Ground reaction force and joint kinematic comparison between the standing vertical jump and the standing broad jump

Background: The standing vertical jump (SVJ) and standing broad jump (SBJ) are athletic assessment and talent identification tools. Limited biomechanical comparison of the styles exists. The aim of this project was to assess the differences in kinetics and kinematics between SVJ and SBJ. Materials and Methods: Ten semi-professional soccer players (22.4±3.1 years) volunteered to participate in the study. Participants completed six SVJ and six SBJ on a force platform with reflective markers attached for motion capture analysis. Ground reaction forces (GRF) and kinematic hip, knee and ankle data was then analysed. Results: SVJ height displayed a significant moderate relationship with SBJ length (r = 0.80, P = .006). There was a moderate relationship found between SBJ distance and SBJ resultant GRF (r = 0.71) and a weak relationship found between SVJ height and SVJ resultant GRF (r = -0.1186). There was a nonsignificant relationship between knee and hip extension velocities between jumping styles (r = 0.04, P = .920), (r = 0.56, P = .091). A strong relationship was found between jumps for ankle plantar flexion velocities (r = 0.90, P< .001). Conclusions: The SVJ and SBJ do not measure comparable attributes of participants and should be considered separate testing and training options.