Countermovement jump testing
Author Identifier (ORCID)
Abstract
The most common approach to assessing neuromuscular capacity for informing physical preparation is through the countermovement jump. The rationale for using the countermovement jump over other jump tests is that it is relatively easy to control, requires little familiarisation to implement with athletes and with appropriate resources can glean detailed information regarding an athlete’s neuromuscular and slow stretch-shorten cycle function. The evolution of affordable and portable force platforms has enabled practitioners to gather extensive information from jump tests to inform athlete physical preparation programmes. However, to implement this test effectively for athlete monitoring purposes, practitioners need to fully consider a variety of factors to ensure valid and reliable data collection, which forms the primary aim of this chapter. This chapter provides guidelines for conducting the countermovement jump test, including the different equipment options that can be used to assess the countermovement jump, the protocols that should be employed when using this different equipment, how data should be analysed and how the practitioner can effectively use these data to inform their athletes’ training programmes.
Keywords
countermovement jump, neuromuscular capacity, force platforms, athlete monitoring, stretch-shortening cycle, physical preparation
Document Type
Book Chapter
Date of Publication
1-1-2026
Publication Title
Performance Assessment in Strength and Conditioning
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
School
School of Medical and Health Sciences
ISBN
[9781032831480, 9781040764596]
Copyright
subscription content
Content Type
Metadata only
First Page
141
Last Page
163
Recommended Citation
Jones, P. A., Ripley, N. J., McMahon, J. J., Lake, J., & Comfort, P. (2026). Countermovement jump testing. In P. Comfort & P. A. Jones (Eds.), Performance assessment in strength and conditioning (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003508007-9