Athletic performance assessments are important for identifying physical giftedness, monitoring athlete progress and supporting training recommendations. Sprint performance is a key component in athlete success both in athletics and field-based sports, and talent identification testing batteries often include sprint and jump assessments. Jumping and sprinting share a number of similar characteristics and research has shown that the relationships between sprint and jump tests depend on the recorded segment of the sprinting task, type of jump performed, and the speed and sex of the athlete. The majority of this research has been conducted in small, single sex, similar athlete cohorts and there has yet to be an analysis of a large cohorts multi-sport population with both male and female groups. Understanding the relationships between sprint ability and horizontal jump performance, based on large groups of athletes separated by sex can provide great insight into the shared and independent value of sprint and jump performance tests to support athlete testing and development. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between horizontal jump tests and sprint performance within different athlete sexes and sprint ability. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study with a large population sample of multisport athletes, with differing sprint and jump abilities. The associations and relationships between horizontal jump performance in standing broad jump (SBJ) and standing triple jump (STJ) with 0-10m and 30-40m sprint time in a group of athletes participating in a talent identification event were investigated in this study. Correlations and linear regressions were assessed with athletes grouped only by sex (male (n = 742), and female (n = 610)), and then grouped by sex and speed (fast = -0.5 SD, slow = +0.5 SD) for both 0-10m and 30-40m time separately. When grouped only by sex there were very large and large associations between sprint and jump measures (r = -0.533 to -0.717), and linear regression equations explained 37.4% to 55.5% of the variance. When grouped by sex and speed, slow athletes showed stronger associations (r = -0.353 to -0.488) than fast athletes (r = -0.088to -0.307). Linear regressions explained 20.3% to 28.5% of the variance in slow athletes, but only up to 12.0% of the variance explained in fast athletes. Linear regressions in slow and fast males all included SBJ as a predictor, but not STJ. Linear regressions in slow and fast females all included STJ as a predictor, but not SBJ. Overall, these results support the use of general sprint and jump tests for slower athletes, the importance of both sprint and jumps tests with higher resolution in faster athletes, as well as the utility of different jump tests to evaluate lower limb performance between sexes. / Graduate

Jumping ability in volleyball players is crucial to a team's success. There are both muscular and neural components in jumping. Coaches often test jumping ability and body composition prior to the start of the competitive season, but many fail to monitor these important variables during the course of the season. Jumping ability can decrease over the course of the season as the focus moves from strength training in the weight room to skill development on the court. It is imperative that players maintain their jumping ability and body composition over the course of the season. Seasonal changes in elite-male volleyball players were determined by testing the players body composition, spike jump, block jump and lower body power index at three distinct time points: prior to the first game, during their bye-week, and at the end of their regular season. It was found that these players were able to maintain their vertical jump and lower body power index. Also, those who were deemed players (those who played throughout the course of the season) had lower body fat percentages and higher jump scores. These results will aid coaches in understanding the changes that occur over the course of the season in elite-male collegiate volleyball players.

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This investigation aimed to employ novel analyses to longitudinal jump testing data gathered from competitive weightlifters to identify how certain biomechanical and performance characteristics obtained from the countermovement jump (CMJ) relate to changes in weightlifting performance over time and if they can differentiate higher and lower performers. A linear mixed-effect model was used to assess and compare the ability of countermovement jump height and net-impulse to predict Sinclair weightlifting total. CMJ force-time waveforms were compared in cross-sectional and repeated measures analyses to distinguish the force application patterns of higher-performing weightlifters and if they change over extended periods of training. It was found that both jump height and net impulse were significant predictors of Sinclair weightlifting total; however, likely due to changes in body mass within individuals over time, net impulse was a better predictor. The primary differentiator between higher and lower-performing weightlifters within the countermovement jump was the magnitude of force produced during the propulsive phase. No changes to the athlete’s force-time waveforms were observed across three testing sessions separated each by a year. Over the three testing sessions, no significant change in jump height was found; however, net impulse increased over time. The findings of this dissertation demonstrate that countermovement jump net impulse is a beneficial metric to monitor in competitive weightlifters as it demonstrated the capacity to predict changes in weightlifting performance, differentiated levels of performers, and changes over extended periods of training.

La reconstruction chirurgicale est le traitement préconisé après rupture du Ligament Croisé Antérieur (LCA) chez les patients sportifs. Cette opération est suivie d'une longue période de rééducation et les résultats en termes de reprise du sport et de récidive ne sont pas totalement satisfaisants. Ainsi ce travail s'articule autour de deux objectifs : l'amélioration de la récupération après lésion du LCA et la prévention des primo-ruptures. Dans un premier temps, nous avons évalué les altérations cinématiques et dynamiques présentes chez les patients, lors d'un mouvement de saut, 7 mois après reconstruction du LCA. Les études conduites mettent en évidence des performances plus faibles et des asymétries plus importantes chez les patients, notamment pour le travail mécanique articulaire total. La jambe opérée présente des déficits au niveau du genou, de la hanche et de la cheville sur des paramètres tels que les amplitudes articulaires, les moments et puissances articulaires. Des altérations ont également été retrouvées sur la jambe non-opérée. Elles se traduisent par une modification des angles de la cheville, du genou, et un plus faible moment articulaire total. Dans un deuxième temps, nous nous sommes intéressés aux possibilités de prévention des ruptures du LCA chez les athlètes féminines. Nos résultats démontrent qu'il est possible de détecter et de diminuer les facteurs de risque neuromusculaires, dont le « valgus dynamique », tout en augmentant la performance de saut chez de jeunes basketteuses. En conclusion, l'amélioration des résultats après lésion du LCA requiert, dans le protocole de rééducation et le suivi des patients, une attention particulière à la qualité d'exécution des mouvements pluriarticulaires, sur chacun des deux membres inférieurs. En parallèle, la détection et la prise en charge des facteurs de risque neuromusculaires devraient être systématisées dans les pratiques ou les publics à risque afin de prévenir les ruptures du LCA / Surgical reconstruction is the common treatment after Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury in athletes. It usually requires a long period of rehabilitation and the results in terms of return to sport and re-injury rates are not fully satisfactory. The present work has two aims: the enhancement of recovery after ACL tear and the prevention of initial injury. Firstly, we assessed the kinematic and kinetic alterations during a jump task in patients 7 months after ACL reconstruction. Our findings highlight both a lower jumping performance, and greater asymmetries in patients, particularly considering the total joint mechanical work. The operated leg presents deficits at the knee, hip and ankle joints on parameters such as joint range of motion, joint moments and powers. In addition, changes are also found on the non-operated leg, characterized by a modification of the knee and ankle joint angles, and by a lower total joint moment. Secondly, we focused on ACL injury prevention in female athletes. We determinate a way to detect and reduce the neuromuscular risk factors, including “dynamic valgus”, while increasing jumping performance in young basketball female players. In conclusion, maximizing the recovery after ACL tear requires, in the rehabilitation protocol and the patients follow-up, a particular emphasis on the quality of execution of multi-joint task, on each of both lower limbs. Moreover, the detection and management of the neuromuscular risk factors should be systematized in sports or public at risk in order to prevent ACL injury

Monitoring tests are commonly used to assess weightlifter’s preparedness for competition. Although various monitoring tests have been used, it is not clear which test is the strongest indicator of weightlifting performance. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to (1) determine the relationships between vertical jump, isometric mid-thigh pull (IMTP) and weightlifting performance; and (2) compare vertical jumps to IMTP as monitoring tests of weightlifting performance in a large cohort of male and female weightlifters. Methods: Fifty-two competitive weightlifters (31 males, 21 females) participated in squat and countermovement jump testing (SJ, CMJ), and IMTP testing performed on force plates. All laboratory testing data was correlated to a recent competition where the athletes had attempted to peak. Results: Squat jump height (SJH) was the strongest correlate for men and women with the Sinclair Total (r = 0.686, p ≤ 0.01; r = 0.487, p ≤ 0.05, respectively) compared to countermovement jump height (r = 0.642, p ≤ 0.01; r = 0.413, p = 0.063), IMTP peak force allometrically scaled to body mass (r = 0.542, p ≤ 0.01; r = −0.044, p = 0.851) and rate of force development at 200 ms (r = 0.066, p = 0.723; r = 0.086, p = 0.711), respectively. Further, SJH was a stronger correlate of relative weightlifting performance compared to IMTP peak force in females (p = 0.042), but not male weightlifters (p = 0.191). Conclusions: Although CMJ and IMTP are still considered strong indicators of weightlifting performance, SJH appears to be the most indicative measure of weightlifting performance across a wide-range of performance levels. Thus, SJH can be used as a reliable measure to monitor weightlifting performance in male and female weightlifters.

Background: Within the rescue service, a varied background is needed to increase the possibility of delivering equal service to the citizens. At present, there is a skewed gender distribution within the municipal rescue services, with only a couple of percent of the firefighters being women. Many women find it difficult to meet the physical limit values on recruitment tests. The standing long jump (SLJ) is used as a part of recruitment tests on many rescue services, to assess leg power. It is not clear though whether SLJ is the most appropriate field-test to assess leg power in firefighter trainees, with men and women mixed in the same group, as it has been argued that anthropometric factors, such as body height (BH), affects the result. Thereby we wanted to study the relationship between BH and SLJ, and compere SLJ with another field-test for measuring leg power, one that omits the variable BH. Aim: The aim was to study the strength of the relationship between body height and the jump length at standing long jump, for firefighter trainees. A second aim was to study the strength of the relationship between firefighter trainees' jump results of the two tests: standing long jump and vertical jump. Methods: The study was executed as an observational cross-sectional study. Three different measurements were carried out: BH, vertical jump (VJ) and SLJ. Correlation analyzes, with Pearson's correlation coefficient, were performed on BH in relation to SLJ, and VJ in relation to SLJ. Results: Fourteen (n = 14) firefighter trainees (women n = 5, men n = 9) met the inclusion criteria and participated in the study. Subjects' age, body mass index (BMI) and number of workouts per week were 29 ± 7 years old, 25 ± 2 kg/m2 and 4 ± 1 workouts (at least 30 minutes) per week. Results showed a significant moderate correlation between BH and SLJ (r = 0.572). Between the variables VJ and SLJ there were a significant strong correlation (r = 0.862). However, the results changed substantially when the analyzes were performed separately for men and women, with a very low correlation level (r = 0.106 respective r = 0.166) between BH and SLJ. For VJ and SLJ there were a moderate correlation level for men and low for women (r = 0.414 respective r = 0.387). Conclusion: The result from this study is in line with aforementioned work and supports the hypothesis that BH to some extent can affect the jump result at SLJ. Our study complements earlier work and indicates that these results are also applicable to firefighter trainees. The findings in this study indicates VJ could possibly be an alternative field test for SLJ, to assess leg power when recruiting new firefighters. Additional studies are required to investigate the correlation between SLJ and VJ with ad- ditional confounders, such as actual leg power, and also the correlation between VJ and fire- fighters heaviest among most common work tasks.

Background and aim The pace of development of distance running shoes has been fast-forward since 2016 when Nike introduced their model Nike Zoom Vaporfly, with an imbedded carbon fiber plate and an advanced newly developed Pebax®-foam. The shoe-development has continued to track events, with the introduction of carbon fiber plate in several shoe-models for running and sprint- events. The research area for track events has not reached the level as for distance running shoes, therefore the aim of this study was to examine the effects on long jump performance when using long jump spikes with (AFT) compared to without (non-AFT) a carbon fiber plate.  Method Nine experienced male (n=6, age 22 ± 4.8 years, body mass 76.4 ± 3.5 kg, height 182 ± 4.9 cm), and female (n=3, age 20.3 ± 3.5 years, body mass 64.8 ± 6.0 kg, height 172 ± 2.0 cm) Swedish long jumpers performed three maximal effort long jumps in AFT and non-AFT long jump shoes. Three-dimensional kinematic data was captured with eight markerless motion capture cameras, and the take-off was performed from a force plate. Run-up velocity was measured using a lidar laser and step characteristics using an optical contact grid. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was calculated for jump distance and maximal run-up velocity and paired samples t-tests and a Wilcoxon rank sum test were conducted to examine differences between the shoes.  Results Peak run-up velocity correlated with jump distance both for AFT (Pearson’s r=0.919, p<0.001) and non-AFT shoes (Pearson’s r=0.910, p<0.001). At a group-level no statistical differences were found between the shoes for the run-up variables. The AFT shoes showed significantly greater horizontal velocity at touchdown (p=0.046) and vertical velocity difference from touchdown to toe-off (p=0.029) compared to the non-AFT shoes. No other significant difference was found on group level for the take-off variables. Conclusion The results in this study did not show a longer jump distance in long jump specific AFT shoes compared to non-AFT on a group level, but individual differences were seen. To further understand the effect of AFT shoes on long jump performance, more studies on different individual characteristics and their relation to long jump performance is needed. Keywords Long jump, super spikes, AFT-shoes, carbon fiber plate, biomechanics. / Bakgrund och syfte Sedan Nike 2016 introducerade sin skomodell Nike Zoom Vaporfly har utvecklingen av löparskor med en inbäddad kolfiberplatta och nyutvecklade med energiåtergivande material snabbt fortskridit. Utvecklingen av skor har fortsatt från löparspåren till friidrottsbanan för flera grenar. Forskningsområdet för grenspecifika skor har inte kommit lika långt som för distanslöparskor, därför var syftet med denna studie att undersöka effekterna på längdhoppsprestation av att använda längdhoppsspecifika spikskor med (AFT) jämfört med utan (non-AFT) kolfiberplatta. Metod Nio erfarna manliga (n=6, ålder 22 ± 4,8 år, kroppsvikt 76,4 ± 3,5 kg, längd 182 ± 4,9 cm) och kvinnliga (n=3, ålder 20,3 ± 3,5 år, kroppsvikt 64,8 ± 6 kg, längd 172 ± 2 cm) svenska längdhoppare gjorde tre maximala längdhopp i AFT och non-AFT längdhoppsskor. Tredimensionell kinematisk data samlades in med åtta markörlösa motion capture-kameror och uthoppet skedde från en kraftplatta. Ansatshastigheten mättes med en laserkamera och steg-specifik data med ett optiskt kontaktnät. Pearson’s korrelations koefficient beräknades for hopplängd och maximal ansatshastighet samt så genomfördes paired samples t-test och Wilcoxon rank sum test för att undersäka skillnaderna mellan skorna. Resultat Maximal ansatshastighet korrelerade med maximal hopplängd både för AFT skor (Pearsons r=0,919, p<0,001) och non-AFT skor (Pearsons r=0,910, p<0,001). På gruppnivå hittades ingen statistisk skillnad mellan skorna vad gäller ansatslöpningens variabler. AFT skorna visade en signifikant högre horisontell hastighet vid första markkontakt med kraftplatta (p=0,046) och vertikal hastighetsdifferens från första markkontakt med kraftplatta till sista markkontakt med kraftplatta (p=0,029) jämfört med non-AFT-skor. Ingen annan signifikant skillnad hittades på gruppnivå vad gäller uthoppsvariabler. Slutsats Resultaten i denna studie visade inte på en längre hopplängd i längdhoppsspecifika AFT skor jämfört med icke-AFT skor på gruppnivå men skillnader sågs på individnivå. För att ytterligare förstå effekten av AFT skor på längdhoppsprestation behövs fler studier om olika individuella egenskaper och dess relation till längdhoppsprestation. Nyckelord Längdhopp, super spikes, AFT-skor, karbonfiberplatta, biomekanik.

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NAME: Determine the dependence of performance in selected athletic disciplines students in primary schools AUTHOR: Radek Vopršálek DEPARTMENT: Katedra tělesné výchovy SUPERVISOR: PhDr. PaedDr. Ladislav Kašpar, Ph.D. ABSTRACT: The aim of this thesis is to explore the relationship and dependency between performances in chosen sports disciplines for pupils of primary school. The disciplines I have chosen to determine the relative performance are: long jump and 60 meters sprint. In the theoretical part there is a description and analysis of these sports disciplines. In the practical part there is a measurement of pupils' performances in that two sports disciplines and creating a dependency relationship between them. KEYWORDS: Long jump, Bounce, Run, Relationship.