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Preliminary Scale of Reference Values for Evaluating Reactive Strength Index-Modified in Male and Female NCAA Division I Athletes

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Abstract and Figures

The purpose of this analysis was to construct a preliminary scale of reference values for reactive strength index-modified (RSImod). Countermovement jump data from 151 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I collegiate athletes (male n = 76; female n = 75) were analyzed. Using percentiles, scales for both male and female samples were constructed. For further analysis, athletes were separated into four performance groups based on RSImod and comparisons of jump height (JH), and time to takeoff (TTT) were performed. RSImod values ranged from 0.208 to 0.704 and 0.135 to 0.553 in males and females, respectively. Males had greater RSImod (p < 0.001, d = 1.15) and JH (p < 0.001, d = 1.41) as compared to females. No statistically significant difference was observed for TTT between males and females (p = 0.909, d = 0.02). Only JH was found to be statistically different between all performance groups. For TTT no statistical differences were observed when comparing the top two and middle two groups for males and top two, bottom two, and middle two groups for females. Similarities in TTT between sexes and across performance groups suggests JH is a primary factor contributing to differences in RSImod. The results of this analysis provide practitioners with additional insight as well as a scale of reference values for evaluating RSImod scores in collegiate athletes.
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sports
Brief Report
Preliminary Scale of Reference Values for Evaluating
Reactive Strength Index-Modified in Male and
Female NCAA Division I Athletes
Christopher J. Sole 1, *, Timothy J. Suchomel 2and Michael H. Stone 3
1Department of Health and Human Performance, The Citadel-The Military College of South Carolina,
Charleston, SC 29409, USA
2Department of Human Movement Sciences, Carroll University, Waukesha, WI 53186, USA;
tsuchome@carrollu.edu
3Center of Excellence for Sport Science and Coach Education, Department of Exercise and Sport Science,
East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA; stonem@etsu.edu
*Correspondence: csole@citadel.edu; Tel.: +1-843-953-6386
Received: 29 September 2018; Accepted: 19 October 2018; Published: 29 October 2018


Abstract:
The purpose of this analysis was to construct a preliminary scale of reference values for
reactive strength index-modified (RSI
mod
). Countermovement jump data from 151 National Collegiate
Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I collegiate athletes (male n = 76;
female n = 75
) were analyzed.
Using percentiles, scales for both male and female samples were constructed. For further analysis,
athletes were separated into four performance groups based on RSI
mod
and comparisons of jump
height (JH), and time to takeoff (TTT) were performed. RSI
mod
values ranged from 0.208 to 0.704 and
0.135 to 0.553 in males and females, respectively. Males had greater RSI
mod
(p< 0.001, d= 1.15) and
JH (p< 0.001, d= 1.41) as compared to females. No statistically significant difference was observed
for TTT between males and females (p= 0.909, d= 0.02). Only JH was found to be statistically
different between all performance groups. For TTT no statistical differences were observed when
comparing the top two and middle two groups for males and top two, bottom two, and middle
two groups for females. Similarities in TTT between sexes and across performance groups suggests
JH is a primary factor contributing to differences in RSI
mod
. The results of this analysis provide
practitioners with additional insight as well as a scale of reference values for evaluating RSI
mod
scores
in collegiate athletes.
Keywords:
countermovement jump; jump height; time to takeoff; force platform; athlete monitoring
1. Introduction
When assessing athlete testing and training data for the purpose of performance monitoring,
coaches and sport scientists are often faced with questions regarding the worth of the data they
have collected. Questions such as, “Is that score good?” or “How does that score compare to peer
and aspirant performers?” are common as athlete performance data are reviewed. Unfortunately,
answers to questions such as these are not always immediately apparent. In order to find answers,
or determine the worth of data, coaches and sport scientists must engage in the process of evaluation.
Although the evaluation of data can be achieved through several means, one common approach
is through a norm-referenced perspective. In this form of evaluation, an individual athlete’s score is
compared to other scores considered representative of a population, and are commonly presented using
percentiles. Overall, norm-referenced evaluation provides coaches and practitioners with a general
idea of how an individual compares to a group or population. Normative data for various fitness
and performance tests have been previously published for a variety of populations [
1
]. Depending on
Sports 2018,6, 133; doi:10.3390/sports6040133 www.mdpi.com/journal/sports
Sports 2018,6, 133 2 of 10
the purpose of the testing, this method of evaluation can be useful, such as in talent identification,
or grouping individuals based on their abilities. However, if data for a specific measure or population
do not exist, this process is not possible.
With the growing interest in vertical jump testing in athlete performance monitoring [2], as well
as the increased accessibility of technology such as portable force platforms [
3
7
], many new variables
derived from a single vertical jump have arisen from the literature. Although the addition of new
variables used to characterize jump performance is not necessarily negative, it does however present
interpretation and evaluation challenges for practitioners. One such variable is reactive strength
index-modified (RSI
mod
) [
8
]. Reactive strength index-modified can be calculated from a standing
countermovement jump (CMJ) and represents the ratio of jump height (JH) to movement time,
referred to as time to takeoff (TTT). Since it was first introduced [
8
], RSI
mod
has been reported to be
both a reliable [
9
] and valid [
10
,
11
] indication of the athlete’s lower-body impulsive or “explosive”
ability. Furthermore, considering RSI
mod
takes into consideration an outcome variable (i.e., JH) and
a process variable (i.e., TTT), it appears to be a simple and effective means for evaluating jumping
strategy and ultimately neuromuscular functional state (i.e., adaptation or fatigue) [12].
Although a variety of normative data have been published related to CMJ’s criterion variable
of jump height [
13
16
], normative data have yet to be published on many specific CMJ variables
such as RSI
mod
. If RSI
mod
is to be effectively used in athlete performance testing and monitoring,
more information is needed related to the interpretation and evaluation of this variable. The purpose
of this report is twofold (1) to present a preliminary scale of reference values for RSI
mod
, and (2) to
examine differences in the constituents of RSI
mod
(JH and TTT) across the scale in an effort to provide
additional context to aid in the evaluation of this variable.
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Participants
This analysis was completed retrospectively using archived data that were collected as part of
an ongoing athlete performance monitoring program [
17
]. Additionally, all athletes provided written
informed consent at the time of data collection. The methods and scope of this analysis were reviewed
and approved by the University’s institutional review board. Countermovement jump data from a total
of 151 collegiate athletes (male n = 76;
female n = 75
) were included in this analysis. All athletes were
NCAA Division I, representing a variety of sports including baseball (
n = 29
;
height = 182.1 ±6.2 cm
,
body mass 88.0
±
9.0 kg), men’s tennis (n = 7;
height = 176.9 ±9.0 cm
,
body mass = 74.7 ±9.5 kg
),
men’s soccer (n = 25;
height = 179.5 ±6.8 cm
,
body mass = 78.5 ±9.2 kg
), men’s track and field (
n = 15
;
height = 183.1 ±6.3 cm
;
body mass = 94.4 ±29.0 kg
), women’s tennis (n = 11;
height = 167.6 ±5.6 cm
,
body mass = 68.6
±
12.7 kg), women’s soccer (
n = 22
;
height = 166.1 ±6.2 cm
, body mass =
63.9
±
8.1 kg), women’s track and field (
n = 13
;
height = 166.5 ±7.2 cm
,
body mass = 67.1 ±20.5 kg
),
softball (n = 14; height = 168.5
±
6.7 cm,
body mass = 70.4 ±10.1 kg
), and women’s volleyball (n = 15;
height = 175.3 ±7.5 cm, body mass = 70.7 ±7.7 kg). Athletes ranged in age from 18–23 years.
2.2. Data Collection
In order to avoid any possible influence of fatigue from training or competition, all CMJ data
included in this analysis were selected from the athlete’s preseason testing sessions. All athletes were
injury-free at the time of data collection. All data were collected under the same standardized testing
protocol. Specifically, participants completed a general warm-up consisting of 25 jumping-jacks, one set
of five repetitions of mid-thigh clean pulls with a 20 kg barbell, and three sets of five repetitions of
mid-thigh clean pulls with barbell totaling 40 kg for females and 60 kg for males. Immediately following
the general warm-up, participants began jump testing where they completed a specific warm-up
consisting of two submaximal CMJs performed at 50% and 75% of their perceived maximum effort.
Following the specific warm-up, participants performed two maximal CMJs with approximately
Sports 2018,6, 133 3 of 10
60 seconds of rest between each jump. Briefly, each participant stood motionless on the force platform
and then received a countdown of “3, 2, 1, jump!” After the jump command, participants performed a
rapid countermovement to a self-selected depth before propelling themselves upward with the intent
of jumping as high as possible. To control for arm swing, all jumps were performed while holding a
near-weightless (
0.5 kg) plastic bar across the shoulders, approximately between the seventh cervical
and third thoracic vertebra [
9
,
18
]. All jumps were performed on a force platform (0.91 m
×
0.91 m,
RoughDeck HP, Rice Lake Weighing Systems, Rice Lake, WI, USA) sampling at 1000 Hz.
2.3. Data Analysis
Following data collection, voltage data obtained from the force platform were converted to the
vertical component of the ground reaction force using laboratory calibrations. Force-time curves were
then constructed. All data were collected and analyzed using custom programs (LabVIEW version 15,
National Instruments, Austin, TX, USA). To reduce noise in the signal, a digital low-pass Butterworth
filter with a cutoff frequency of 10 Hz was used. From the force-time data, RSI
mod
was then calculated
using procedures outlined by previous authors [8,9,19].
Equation (1)
RSImod =CMJ height (m)
time to takeoff (s)(1)
The CMJ height (JH) was calculated from the vertical displacement of the jumper’s center of mass
estimated from flight time [
20
] and TTT was defined as the time interval between the initiation of the
countermovement and the instant when the jumper left the force platform. A threshold of 10 N was
used to identify the beginning and end of this period.
2.4. Statistical Analyses
Relative and absolute reliability of RSI
mod
and its constituent variables were assessed using a
two-way mixed-effect model intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and typical error expressed as
a coefficient of variation (CV%) performed between the two CMJ trials. Reliability was found to be
acceptable with high test-retest correlation and low CV% for all variables for both males (RSI
mod
: ICC
= 0.963, CV% 7.6%; JH: ICC = 0.978, CV% = 4.7%; TTT: ICC 0.899, CV% = 5.4%) and females (RSI
mod
:
ICC = 0.967, CV% 7.9%, JH: ICC = 0.978, CV% = 4.1%; TTT: ICC 0.892, CV% = 6.0%), therefore the
mean of the CMJ trials was used for all analyses [21,22].
Once averaged, RSI
mod
data were aggregated by sex to form male (n = 76) and female (n = 75)
groups. RSI
mod
scores for both males and females were assessed and found to be normally distributed
(males: Kolmogorov-Smirnov (D (76) = 0.090, p> 0.200; Skewness: 0.170, SE = 0.276; Kurtosis:
0.154,
SE = 0.545; females: Kolmogorov-Smirnov (D (75) = 0.064, p> 0.200; Skewness: 0.221, SE = 0.277;
Kurtosis:
0.272, SE = 0.548). Additionally, no outliers were identified [
23
,
24
] for either group.
Male and female scales were then constructed using percentile rank. In order to allow for further
analysis of the scales, male and female participants were then ranked based on RSI
mod
scores and then
divided into four performance groups using quartiles as cut points (Figures 1and 2). Independent
samples t-tests were used to compare differences in RSI
mod
, JH, and TTT between males and females.
To compare differences between each performance group, a series of one-way analysis of variances
(ANOVAs) were used to examine the four performance groups with Bonferroni post hoc analysis used
when appropriate. Levene’s test was used to assess equality of variance for all group comparisons.
To provide an indication of the practical significance of any observed differences, Cohen’s deffect sizes
were calculated and interpreted in accordance with the scale developed by Hopkins [
25
]. The critical
alpha was set at p< 0.05 for all analyses. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 23
(IBM, Armonk, NY, USA) and Microsoft Excel 2013 (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA, USA).
Sports 2018,6, 133 4 of 10
Sports 2018, 6, x FOR PEER REVIEW 4 of 10
Figure 1. Ranked reactive strength index-modified (RSI
mod
) scores and performance groups for male
athletes. Note: U = upper performance group; UM = upper-middle performance group; LM = lower-
middle performance group; L = lower performance group.
Figure 2. Ranked reactive strength index-modified scores and performance groups for female athletes.
Note: U = upper performance group; UM = upper-middle performance group; LM = lower-middle
performance group; L = lower performance group.
3. Results
Descriptive statistics for RSI
mod
and its constituents for male and female athletes are displayed
in Table 1. The preliminary reference value scales for RSI
mod
for both male and female athletes are
displayed in Tables 2 and 3. Descriptive statistics for male and female athletes stratified by
performance group are displayed in Table 4.
Figure 1.
Ranked reactive strength index-modified (RSI
mod
) scores and performance groups for
male athletes. Note: U = upper performance group; UM = upper-middle performance group; LM =
lower-middle performance group; L = lower performance group.
Sports 2018, 6, x FOR PEER REVIEW 4 of 10
Figure 1. Ranked reactive strength index-modified (RSI
mod
) scores and performance groups for male
athletes. Note: U = upper performance group; UM = upper-middle performance group; LM = lower-
middle performance group; L = lower performance group.
Figure 2. Ranked reactive strength index-modified scores and performance groups for female athletes.
Note: U = upper performance group; UM = upper-middle performance group; LM = lower-middle
performance group; L = lower performance group.
3. Results
Descriptive statistics for RSI
mod
and its constituents for male and female athletes are displayed
in Table 1. The preliminary reference value scales for RSI
mod
for both male and female athletes are
displayed in Tables 2 and 3. Descriptive statistics for male and female athletes stratified by
performance group are displayed in Table 4.
Figure 2.
Ranked reactive strength index-modified scores and performance groups for female athletes.
Note: U = upper performance group; UM = upper-middle performance group; LM = lower-middle
performance group; L = lower performance group.
3. Results
Descriptive statistics for RSI
mod
and its constituents for male and female athletes are displayed
in Table 1. The preliminary reference value scales for RSI
mod
for both male and female athletes are
displayed in Tables 2and 3. Descriptive statistics for male and female athletes stratified by performance
group are displayed in Table 4.
Sports 2018,6, 133 5 of 10
Table 1.
Descriptive statistics for reactive strength index-modified for male and female athletes (n =
151, mean ±standard deviation.
Male (n = 76) Female (n = 75)
RSImod (m/s) 0.424 ±0.102 0.314 ±0.089
JH (m) 0.36 ±0.07 0.27 ±0.06
TTT (s) 0.868 ±0.105 0.870 ±0.114
Note: RSImod = reactive strength index-modified; JH = jump height; TTT = time to takeoff
Table 2.
Reference value scale for reactive strength index-modified for male collegiate athletes (n = 76).
Percentile RSImod (m/s)
97 0.630
95 0.604
90 0.547
85 0.523
80 0.508
75 0.492
70 0.487
65 0.476
60 0.461
55 0.448
50 0.419
45 0.398
40 0.376
35 0.369
30 0.366
25 0.352
20 0.331
15 0.316
10 0.308
50.257
30.216
Table 3.
Reference value scale for reactive strength index-modified for female collegiate athletes (n = 75).
Percentile RSImod (m/s)
97 0.497
95 0.461
90 0.434
85 0.413
80 0.391
75 0.379
70 0.366
65 0.351
60 0.333
55 0.315
50 0.308
45 0.293
40 0.279
35 0.273
30 0.266
25 0.248
20 0.241
15 0.214
10 0.202
50.173
30.139
Sports 2018,6, 133 6 of 10
Table 4.
Descriptive statistics for reactive strength index-modified between performance groups (mean
±standard deviation).
Male
Performance
Group
n RSImod (m/s) JH (m) TTT (s)
Female
Perfomance
Group
n RSImod (m/s) JH (m) TTT (s)
U 20 0.549 ±0.057 0.43 ±0.05 0.795 ±0.087 U 19 0.429 ±0.045 0.34 ±0.03 0.792 ±0.077
UM 18 0.464 ±0.021 0.39 ±0.04 0.850 ±0.067 UM 18 0.343 ±0.023 0.29 ±0.04 0.848 ±0.117
LM 20 0.379 ±0.019 0.33 ±0.04 0.871 ±0.100 LM 20 0.277 ±0.017 0.24 ±0.03 0.880 ±0.092
L 18 0.296 ±0.044 0.28 ±0.05 0.964 ±0.090 L 18 0.203 ±0.036 0.19 ±0.03 0.964 ±0.100
Note: RSI
mod
= reactive strength index-modified; JH = jump height; TTT = time to takeoff, U = upper
performance group; UM = upper-middle performance group; LM = lower-middle performance group, L = lower
performance group.
Statistically significant differences were observed when comparing male and female athletes
with regard to RSI
mod
(t (149) = 7.09, p< 0.001, d= 1.15) and JH (t (149) = 8.64, p< 0.001, d= 1.41).
No statistically significant difference was observed for TTT between male and female athletes (t (149)
= 0.11, p= 0.909, d= 0.02). Statistically significant differences were observed for JH and TTT between
individual performance groups for both male (JH: (F (
3,72
) = 43.68, p< 0.001; TTT: (F (
3,72
) = 12.17,
p< 0.001
) and female athletes (JH: (F (
3,71
) = 63.90, p< 0.001; TTT: (F (
3,71
) = 10.11, p< 0.001). Specifically,
post hoc analyses for the males revealed that JH was statistically different (p< 0.05) between all four
performance groups with moderate to very large effect sizes observed ranging from d= 0.86 to 2.96.
For TTT all comparisons were found to be statistically significant with effect sizes ranging from
moderate to large (d= 0.81 to 1.44), with the exception of the comparisons of upper and upper-middle
groups and upper-middle and lower-middle groups that were found not to be statistically different
exhibiting moderate (d= 0.71) and small (d= 0.25) effect sizes, respectively. Similarly, for females,
statistically significant (p< 0.05) differences were identified between all four performance groups for
JH with large to very large effect sizes observed ranging from d= 1.26 to 4.50. For TTT, all groups were
found to be statistically different (p< 0.05) with moderate to large effect sizes observed ranging from d
= 1.05 to 1.93 with the exception of comparisons of upper and upper middle (d= 0.57), upper-middle
and lower-middle (d= 0.31), and lower-middle and lower (d= 0.87) groups, who were determined not
to be statistically different, exhibiting small to moderate effect sizes.
4. Discussion
The purpose of this analysis was to construct a preliminary scale of reference values for evaluating
RSI
mod
. Additionally, this report included an analysis of the variables used to calculate RSI
mod
in
effort to improve the interpretation of this variable. RSI
mod
values ranged from 0.208 to 0.704 and
0.135 to 0.553 in males and females, respectively. When comparing male and female athletes overall,
males exhibited statistically greater RSI
mod
values. This finding is in agreement with previous research
that examined RSI
mod
differences between male and female athletes [
9
]. On average, male athletes
were found to have RSI
mod
values 29.8% greater than their female counterparts. Interestingly,
when comparing TTT values males and females were found to be quite similar, exhibiting only
a 0.2% difference on average. This similarity in TTT between males and females is in agreement with
previous investigations examining the temporal structure of the CMJ [
26
,
27
]. The observed similarities
in TTT values and statistically different RSI
mod
values, indicates that the primary factor influencing the
sex differences observed in RSI
mod
may be attributed to jump height. In fact, in the present analysis,
there was an approximate 30% difference in JH between males and females. The strong influence
of JH on RSI
mod
over TTT can be further illustrated by examining the relationships between these
variables. The relationship between RSI
mod
and TTT was r=
0.60 for females and r=
0.40 for
males, whereas the relationship between RSI
mod
and JH was r= 0.87 and r= 0.89 for males and
females, respectively. Although not explicitly examined in the present study, there are several reasons
why differences in JH may have existed between males and females. Two reasons may be due to
differences in muscular strength or in jump strategy. Previous research has indicated that RSI
mod
Sports 2018,6, 133 7 of 10
displayed strong relationships with maximal isometric strength [
28
]; however, it should be noted
that additional research has indicated that RSI
mod
differences existed between males and females
despite controlling for strength level and using it as a covariate [
29
]. Furthermore, McMahon et al. [
30
],
as well as Sole et al. [
26
], have indicated that male participants applied a larger concentric impulse and
achieved a greater velocity throughout the concentric phase, which ultimately leads to a greater jump
height. It is clear that although differences in RSI
mod
and JH may exist between males and females,
further research is needed to determine the factors that produce these differences.
A secondary analysis of the present data scale involved a comparison of four performance
groups representing the upper, upper-middle, lower-middle, and lower male and female athletes,
as determined by RSI
mod
. When examining both JH and TTT between the performance groups, only JH
was found to be statistically different between all groups. In contrast, no statistical differences and only
small to moderate effect sizes were observed when comparing the top two (upper and upper-middle)
and middle two (upper-middle and lower-middle) groups for males in TTT values. Similarly for
females, no statistical differences and only small to moderate effect sizes were observed between the
top two (upper and upper-middle), bottom two (lower and lower-middle), and middle two (upper- and
lower-middle) groups. These results indicate that TTT alone was not enough to differentiate between
groups, as was the case with JH. As mentioned above, the current findings may be partially explained
by muscular strength differences between each group. An abundance of research supports the idea
that stronger individuals produce superior jump performances compared to weaker individuals [
31
].
Another possible explanation for the current findings may be due to differences in musculotendinous
stiffness characteristics. Kipp et al. [
32
] indicated that vertical stiffness was strongly correlated to the
traditional measure of reactive strength index (drop jump height/ground contact time). Given that
the RSI
mod
and reactive strength index variants are strongly correlated [
33
], it is possible that vertical
stiffness may also play a role in JH performance during a CMJ. To the authors’ knowledge, no study
has yet to investigate the influence of stiffness on RSImod.
The reference values presented in the current study were constructed using athletes from various
sporting disciplines. While the use of multiple sports within a single scale may be viewed as a
limitation, it should be noted that no other study has used a sample size as large as the one used within
the current study. As displayed in Figures 1and 2, the ranking and grouping of athletes by RSI
mod
resulted in a disproportionate sport representation within groups. Although this lack of homogeneity
within performance groups may be viewed as problematic, it also may simply highlight sport specific
differences in jumping strategies as noted by previous reports [
34
]. Moreover, it should be noted that
previous research indicated that within-team differences based on player position may exist when
examining RSImod [35]. Thus, while the RSImod reference values produced in this study may serve as
an initial step in RSI
mod
comparisons between athletes, it is important for future research to continue
to collect normative RSI
mod
data for different sports and levels of sports so that additional scales may
be developed. Furthermore, additional data will allow for the comparison of athletes within a single
sport or between different levels of the same sport [1].
Although the scales and analyses provide insight for evaluating RSI
mod
and its constituent parts,
practitioners should be cognizant of some potential limitations of this data. The present scales and
analyses used athlete data collected from a single university, and although all athletes were competitive
at the NCAA Division I level, this sample may not be representative of all collegiate athletes. Thus,
as noted above, it is important that if practitioners see value in using RSI
mod
as a monitoring tool,
additional data for male and female athletes is needed. A second limitation of the present study
may be related to the specific data analysis procedures used to calculate RSI
mod
. Although all data
were collected using force plates sampling at an optimal sampling frequency [
36
] and analyzed using
identical procedures, the present study used arbitrary thresholds to identify the initiation of the
countermovement (unweighting phase) as well as takeoff and landing events. Furthermore, the jump
height values used to calculate RSI
mod
were estimated using time in air. Recently researchers have
identified this as potentially problematic as it relates to RSI
mod
as any errors in identifying TTT
Sports 2018,6, 133 8 of 10
or JH will ultimately influence RSI
mod
[
12
]. Future analyses should consider using more robust
methods [
22
,
37
] for identifying these key time points during the jump, in effort to reduce potential
error. Although this limitation is valid, within this analysis it may be partially obviated by the fact that
all CMJ analyses were completed using identical procedures.
5. Conclusions
The results of the present analysis provide practitioners with preliminary scales of reference
values for interpreting RSI
mod
scores in collegiate athletes. A primary finding of this report was
that the difference in RSI
mod
between male and female Division I athletes is largely attributed to
differences in jump height. Interestingly, when compared as a whole, there were no discernable
differences in TTT between male and female athletes. Analysis of the RSI
mod
scales indicate that there
are clear performance differences between upper performers and lower male and female performers,
in both RSI
mod
and its constituent parts. Given the importance of comparing performances between
individuals, these reference values may provide a valuable resource for practitioners seeking to
evaluate their athlete’s performance.
Author Contributions:
C.J.S. and T.J.S. conceived and designed the experiments; C.J.S. and T.J.S. performed the
experiments; C.J.S. analyzed the data; C.J.S. and M.H.S. contributed materials and analysis tools; C.J.S, T.J.S.,
and M.H.S wrote the paper.
Funding: No financial support was provided for the completion of this project.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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... Specific force-production strategies during performance of CMJ may differ between the competition level of sports (2,4,8) and specific positions played within those sports (26,28,31), as well sex (27,41,43); however, to our knowledge, this has not been reported for AF. Furthermore, it is unclear what constitutes a "good" CMJ performance in AF players, which is needed to assist in guiding practitioners to determine when an athlete may progress through rehabilitation or RTP. ...
... Furthermore, it is unclear what constitutes a "good" CMJ performance in AF players, which is needed to assist in guiding practitioners to determine when an athlete may progress through rehabilitation or RTP. A variety of normative CMJ performance data have been published in other sports, such as elite level rugby league (26), and multi-sport Division I collegiate athletes (41). However, to our knowledge, normative data have not been published on specific CMJ force-time variables in AF players. ...
... We observed that male AF players recorded significantly higher RSI MOD values compared with female players, primarily due to greater jump heights rather than shorter time-to-takeoffs, which aligns with findings from other studies (41). However, this contrasts with previous research that has reported no differences in time-to-takeoffs between male and female athletes (7,42). ...
Article
Edwards, PK, Blackah, N, Ebert, JR, and Chapman, D. Sex- and position-specific countermovement jump outcome and phase characteristics in Australian rules football players. J Strength Cond Res 39(6): e774-e780, 2025-This study was designed to examine positional and sex differences in countermovement jump (CMJ) force-time characteristics among subelite male ( n = 111) and female ( n = 71) Australian football (AF) players and establish normative data for key performance output metrics. A total of 182 male and female players performed 3 maximal effort CMJs on dual force plates. Differences in variables including jump height, peak power, modified reactive strength index (RSI MOD ), and other force-time variables were compared using 1-way ANOVA and Cohen's d effect sizes. Statistical significance was set at p ≤ 0.05. Male players demonstrated significantly greater jump height (36.0 ± 5.2 cm vs. 25.9 ± 4.2 cm; p < 0.001) and RSI MOD (0.52 ± 0.11 vs. 0.39 ± 0.09; p < 0.001) compared with female players, with large effect sizes ( d = 1.18 and 2.08, respectively). Positional differences were observed in both sexes. Male midfielders exhibited a significantly shorter time to takeoff compared with backs (mean difference, -67.1 ms; p = 0.008). Female midfielders, compared with backs, also recorded significantly shorter time to takeoff (mean difference, -79.0 ms; p = 0.014) and higher RSI MOD values (mean difference, 0.05; p = 0.048). No significant differences were found in jump height or peak power between playing positions for either sex. These findings highlight different performance profiles between sexes and playing positions in AF, offering practitioners normative benchmarks to guide return-to-play decisions and optimize player physical development.
... This approach goes beyond traditional metrics (i.e. jump height), offering insights into the biomechanical qualities underlying athletic power, movement efficiency and jumping strategy (Bishop, traditional RSI, which is derived from drop jumps and emphasizes mainly fast SSC function, RSImod better reflects an athlete's ability to generate explosive force under conditions more relevant to volleyball-specific jumping demands (Ebben & Petushek, 2010;Sole et al., 2018;. ...
... Compared to collegiate athlete reference values (Sole et al., 2018), the RSImod scores of starters in our study exceeded the 97th percentile, whereas non-starters ranked within the 80th -85th percentile, reinforcing their elite status. Notably, while no statistically significant differences were found either in jump height or contraction time-the two components of RSImod-moderate to large effect sizes (g=0.68-0.84 for jump height; g=0.83 for contraction time) suggest that starters performed better in these metrics. ...
... RSImod is both valid(Kipp et al., 2016) and reliableVieira & Tufano, 2020), and highly relevant to the demands of explosive sports(Sole et al., 2018).While the reactive strength index (RSI, typically derived from a drop jump test) is well-established as a predictor of athletic performance (Jarvis et al., 2022), RSImod is a relatively recent parameter introduced in 2010 (Ebben & Petushek, 2010), and the current study adds to the growing body of literature addressing the relationship between ...
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Jumping ability is crucial in volleyball, where both jump height and execution speed significantly influence performance. Previous research has yielded mixed findings on the role of jump force-time characteristics in determining starting status among female volleyball players. This study examined the relationship between countermovement jump (CMJ) force-time metrics and starting status in elite female volleyball players to identify key performance indicators. Nine national team athletes (five starters, four non-starters) performed CMJs on a force platform. Force-time variables from distinct jump phases were analyzed. Reactive strength index modified (RSImod)-the ratio of jump height to time to takeoff was used to assess lower-body explosiveness and reactive strength. Starters demonstrated significantly higher RSImod scores and relative propulsive mean force, indicating superior ability to generate force rapidly. Moderate-to-large effect sizes favoring greater relative strength (force and power normalized to body mass) were observed but were not statistically significant. Reactive strength, as reflected by RSImod, is a key differentiator of starting status in elite female volleyball players. Relative strength also appears to contribute to performance but requires further exploration. Training programs should prioritize lower-body power and reactive strength through targeted plyometric and resistance exercises to enhance volleyball performance.
... One of the most common performance metrics across sports is jumping ability. Various metrics from jumping have been used to assess sports performance (2,35,36,37). Jump height, and its contributing neuromuscular components (e.g., rate of force development, power, reactive strength index, and impulse), is representative of an athlete's lower-body strength and explosive capabilities (5,26). Specific neuromuscular performance metrics such as power and impulse have demonstrated associations with change of direction capabilities (4,29) and sport-specific performance (21). ...
... The effect of sex on jump performance has been well established. Although past research indicates that males tend to have greater absolute jump height, absolute reactive strength indices, relative impulse, relative power, and absolute velocity metrics, it remains unknown whether or not dual-task capabilities (i.e., cognitive loading) are a potential source for performance differences in male athletes (27,35,36). Males typically have better jump performance due to greater relative lean mass. ...
... The sex differences in jump metrics observed are partially in-line with existing literature. Males tend to jump higher than females and have a higher reactive strength index (36). The higher reactive strength index for males arises from higher jumping height and not improvements in ground contact time (36). ...
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Shumski, EJ, Lempke, LB, Johnson, RS, Oh, J, Schmidt, JD, and Lynall, RC. Jump height and hip power decrease during cognitive loading regardless of sex: implications for sport performance metrics. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2022-Sex and cognitive loading separately influence jumping performance. However, it is unknown how cognitive loading influences jump performance and how sex and cognitive loading interact. The purpose of our study was to determine if an interaction existed between sex and cognitive loading for the dependent variables jump height, ground contact time, reactive strength index, vertical stiffness, impulse, and lower extremity joint power during a double limb drop vertical jump. Twenty-one male (23.2 ± 2.5 years, 180.8 ± 8.4 cm, 80.4 ± 10.2 kg) and 20 female (21.7 ± 1.0 years, 163.7 ± 8.2 cm, 61.2 ± 9.4 kg) physically active individuals participated. Subjects jumped from a 30 cm box placed 50% of their height away from 2 force plates under single-task and dual-task (serial 6s or 7s) conditions. Separate 2 × 2 analyses of variance were used for all dependent variables (α = 0.05) with Bonferroni post hoc mean differences and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). There were no significant interactions for any outcomes (p ≥ 0.190). Condition main effects demonstrated subjects jumped significantly higher (1.84 cm, 95% CI = 0.68-3.01, d = 0.26, p = 0.003) and with greater hip power (0.29 Watts·BW-1·HT-1, 95% CI = 0.04-0.54, d = 0.21, p = 0.025) during single task compared with dual task. Sex main effects revealed males jumped higher (9.88 cm, 95% CI = 7.00-12.77, d = 2.17, p < 0.001), with greater reactive strength index (0.29, 95% CI = 0.17-0.41, d = 1.52, p < 0.001), greater ankle power (3.70 Watts·BW-1·HT-1, 95% CI = 2.26-5.13, d = 1.64, p < 0.001), and greater knee power (5.00 Watts·BW-1·HT-1, 95% CI = 3.25-6.75, d = 1.82, p < 0.001) compared with females. Jump performance is influenced by sex and dual-task conditions but not their interaction. To optimize jumping performance, testing should be completed without distractions (single task) to decrease cognitive loading.
... In this way, the RSI can be used to assess the performance of plyometric exercises [13]. It has been previously shown that some factors (i.e., sex) influence RSI, showing men greater values than women over different sports [14,15]. ...
... Therefore, the aim of this study is twofold: (i) to examine the relationship between the morphology of patellar tendon (PT), AT and plantar fascia (PF), and RSI during a DJ in amateur endurance runners; and (ii) to determine the influence of sex and athletic performance level on the morphology of the aforementioned structures and RSI during a DJ. Taking into account that previous studies [15,16] found that men showed both higher values of RSI and AT-CSA, we hypothesized that greater values of the connective tissue characteristics exhibit a greater RSI, and the variables of sex and athletic performance level influence this relationship. Additionally, given the differences in connective tissue in absolute values mentioned above, we also hypothesized that men would show greater values for normalized tendon thickness and CSA than women. ...
... Given that previous studies suggest differences by sex in the variables analyzed [15,16], the correlation analysis was conducted independently for each sex (Table 1). For men, the Pearson correlation analysis reported an inverse significant correlation between normalized PT-CSA with RSI30 (r = −0.475, ...
Article
Full-text available
he influence of the morphologic characteristics of connective tissue, which plays an essential role during sports activities, on sporting tasks needs further research given the controversial findings reported in the literature. This study aimed at examining the relationship between lower limb connective tissue morphology and drop jump reactivity and determining the influence of sex and athletic performance level. A total of 30 men and 14 women, runners, executed 6 drop jumps (3 × 20 cm and 30 cm height respectively) and their thickness and cross-sectional area were recorded for Achilles and patellar tendons and plantar fascia. No significant results were found in the relationship between the morphology of the connective tissue and reactivity strength index for both sexes. Significant sex differences were found, while women showed greater values (p < 0.005) for Achilles tendon and plantar fascia; men showed greater values for reactivity strength index and drop jump performance (p < 0.001). The present study shows a limited relationship between connective tissue morphology and drop jump reactivity. Additionally, women showed greater normalized values for Achilles tendon and plantar fascia, and men showed greater reactivity strength index and jumping performance values. No relationships between athletic performance level and connective tissue were found.
... Los análisis de percentiles se calcularon por separado para varones y mujeres según la edad. Se calcularon los percentiles 3, 25, 50, 75 y 97 (Hoffman, 2006;Sole et al., 2018). Para el armado de tablas de percentiles, se aplicó el método Least-Mean-Square algorithm (LMS) para suavizar las curvas, utilizando el software LMS Chart Maker Light, versión 2,4. ...
Article
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Introducción: En la Argentina, la publicación de datos de condición física (CF) es limitada niños y jóvenes que practican deporte sistemáticamente. Así es que, el propósito principal del estudio fue la creación de tablas normativas de referencia para niños y jóvenes que practican deporte de forma sistemática, mediante la aplicación de una batería de CF, que incluyan pruebas validadas en esta población como la Batería ALPHA fitness y otras pruebas de relevancia en la medición de la CF. Métodos: El estudio fue realizado en 5267 niños, niñas y adolescentes (28,1% mujeres y 71,9 % varones) que practicaban deportes sistemáticamente de la provincia de Neuquén, Patagonia, Argentina. Se midió la CF mediante pruebas de peso corporal, talla, salto en largo sin carrera, Test de ida y vuelta de 20 metros, salto vertical con y sin impulso de brazos y carrera de 10 metros con celdas fotoeléctricas. Resultados: El nivel total de sobrepeso y obesidad fue del 29,7%, en la muestra. En las pruebas funcionales, se observó qué el rendimiento es mayor a medida que avanza la edad y las diferencias son significativas estadísticamente en todas las pruebas realizadas. En mujeres, a partir de los 14 años en las pruebas de Salto Abalakov, T10m y el 20m-SRT, no se establecen diferencias significativas con las edades mayores. En varones, a partir de los 16 años, en la prueba de SLSI, T10m y 20m-SRT no se establecen diferencias significativas con las edades sucesivas. Conclusión: Por primera vez, se construyeron tablas normativas de condición física para niños, niñas y jóvenes que realizan deporte extracurricular de la zona de Patagonia, teniendo parámetros de CF en edades tempranas para poder orientar el entrenamiento, destinado al desarrollo deportivo y la salud futura. En las pruebas funcionales se observó que la CF era mayor a medida que avanzaba la edad en ambos géneros. Palabras claves: Rendimiento Físico Funcional – Niño – Adolescente – Deporte – Antropometría Abstract. Introduction: In Argentina, there are no published data on physical fitness (PF) in children and adolescents who systematically practice sports. Thus, the main purpose of the study was the creation of normative reference tables for children and young people who systematically practice sports, through the application of a PF battery, which includes tests validated in this population such as the ALPHA fitness Battery and other tests of relevance in the measurement of PF. Methods: The study was carried out on 5,267 children and adolescents (29% women) who systematically practiced sports in the province of Neuquén, Patagonia, Argentina. PF was measured through tests of body weight, height, long jump without running, 20-meter shuttle test, vertical jump with and without arm thrust, and 10-meter run with photoelectric cells. Results: The total level of overweight and obesity was 29.7% in the sample. In the functional tests, it was observed that performance is greater as age advances and the differences are statistically significant in all the tests carried out. In women, from the age of 14 in the Abalakov Jump, T10m and 20m-SRT tests, no significant differences are established with older ages. In males, from 16 years of age, in the SLSI, T10m and 20m-SRT tests, no significant differences are established with successive ages. Conclusion: For the first time, normative physical condition tables were built for boys, girls and young people who do extracurricular sports in the Patagonia area, having PF parameters at early ages to guide training, aimed at sports development and future health. In the functional tests, it was observed that PF was greater as age advanced in both genders. Keywords: Physical Functional Performance – Child – Adolescent – Sports – Anthropometry
... It can also be a tool for talent identification, especially in sport, where it is required to perform dynamic movement structures such as jumps. There are several publications comparing jumps in terms of gender [33][34][35][36][37], although this was mainly related to vertical jumps (CMJ DJ, SJ). In their research, Abian et al. [38] showed a difference of as much as 10 cm between men and women during a vertical jump. ...
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Purpose: Plyometric exercises, in the form of jumping, are extreme physical activities. The aim of the study was to determine how symmetrical-single versus asymmetrical-continued plyometric exercises differ between men and women and affect speed abilities. Methods: Twenty-two healthy females and forty-four males from different sports practices participated in the investigation. The countermovement jump (CMJ) and drop jump (DJ) of 40/60 cm box were performed on two independent and synchronized force platforms (Bilateral Tensiometric Platform S2P, Ljubljana, Slovenia). The measurement of a standing long jump (SLJ) and all continuous jumps: standing five jumps (SFJ), standing bounce triple jump (SBTJ), five double-leg jumps (FD-LJ), and a 10 m horizontal single leg jump (HSLJ-10mL/R) were performed using OptoJump–Next Microgate (OptoJump, Bolzano, Italy). Results: Statistically significant differences were noted in all jump kinematic and somatic parameters, in favor of the men. The correlations between values of height of symmetrical jumps (bilateral) and distance (SLJ) were stronger in women despite the shorter jumps than the men. When an alpha-level of 0.01 was set, this study demonstrated a stronger correlation between symmetrical-single and asymmetrical-continuous plyometrics exercises and sprints, both men and women. This relationship is due to their similar kinematic and dynamic structures with sprinting steps. Conclusions: The results showed a large dispersion of the relationship (p < 0.05) between jumps and sprints divided into 10, 20 and 30 m, both in men and women. Both types of exercises implemented as a plyometric training regime are an extremely important tool for sprint speed development.
... Inclusion criteria stated that participants were required to be recreationally active (undertaking ≥ 2.5 h of physical activity per week), with no reported knee abnormalities or previous (within the last 6 months) or present lower-limb injury. Whilst a background in ballistic and plyometric training activities was not a prerequisite for inclusion, the mean CMJ height (42.00 ± 5.75 cm) and reactive strength index modified (0.39 ± 0.96) of the current cohort are comparable to normative data reported for American collegiate athletes (Sole, Suchomel, & Stone, 2018). Using G*Power, the total sample size was estimated at least 18, based upon on a correlation of 0.45 (Bojsen-møller et al., 2005;Pruyn et al., 2014) and a power of 0.80 (Beck, 2013). ...
Article
Vertical stiffness has been highlighted as a potential determinant of performance and may be estimated across a range of different performance tasks. The aim of the current study was to investigate the relationship between vertical stiffness determined during 9 different hopping tests and performance of vertical jumps. Twenty healthy, active males performed vertical hopping tests with three different strategies (self‐selected, maximal, and controlled) and three different limb configurations (bilateral, unilateral preferred, and unilateral non‐preferred), resulting in nine different variations, during which vertical stiffness was determined. In addition, participants performed squat jump (SQJ) and countermovement jump (CMJ) during which jump height, CMJ stiffness, and eccentric utilization ratio (EUR) were determined. Vertical stiffness in bilateral and unilateral preferred tasks performed with a self‐selected and maximal, but not controlled, strategy was associated with stiffness in the CMJ ( r = 0.61–0.64; p < 0.05). However, stiffness obtained during unilateral preferred and non‐preferred hopping with self‐selected strategy was negatively associated with performance in SQJ and CMJ tasks ( r = −0.50 to −0.57; p < 0.05). These findings suggest that high levels of vertical stiffness may be disadvantageous to static vertical jumping performance. In addition, unilateral hopping with a self‐selected strategy may be the most appropriate task variation if seeking to determine relationships with vertical jumping performance. Highlights Stiffness obtained during unilateral hopping with a preferred strategy was negatively associated with vertical jumping performances Stiffness obtained during hopping with preferred and maximal strategies was associated with stiffness obtained during a countermovement jump In this population, hopping stiffness may therefore be reflective of an individual's countermovement jump strategy High levels of stiffness may be disadvantageous to static‐start vertical jumping
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Hughes, W, Healy, R, Lyons, M, Higginbotham, C, Lane, A, and Beattie, K. The strength characteristics of elite and subelite female Gaelic football players. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000–000, 2023—There is currently an underrepresentation of sports science research focused on the female athlete, specifically in the context of Gaelic football. The aims of this study are to (a) compare the strength characteristics of elite and subelite players and (b) establish normative-based values and percentile scores for the strength characteristics of female Gaelic football players. Ninety-two female Gaelic football players were recruited for this study and subsequently categorized as elite (intercounty n = 30, age; 25.1 ± 5.3 years, stature; 1.69 ± 0.06 m, mass; 69.5 ± 5.9 kg) or subelite (club n = 62, age; 25.4 ± 6.8 years, stature; 1.66 ± 0.06 m, mass; 65.1 ± 8.9 kg). The physical strength characteristics of the subjects were assessed through the isometric midthigh pull (IMTP), countermovement jump (CMJ), and 10–5 repeated jump test. Statistically significant differences were found in the physical strength characteristics between the groups with elite players demonstrating greater peak force (large effect), relative peak force (moderate effect), and reactive strength index (large effect). Statistically significant differences were also observed for key CMJ phase characteristics with elite players producing greater RSI mod (moderate effect), jump height (large effect), and propulsion peak power (large effect) than subelite players. This study demonstrated that there are moderate to large differences between playing standards with elite players displaying superior reactive-, explosive-, and maximal-strength than their subelite counterparts. The strength characteristics evaluated in this study may be used in conjunction with other performance indices to distinguish between elite and subelite playing standards in female Gaelic football players.
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The first purpose of this article was to identify the current methods to assess the anaerobic exercise capacity of athletes, both in the laboratory and in the field of sports competitions. The second purpose of the research was to highlight the factors that limit the ability of anaerobic effort, according to the literature in the field. We found that anaerobic capacity is still difficult to estimate and/or measure, mainly because of the laborious, invasive, and expensive research methodology. To ensure the quality and veracity of the data, strict adherence to test procedures, calibration of instruments, and increased attention to physiological measurements are recommended.
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Two reactive strength index (RSI) variants exist, the RSI and RSI modified (RSImod) which are typically calculated during the drop jump (DJ) and countermovement jump (CMJ), respectively. Both RSI variants have been used to monitor athletes’ ability to complete stretch-shortening cycle actions quickly, but they have never been compared. The purpose of this study was to determine if they yield relatable information about reactive strength characteristics. Male professional rugby league players (n = 21, age = 20.8±2.3 years, height = 1.82±0.06 m and body mass = 94.3±8.4 kg) performed three DJs (30 cm) and CMJs on a force plate. RSI and RSImod were subsequently calculated by dividing jump height by ground contact time (GCT) and time to take-off (TTT), respectively. All variables were highly reliable (intraclass correlation coefficient ≥0.78) with acceptable levels of variability (coefficient of variation ≤8.2%), albeit larger variability was noted for DJ variables. Moreover, there was a large relationship between RSI and RSImod (r=0.524, P=0.007), whereas very large relationships were noted between jump heights (r=0.762, P<0.001) and between GCT and TTT (ρ=0.705, P<0.001). Additionally, RSI (0.90±0.22) was largely and significantly (d=2.57, P<0.001) greater than RSImod (0.47±0.08). The DJ-derived RSI yields much larger values than the CMJ-derived RSImod and although a large relationship was noted between them, it equated to just 22% shared variance. These results suggest that the two RSI variants do not explain each other well, indicating that they do not assess entirely the same reactive strength qualities and should not be used interchangeably.
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The countermovement jump (CMJ) test is commonly conducted to assess neuromuscular function and is being increasingly performed using force platforms. Comprehensive insight into athletes’ neuromuscular function can be gained through detailed analyses of force-time curves throughout specific phases of the CMJ, beyond jump height alone. Confusingly, however, many different terms and methods have been used to describe the different phases of the CMJ. This article describes how six key phases of the CMJ (weighing, unweighting, braking, propulsion, flight, and landing) can be derived from force-time records to facilitate researchers’ and practitioners’ understanding and application to their own practice.
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The purpose of this study was to compare the phase characteristics of the countermovement jump (CMJ) force time (F-t) curve between athletes based on jumping ability. An initial sample of one-hundred and fifty Division-I collegiate athletes were ranked based on CMJ jump height. Three performance groups were then formed by taking the top, middle, and lower thirty athletes (15 male and 15 female) from the sample. Phases of the CMJ F-t curve were determined and then characterized by their duration, magnitude, area (impulse), and shape (shape factor). A series of three-way mixed ANOVAs were used to determine statistical differences in phase characteristics between performance groups as well as between male and female athletes. Statistically significant phase-by-performance group interaction were observed for relative phase magnitude (p < 0.001), relative phase impulse (p < 0.001), as well as shape factor (p = 0.002). Phase-by-sex interactions were statistically significant for both relative phase magnitude (p < 0.001) and relative phase impulse (p < 0.001). Post hoc comparisons indicated that higher jumpers exhibited larger relative magnitude and impulse in the phases contained within the positive area of the F-t curve. Similarly, relative phase magnitude and impulse were the only phase characteristics to be statically different between males and females. Finally, the relative shape of the phase representing the initial rise in force was found to relate to jump height. These results provide some information regarding the diagnostic value of qualitative analysis of the CMJ F-t curve.
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Purpose: The reactive strength index modified (RSImod) has been recently identified and validated as a method of monitoring countermovement jump (CMJ) performance. The kinetic and kinematic mechanisms that optimize a higher RSImod score are, however, currently unknown. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to compare entire CMJ force-, power-, velocity- and displacement-time curves (termed temporal phase analysis) of athletes who achieve high versus low RSImod scores. Methods: Fifty-three professional male rugby league players performed three maximal effort CMJs on a force platform and variables of interest were calculated via forward dynamics. RSImod values of the top (high RSImod group) and bottom (low RSImod group) twenty athletes’ kinetic and kinematic-time curves were compared. Results: The high RSImod group (0.53±0.05 vs. 0.36±0.03) jumped higher (37.7±3.9 vs. 31.8±3.2 cm) with a shorter time to take-off (TTT) (0.707±0.043 vs. 0.881±0.122 s). This was achieved by a more rapid unweighting phase followed by greater eccentric and concentric force, velocity and power for large portions (including peak values) of the jump, but a similar countermovement displacement. The attainment of a high RSImod score therefore required a taller, but thinner, active impulse. Conclusion: Athletes who perform the CMJ with a high RSImod, as achieved by high jumps with a short TTT, demonstrate superior force, power, velocity and impulse during both the eccentric and concentric phases of the jump. Practitioners who include the RSImod calculation within their testing batteries may assume that greater RSImod values are attributed to an increase in these underpinning kinetic and kinematic parameters.