Lower body power is an important physical attribute of competitive volleyball athletes. In order to assess such an attribute, it is important that the test reliability be established using a sport specific physical test and a participant pool consisting of competitive athletes. Furthermore, identification of the appropriate number of trials to use during assessment insures accuracy of scores and time efficiency for coaches. PURPOSE: The aim of this investigation was to establish the minimum number of trials needed for reliability of the standing long jump (SLJ) in female collegiate volleyball players. METHODS: Nine female athletes (age: 18.3±0.5yrs, height: 179.2±5.3cm, mass: 68.8±7.9kg) completed five trials of a SLJ. Jumps were performed at 2, 6, 10, 14 and 18 minutes following a dynamic warm-up. In an attempt to simulate the active nature of sport, the athletes alternated between walking and jogging the length of a basketball court between successive trials. For the SLJ, subjects performed a standard countermovement SLJ and distance in centimeters was measured from the starting line to the rear-most heel upon landing. Pearson (PCC) and Intraclass (ICC) Correlation Coefficients were calculated between successive trials. RESULTS: Means for the for the successive trials were as follows: Trial 1: 191.4±10.1cm; Trial 2: 196.1±10.2cm; Trial 3: 199.9±10.3; Trial 4: 199.6±11.8cm; Trial 5: 200.7±9.6cm. Mean difference between successive trials (i.e. Trials 2 to 1, 3 to 2, 4 to 3 and 5 to 4) were; 4.8±6.9, 3.8±5.5, -0.3±5.6 and 1.1±5.4 (cms). PCC and ICC for successive trials were: 0.77 and 0.82; 0.86 and 0.89; 0.88 and 0.91; 0.89 and 0.91. CONCLUSIONS: Given the parameters of this study, the SLJ is a reliable field test of horizontal muscular power output and adequate assessment of SLJ performance is achieved using three trials.
© Copyright 2017 International Journal of Sports Science. Scientific & Academic Publishing. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.