Vol 15, Issue 1

The Agreement Between a Portable Contact-Mat and Force-Plates During Bilateral Vertical Jumps

January 1, 2022 - By 

Authors

Stuart N. Guppy, Edith Cowan University
Yosuke Kotani, Edith Cowan University
Jason P. Lake, University of Chichester
Christopher Latella, Edith Cowan University
Jodie Cochrane Wilkie, Edith Cowan University
Kristina L. Kendall, Edith Cowan University
G. Gregory Haff, Edith Cowan University
International Journal of Exercise Science 15(1): 632-644, 2022.
DOI: 10.70252/YKGM4175

Abstract

Force plates are commonly used when assessing vertical jumping performance but are not always affordable or practical tools for all testing situations. Twenty-four participants volunteered to take part in a study investigating the agreement between bilateral force plates and a new commercially available contact mat that records jump height, flight-time (FT), and FT of individual limbs during both countermovement (CMJ) and squat (SJ) jumps. Each participant performed six jumps of each type while standing on a contact mat placed upon a pair of in-ground force plates. When compared to the force plate via ordinary least products regression, the contact mat agreed with force plate CMJ and SJ jump height, individual limb FT during CMJs, and left-leg FT during SJs. The bilateral contact mat provided valid assessment of individual limb FT during CMJs, but not SJs. Practitioners can therefore use a bilateral contact mat interchangeably with bilateral force plates to measure SJ and CMJ performance.

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