ABSTRACT
Introduction:
The drop jump is used to improve the power of the lower limbs. Keeping the drop height constant, the variation of the landing technique can modify the performance and the mechanical characteristics of the jump.
Objective:
To evaluate the effects of different landing techniques on the performance and the reaction force of the vertical component of the ground after drop jump.
Methods:
Twenty-five healthy and physically active men (age: 26±8 years, total body mass: 75±10 kg, height: 175±10 cm) performed four landing techniques after the drop jump: bounce drop jump (BDJ), drop jump with 90° of knee flexion (DJ90), drop jump with 135° of knee flexion (DJ135), and drop jump with 135° of knee flexion with hands resting on the ground (DJ135A). Three attempts were performed for each technique; the subjects performed the drop jump falling from a 40 cm high force platform. The measures of jump height, contact time and impact were determined by the force of reaction of the vertical component of the ground, measured by the force platform, at a frequency of acquisition of 2,000 Hz. The repeated measures by ANOVA were used to compare the different techniques.
Results:
The BDJ technique presented lower jump height, shorter contact time and greater impact than the other techniques (P<0.001). The DJ90 technique presented jump height similar to the DJ135 and DJ135A techniques and a short contact time (P<0.001) and a lower impact than the other techniques (P<0.001).
Conclusion:
The highest jumps were observed for DJ90, DJ135 and DJ135A. The lowest contact time was observed in the BDJ technique, followed by DJ90. Regarding the impact, the BDJ technique presented the highest values.
Keywords:
athletic performance; muscle strength; biomechanical phenomena
