Speed/Power Development
Russell K. Lowell, MS
PhD Student
Mississippi State University
Mississippi State, Mississippi, United States
Marissa Bello, PhD, CSCS*D
Instructor, Kinesiology
University of Alabama-Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama, United States
Riley M. Gray
Undergraduate Student
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama, United States
Jaret R. Kehl
Undergraduate Student
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama, United States
Jon Uribe
Strength and Conditioning Coach
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama, United States
Zachary M. Gillen, PhD, CSCS*D, USAW-1
Assistant Professor of Exercise Physiology
Mississippi State University
Starkville, Mississippi, United States
BACKGROUND: A common test used to monitor athletic performance is the countermovement jump (CMJ). Recent studies have utilized CMJs to monitor changes in athletic performance in basketball players to determine if CMJ metrics provide insight into player performance and adaptations to training programs. Furthermore, changes in CMJ metrics may potentially provide insight into position-specific differences in basketball players.
Purpose: This study aimed to assess position-specific differences in CMJ performance across the offseason through the preseason in Division 1 basketball players.
Methods: A sample of n=11 (n=4 forwards, n=7 guards) Division 1 basketball players completed regular CMJ assessments throughout the offseason and preseason (June through November). Players completed multiple CMJ assessments weekly, and data were averaged across all attempts each month. Metrics were jump height (JH) and time to takeoff (TTO). Repeated measures ANOVAs assessed position-specific and month-to-month changes in JH and TTO.
Results: JH was greater for guards in July, August, October, and November (p≤0.036). JH did not change across time for forwards (p=1.000), but was greater in September, October, and November than in June, July, and August for guards (p≤0.044). TTO was greater (worse performance) for forwards collapsed across time (p=0.022). There were no time-related changes for TTO for either position (p≥0.092).
Conclusions: The present data demonstrates unique, position-specific differences in JH and TTO, such that guards tended to have greater changes in JH, and lower TTO (better performance) than forwards. Although the present sample size was small, studies examining position-specific changes in CMJ performance may provide insight into changes in performance across a strength and conditioning program. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Assessing CMJ performance across a strength and conditioning program may provide strength and conditioning coaches valuable information, which can be used to guide position-specific training programs.