Are Young Female Basketball Players Adequately Prepared for a Force-Velocity Jumping and Sprinting Assessment?

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to explore the interday reliability of mechanical variables obtained from the horizontal and vertical force-velocity (FV) profiles in adolescent female basketball players. If found to be reliable, the associations between FV parameters (theoretical maximal force, velocity, and power), squat jump (SJ) height, 30-m sprint, and change of direction (COD) times were evaluated. METHODS: After familiarization, SJ against incremental loads, 30-m sprint, and 505-COD tests were obtained twice in 36 adolescent female basketball players (age = 15.4 [1.2] y). RESULTS: Reliability for vertical FV parameters was unacceptable, whereas 505-COD times and FV horizontal parameters (except for theoretical maximal power) showed a moderate to high reliability. 505-COD time was correlated with FV horizontal parameters (range r = -.821, -.451), and a large association was observed with both SJ height (r = -.678, -.600) and 30-m sprint time (r = .813, .858). CONCLUSIONS: Due to low levels of strength, our athletes were not adequately prepared to obtain a reliable vertical FV profile. Practitioners can expect acceptable reliability of the horizontal FV profile. Given the association between COD performance and SJ height and 30-m sprint time, we encouraged practitioners with limited equipment at their disposal to use COD and/or 30-m sprint tests.