Diagnostics of sprinting and jumping ability

Various possibilities to record the sprinting and jumping skills in basketball performance diagnostics

In the five part about performance diagnostics in basketball, we brought you closer to the diagnostics of endurance in the first and second parts. The third part of the series is about the diagnostics of the sprinting and jumping ability of basketball players.

First, together with Improof Football, I will show you how the specialists carry out their scientifically sound analyzes. Then we will show you three options for a simple jump strength diagnosis that you can carry out at any time.

The starting speed, the ability to accelerate and the top speed are three factors that are decisive for fitness in most ball sports. In basketball, the first explosive step (penetration) is particularly crucial in order to get past your opponent in 1-on-1.

Diagnosis of sprinting ability in basketball

There are a variety of ways to measure sprinting ability. Till Ebener from Improof Football explains which ones are suitable for basketball:

In football , the running tracks are generally longer than in basketball. Therefore, two diagnostics are particularly suitable for basketball:

30m linear sprint

Fig. 1: 30 m linear sprint

The classic linear sprint with 3 measured intermediate times is the basis of all training interventions related to the speed abilities of an athlete. In basketball, it is the acyclic speed determined by the explosive force dominant, i.e. movements that are carried out irregularly but as quickly as possible. Therefore, the 5m time is to be seen as the most important parameter. The cyclical speed, i.e. repetitive, steady movements, such as in a long sprint, is certainly also interesting. Especially in a game without a ball, for example with fast breaks, a basic speed is of enormous importance. The 20m and 30m time provide information about this, as well as the speed of the player between 20m and 30m. So that the values ​​are fully comparable, the start should take place without a backward movement, i.e. from a fixed starting position. In addition, the deviations with a hand stop of more than 5 m are so large (on average about 0.2 s) that the results are extremely inaccurate. A time of 0.9 s is e.g. B. very good, while 1.1 s are very bad.

Surveyed parameters: times 5 m, 20 m, 30 m; Maximum speed

30 m change of direction sprint

Fig. 2: 30 m change of direction sprint

The direction change sprint contains 2 turning points and consists of starting and stopping movements. The ability of an athlete to maintain the momentum of movement in changing directions is measured and thus provides information about the dexterity of an athlete. The most important parameter of this test is the turning time, which gives information about how economically a player knows how to slow down and accelerate, or how well he can shift his body's center of gravity in order to circumnavigate the turning mark as quickly as possible.

Surveyed parameters: times 10 m, 20 m, 30 m; Turnaround time

What does that mean for basketball players?

For basketball , it is crucial to be able to develop strength as quickly as possible in order to e.g. B. to surprise the opponent with a quick movement. At the same time, you have to maintain a good balance in offense and defense at all times, i.e. be able to stop movements quickly and change direction if necessary.

In addition to the required speed and strength skills, which can be classified using the sprint test described above and the jumping strength tests described below, excellent coordination is required for this. This can be classified with the help of the direction change sprint. In this way the question can be answered whether a player has to work on his strength, his speed or his coordination in order to become more nimble.

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Diagnostics of jumping ability in basketball

Especially for board players, but in connection with the values ​​from the sprint test, jumping power is an important element in basketball. Basketball is one of the most jump-intensive sports: jump shot, lay-up, rebound, in principle there are jump situations in individual parts of the team in every attack and defense situation. This requires a certain endurance in the jumping performance of a player, but of course also a maximum jumping power in order to block his opponent accordingly or to secure the rebound. ( Does jumping power make it faster too? )

How is bounce measured in basketball?

Improof Football's Till Ebener recommends three crucial tests to test jumping ability. These three tests can be performed with or without an arm insert. If you let the players hold their hands on the hips and thus isolate the arm use from the tests, you get significantly lower values, but the result gives much more information about the effective jumping power! Here are the 3 jump forms:

1. Squat Jump

Fig. 3: Squat Jump

The player is in a crouched position and only accelerates upwards from this position, so he does not make any further swinging movements with his legs. This measures how quickly the player can develop how much strength in the legs. Whoever is good in this test should also be good in the 5 m sprint time, otherwise there is a lack of coordination.

2. Counter movement jump

Fig. 4: Counter Movement Jump

The player starts standing up, makes a backward movement in the legs and accelerates from this movement upwards (he quickly kneels and then jumps off). This test evaluates the slow stretch-shortening cycle in the leg muscles. The muscles required for jumping are pulled apart by bending the hips, knees and ankles in order to then quickly contract.

3. Dropjump

Fig. 5: Dropjump

The player starts on an elevation of about 30cm. From there, with the body as stretched as possible and with the tips of his toes drawn up (so that the calf muscles are pre-tensioned), he can fall to the ground in order to jump off with the shortest possible contact with the ground. The rapid stretch-shortening cycle in the calf muscles and the Achilles tendon is measured here. Due to the contact with the ground, the already pre-tensioned calf muscles are pulled further apart and thus pulls on the Achilles tendon. This triggers a reflex that allows the calf muscles to contract quickly and also makes the stored energy from the Achilles tendon usable. In this test, in addition to the jump height, the ground contact time is of decisive importance. It should be below 200 milliseconds, good values ​​are well below 180 milliseconds.

As in all conditioning areas, there are also tests for jumping power that are easy to carry out to cover at least two of the three crucial jumping skills.

1. Jump and reach test

Fig. 6: Jump and Reach Test

The jump and reach test is certainly the best-known simple jump strength test. With it, the squat jump and the counter movement jump can be carried out with an arm insert, with the help of a piece of chalk and a tape measure. To do this, the player first rubs his fingertips abundantly with chalk. Then he stands at the side of a wall with his arm raised, the chalk on his fingertips marking his range. The player stops in the same place. Now the player performs the squat jump as described above and touches the wall at the highest possible point, creating a second marking. The difference in centimeters between the two markings corresponds to the jump height. Proceed in the same way with the Counter Movement Jump. The drop jump cannot be carried out with this method.

2. Tape measure test

The accuracy of this test is similar to that of the jump and reach test, but it can be carried out with or without an arm swing. The player gets the end of a tape measure tied around an ankle (it should be a high quality tape measure that does not roll out by itself). Then he stands next to the measuring tape, which is held by the trainer or fastened to the floor, so that it is exactly 1 m unrolled and under tension (the tape should not lie loose on the floor). Now the player can do the squat jump and the counter movement jump, whereby he must (!!!) keep his legs straight in the air. The player should only jump up and land again at the (marked) jump point. Now you can see how far the measuring tape is rolled out and subtracts the meter that was rolled out at the beginning from the result. The result records the jump height. As with the jump and reach test, the results of this test should only be compared with other results of the same test

Conclusion

A professional test of jumping ability
takes place with a jumping force measuring plate

A professional test of jumping ability takes place with a jumping force measuring plate. This can precisely measure the forces and times acting on all 3 jump forms and thus provides much more precise results than the simple tests.