) 45.5 ± 8.1 46.8 ± 9.4 3.8 2.9 0.15 (-0.50, 0.79)

TTTO (s) 0.81 ± 0.07 0.76 ± 0.06 4.2 6.2 -0.75 (-1.42, -0.09)

RSI_Mod 0.56 ± 0.09 0.61 ± 0.10 7.5 8.9 0.52 (-0.14, 1.17)

Note: Hedges g value in bold signifies a statistically significant change (p < 0.05).

M = meters; s = seconds; TTTO = time to take-off; RSI_Mod = reactive strength index modified.

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Table 3. Example mean jump height data for three individual athletes after a 6-week training intervention, with baseline coefficient

of variation (CV) used to set individual target scores, enabling meaningful change to be established at the individual level.

Athlete No. Jump Height (pre) CV % (pre) Target Calculation Target Score Jump Height (post)

Athlete 1 42.0 4.1 42.0*1.041 43.7 44.4

Athlete 2 38.5 6.6 38.5*1.066 41.0 39.0

Athlete 3 44.6 3.1 44.6*1.031 46.0 46.6

Note: jump height is reported in meters. Additionally, although jump height is used here, the same process can be undertaken for any metric of

interest.

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