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Eccentric rate of force development determines jumping performance
Article in Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering · September 2013
DOI: 10.1080/10255842.2013.815839
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GCMB 815839—27/6/2013—HARI.S—454309——Style 4
Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering, 2013
Vol. 16, No. S1, 1– 2, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10255842.2013.815839
Eccentric rate of force development determines jumping performance
5 60
G. Laffayea* and P. Wagnerb
a
UR CIAMS – Motor Control and Perception Group, Sport Sciences Department, Bât. 335, Université Paris-Sud, 91405 Orsay, France;
b
Sparta Performance Science, 165 Constitution Drive, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
10 Keywords: strength; prediction; athletic; muscular contractions 65
1. Introduction The independent variables were extracted from the
15
Critical information can be directly extracted from the F –T curve and included ECC – RFD, ECC –TIME (ECC 70
force –time (F – T) curve during the vertical counter- time), TIME (total time), RATIO – TIME and CON –VF
movement jump (CMJ), such as time variables, force (average concentric vertical force). The ECC – RFD (N/s)
variables and variables linking both components [rate of was determined between the minimum and the maximum
force development (RFD), impulse and power]. Consider- force during the ECC phase. The jump height was
20 75
[Q2]
ing that the performance during CMJ is the result of the calculated from impulse momentum (Figure 1).
high level of efficiency of all these mechanisms, it is The analyses were conducted using STATBOX pro
[Q1] expected that the vertical performance (VP) is strongly 7.2.2 for excel 2007 (FBC Software). Pearson correlation
linked to the mechanical variables responsible for the force coefficients were used to determine the relationships
production in concentric contraction and in elastic between independent variables and the dependent
25
structural elements. More specifically, the RFD seems to variable. Then, a multiple-regression analysis technique 80
play a crucial role in activities involving plyometric was applied to identify the most predictive model (by
muscular contractions, such as sprinting or jumping. stepwise regression, with backward elimination). Descrip-
This variable has been frequently studied but often tive statistics were used to verify that the basic assumption
during the concentric phase or only when the peak of normality of the dependent variable was met.
30 85
occurred (McLellan et al. 2011), but very rarely during the
eccentric (ECC) phase.
We hypothesised that ECC – RFD is a better candidate 3. Results and discussion
to predict VP during jumping because it summarises what All variables were significantly correlated with VP, with
35
happens in the tendon-muscle system to optimise the low to moderate coefficients (r ¼ 0.21– 0.57) and with 90
stretch shortening cycle. The goal of this study is to (i) negative values for all time variables (Figure 2).
assess the role of selected variables of F– T curves on the The main result of this study suggests that maximal VP
VP during CMJ and (ii) predict vertical jump performance during CMJ is primarily determined by ECC – RFD
with a high level of accuracy, using the method of (r ¼ 0.50, p , 0.001) and CON – VF (r ¼ 0.54,
40
multiregression analysis. p , 0.001). Indeed, the ECC RFD seems to play a major 95
role in the performance during CMJ. Several studies have
failed to find such a strong link between RFD and VP (e.g.
2. Methods Wilson et al. 1995). This difference of results could be
The sample was composed of 178 males, all skilled probably explained by several differences in the
45 athletes (football, basket-ball and base-ball) evolving in methodological approach. Firstly, this study measured [Q3]
100
the national US championship. All testing was done with VD while simultaneously recording RFD during CMJ on a
the subject standing on a 0.6 m £ 0.4 m Bertec 4060-08 force plate, contrarily to previous studies. Secondly, the
piezoelectric force sensor platform (Bertec Corp.; method to measure the VP is more accurate in this study
Columbus, OH, USA) with a sampling frequency of (impulse method) than the flight time method, which is
50 500 Hz. Each subject started the CMJ in the standing associated with high errors due to the variation in the take- 105
position, dropped into the squat position and then off and the landing position. Moreover, the use of arm [Q4]
immediately jumped as high as he can. swings seems to be a crucial movement, because
55 *Corresponding author. Email: guillaume.laffaye@u-psud.fr 110
q 2013 Taylor & Francis
GCMB 815839—27/6/2013—HARI.S—454309——Style 4
2 G. Laffaye and P. Wagner
1 2 3 4 5
200
Vertical replacement (cm)
150
115 100 170
50 Height
2000
1600
Vertical force (N)
120 1200
175
CON-VF
800
ECC-RFD
400 Figure 2. Linear regression model between ECC – RFD, CON–
0
VF and VP.
125 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 Time (ms) 180
ECC-TIME
TIME muscle – tendon system and results in a higher level of
force at the end of this phase. Further, a strong link
Figure 1. A typical CMJ with the recorded variables. between ECC – TIME and ECC – RFD (r ¼ 2 0.73,
p , 0.001) highlights that it is necessary to minimise the 185
130 correlation was found only in the study in which this
time to peak force for increasing the RFD.
motion was used between RFD and VP and not in those
studies in which arm swing was not used. This is due to the
increase in the take-off velocity.
4. Conclusions
Further, the other explanation of this difference
135 provides a recording method for calculating RFD. Indeed, Our study shows that the way to jump high requires a 190
this study is the first one which demonstrates that ECC – motor strategy based on the optimisation of the stretch
RFD is a strong predictor, better than the peak RFD or the shortening cycle function, by increasing the ECC – RFD
concentric RFD, because it summarises the capacity of the and minimising the ECC – TIME which results in higher
muscle – tendon unit structure to stretch quickly before level of force and in improvement of the vertical jump
140 attaining the peak of force, by optimising neural factors, performance. 195
such as the motor unit recruitment and the motor unit Moreover, this new method to record the RFD seems
synchronisation. Moreover, musculo-tendinous properties to be a better predictor of jumping performance than the
seem to have an important role in the RFD increase, such previous method, by summarising the ability of the
as the Achilles tendon length or the stiffness of the vastus muscle – tendons system to store efficiently elastic energy
145 lateralis tendon-aponeurosis, due to an increase in the and to release elastic energy as well as activating the 200
elastic properties of muscle (Cormie et al. 2010). In other stretch reflex.
terms, ECC –RFD is a good predictor of VP in CMJ,
because it summarises several intrinsic properties of
muscle and tendons during a key moment, which greatly References
150 contributes to this performance. Cormie P, McGuigann MR, Newton RU. 2010. Changes in 205
The best multiple regression model explains 79% of the eccentric phase contribute to improved stretch-shorten
cycle performance after training. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 42
the total variance and included ECC – RFD, CON –VF, (9):1731 – 1744.
TIME and ECC – TIME showing that high VP is the result Laffaye G, Bardy BG, Durey A. 2007. Principal component
of the combination of the mechanical variables responsible structure and sport-specific differences in the running one-leg
155 for the force production (Laffaye et al. 2007) in concentric vertical jump. Int J Sports Med. 28(5):420– 425. 210
contractions and elastic elements and could be predicted McLellan MC, Lovell DI, Gass CG. 2011. The role of rate of
force development on vertical jump performance. J Strength
with a high level of accuracy. Indeed, a significant Cond Res. 25(2):379– 385.
correlation between the ECC – RFD and the CON –VF Wilson G, Lyttle A, Ostrowski K, Murphy A. 1995. Assessing
(r ¼ 0.45) confirms that a high ECC rate of force allows dynamic performance: a comparison of rate of force deve-
160 rapid recruitment of motor units by stretching quickly the lopment tests. J Strength Cond Res. 9:176– 181. 215
165 220
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