Vertec vs Just Jump Mat in NCAA Division III Women's Intercollegiate Volleyball Athletes.

ONU McIntosh Center; Activities Room

Context: The Vertec has long been considered the gold standard for the measurement of a vertical jump. However, within the past couple years other options, due to advancement of technology, have become available. One of the new tools is the Plyomat (PM). The PM allows for a more efficient method of measurement of the vertical jump. This study looks to examine the reliability and validity of the PM when compared to Vertec. Setting: The study was held within the Kinghorn Sports Center at Ohio Northern University. For testing and data collection was performed in the Strength and Conditioning Lab Participants: Participants were obtained from a convenience sample from Ohio Northern Women’s Volleyball Team. 23 female individuals, aged 18- 21 were used as subjects. Subjects who were currently experiencing a lower extremity injury were excluded from participation. Procedure: Prior to testing participants completed a 5 minute dynamic warm up. The Plyomat was placed directly below the Vertec which allowed the same jump to be measured simultaneously. Each subject completed 3 Counter Movement Jumps. Jumps were measured to the nearest half inch. Results: After comparison of results, data revealed that the PM had measured the same jump at an average 1.28 inches less than the Vertec. Future studies would require a larger sample size that would include both genders, therefore we are unable to make a valid comparison between the PM and Vertec.