Relationship between vertical and horizontal force-velocity-power profiles in various sports and levels of practice

Abstract

This study aimed (i) to explore the relationship between vertical (jumping) and horizontal (sprinting) force–velocity–power (FVP) mechanical profiles in a large range of sports and levels of practice, and (ii) to provide a large database to serve as a reference of the FVP profile for all sports and levels tested. A total of 553 participants (333 men, 220 women) from 14 sport disciplines and all levels of practice participated in this study. Participants performed squat jumps (SJ) against multiple external loads (vertical) and linear 30–40 m sprints (horizontal). The vertical and horizontal FVP profile (i.e., theoretical maximal values of force (F0), velocity (v0), and power (Pmax)) as well as main performance variables (unloaded SJ height in jumping and 20-m sprint time) were measured. Correlations coefficient between the same mechanical variables obtained from the vertical and horizontal modalities ranged from −0.12 to 0.58 for F0, −0.31 to 0.71 for v0, −0.10 to 0.67 for Pmax, and −0.92 to −0.23 for the performance variables (i.e, SJ height and sprint time). Overall, results showed a decrease in the magnitude of the correlations for higher-level athletes. The low correlations generally observed between jumping and sprinting mechanical outputs suggest that both tasks provide distinctive information regarding the FVP profile of lower-body muscles. Therefore, we recommend the assessment of the FVP profile both in jumping and sprinting to gain a deeper insight into the maximal mechanical capacities of lower-body muscles, especially at high and elite levels.

Differences in the Force Velocity Mechanical Profile and the Effectiveness of Force Application During Sprint-Acceleration Between Sprinters and Hurdlers

“…The differences in sprinting acceleration performance between sprinters and hurdlers may be more explained by differences in the mechanical effectiveness of force application between the events and especially by the ability to apply more effectively the force into the anteroposterior direction. These results are in agreement with previous studies that have revealed that highlevel athletes are able to horizontally apply higher forces upon contact with the ground (Morin et al, 2011;Buchheit et al, 2014;Kawamori et al, 2014;Pantoja et al, 2016;Jiménez-Reyes et al, 2018b).…”

Team sport players individual acceleration-speed profile in-situ: a proof of concept in professional football

“…The potential applications are numerous, within the training, talent identification or injury management fields, as observed in recent studies using the concept of sprint acceleration force-velocity profiling (e.g. Haugen et al, 2020b;Jiménez-Reyes et al, 2018, 2020Mendiguchia et al, 2014Mendiguchia et al, , 2016. The reliability observed between Phase1 and Phase2 (random error <8%, Table 1) is very good and in line with reliability observed during standardized sprint testing (Haugen et al, 2020a;Samozino et al, 2016).…”

Relationships between Resisted Sprint Performance and Different Strength and Power Measures in Rugby Players

“…These findings are supported not only by the fact that jump height was correlated to Vmax, but also because unresisted and RST times (i.e., T 30-20BM, T 30-40BM, T 30-60BM, T 30-80BM) were strongly correlated to both jumping tasks and Vmax. In contrast, a recent study in elite rugby players [19] reported no significant correlations between sprint times and jump height. The most noticeable difference between sprinting and jumping is that the former requires the resultant force and power to be more horizontally directed, while the latter requires a vertical orientation of the abovementioned variables [35].…”

“…Moreover, a recent study reported that isometric mid-thigh pull (IMTP) variables are significantly associated with strength, agility, and sprint in rugby union players [2,18]. In contrast, the authors of [19] reported non-significant correlations between the squat jump (jump height) and 20 m sprint times in male and female rugby players. Nevertheless, it is clear that force production is an integral component to maximal sprinting velocity [20,21].…”