Examining isokinetic knee peak torque and time to peak torque as predictors of vertical jump height in division I men's basketball players.

The vertical jump (VJ) is one of the most important movements for basketball athletes and therefore determining modifiable predictors of the VJ would aid substantially in crafting more effective training regimens. The purpose of this study was to determine if isokinetic quadriceps strength and torqu...

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Main Authors: Caroline Westwood, Arakua Welbeck, Carolyn Killelea, Peter Howard, Mallory Faherty, Daniel Le, Ryan Zerega, Charles R Reiter, Timothy C Sell
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2025-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0303701
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author Caroline Westwood
Arakua Welbeck
Carolyn Killelea
Peter Howard
Mallory Faherty
Daniel Le
Ryan Zerega
Charles R Reiter
Timothy C Sell
author_facet Caroline Westwood
Arakua Welbeck
Carolyn Killelea
Peter Howard
Mallory Faherty
Daniel Le
Ryan Zerega
Charles R Reiter
Timothy C Sell
author_sort Caroline Westwood
collection DOAJ
description The vertical jump (VJ) is one of the most important movements for basketball athletes and therefore determining modifiable predictors of the VJ would aid substantially in crafting more effective training regimens. The purpose of this study was to determine if isokinetic quadriceps strength and torque predict VJ height and which characteristics and testing speed is the strongest predictor of VJ height. Fifteen subjects (age: 18.5 ± 1.0 years, height: 195.9 ± 6.9 cm, weight: 96.2 ± 13.7 kg) from a single Division I men's basketball team were recruited for this study. All participants performed a standing vertical jump with arm-swing to assess their maximum VJ height. Participants also completed an isokinetic knee extension strength protocol that included testing at multiple speeds. Pearson and Spearman tests found no significant correlation between jump height and peak torque at any of the speeds. Regression analysis showed a statistically significant relationship between time to peak torque at 300°/s and VJ height (R2 =  0.23, p =  0.04). These findings suggest that in a population of elite basketball players, the knee's ability to rapidly generate torque likely plays a greater role in VJ performance than its ability to generate high magnitude of torque. This presents a potential benefit of explosive training regimens such as plyometrics for maximization of jump performance.
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spelling doaj-art-ea4490c58c7548d6a24468fcb831655f2025-08-20T02:25:59ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032025-01-01204e030370110.1371/journal.pone.0303701Examining isokinetic knee peak torque and time to peak torque as predictors of vertical jump height in division I men's basketball players.Caroline WestwoodArakua WelbeckCarolyn KilleleaPeter HowardMallory FahertyDaniel LeRyan ZeregaCharles R ReiterTimothy C SellThe vertical jump (VJ) is one of the most important movements for basketball athletes and therefore determining modifiable predictors of the VJ would aid substantially in crafting more effective training regimens. The purpose of this study was to determine if isokinetic quadriceps strength and torque predict VJ height and which characteristics and testing speed is the strongest predictor of VJ height. Fifteen subjects (age: 18.5 ± 1.0 years, height: 195.9 ± 6.9 cm, weight: 96.2 ± 13.7 kg) from a single Division I men's basketball team were recruited for this study. All participants performed a standing vertical jump with arm-swing to assess their maximum VJ height. Participants also completed an isokinetic knee extension strength protocol that included testing at multiple speeds. Pearson and Spearman tests found no significant correlation between jump height and peak torque at any of the speeds. Regression analysis showed a statistically significant relationship between time to peak torque at 300°/s and VJ height (R2 =  0.23, p =  0.04). These findings suggest that in a population of elite basketball players, the knee's ability to rapidly generate torque likely plays a greater role in VJ performance than its ability to generate high magnitude of torque. This presents a potential benefit of explosive training regimens such as plyometrics for maximization of jump performance.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0303701
spellingShingle Caroline Westwood
Arakua Welbeck
Carolyn Killelea
Peter Howard
Mallory Faherty
Daniel Le
Ryan Zerega
Charles R Reiter
Timothy C Sell
Examining isokinetic knee peak torque and time to peak torque as predictors of vertical jump height in division I men's basketball players.
PLoS ONE
title Examining isokinetic knee peak torque and time to peak torque as predictors of vertical jump height in division I men's basketball players.
title_full Examining isokinetic knee peak torque and time to peak torque as predictors of vertical jump height in division I men's basketball players.
title_fullStr Examining isokinetic knee peak torque and time to peak torque as predictors of vertical jump height in division I men's basketball players.
title_full_unstemmed Examining isokinetic knee peak torque and time to peak torque as predictors of vertical jump height in division I men's basketball players.
title_short Examining isokinetic knee peak torque and time to peak torque as predictors of vertical jump height in division I men's basketball players.
title_sort examining isokinetic knee peak torque and time to peak torque as predictors of vertical jump height in division i men s basketball players
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0303701
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