Reliability metrics of outcome measures during the single and double leg drop jump tests

Abstract

Although a number of previous studies have studied reliability metrics of outcome measures during single and double leg drop jump tests, none of them presented detailed reliability information for both tests with a group of collegiate athletes of both genders. The aim of this study was therefore to assess the reliability of outcome measures during the single and double leg drop jump tests with proper reliability metrics. Seventeen handball players (11 male and 6 female) participated in the experiments. Each player performed three double leg and three single drop jumps from a 30 cm height box onto a portable force plate in two sessions a week apart. Sixteen outcome measures, including jump height (JH), ground contact time (GCT), reactive strength index (RSI), were calculated. Four groups of reliability metrics like absolute agreement and consistency intraclass correlation coefficients (inter-day and intra-day), standard error of measurement, coefficient of variation, and minimal metrically detectable change were estimated for reliability assessment. The outcome measures as RSI and its individual components JH and GCT together with normalized vertical stiffness (Kvert) yielded high inter-day and intra-day intraclass correlation coefficients and low standard error of measurement and coefficient of variation levels for the double leg drop jump test. The more challenging single leg drop jump test could also be considered reproducible with some other highly reliable outcome measure set by keeping JH, GCT, and normalized Kvert and replacing vertical jump impulse with RSI. The results of the current study therefore suggested the drop jump tests could be deemed reliable to be used for short-term and long-term monitoring needs for a group of collegiate athletes of both genders.