(65) WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE IN FLAGGING ATHLETES DURING ATHLETE MONITORING USING JUMP MATS AND FORCE PLATES

Purpose: Athlete monitoring is integral for practitioners to optimize performance, maximize roster availability, and improve recovery by tracking physiological responses to external loads. Weekly hands on hips counter movement jumps (hCMJ) can be used to monitor an athlete’s deviation in performance while tracking general adaptation syndrome. Force plates are currently the “gold standard” and can record various metrics in a single vertical jump to evaluate and flag the athlete’s condition. Jump mats have been determined inaccurate but reliable; however, the jump mat’s sensitivity during athlete monitoring is unknown and these inaccuracies could lead to erroneous treatment plans and misinformed decisions by practitioners. This study investigated the difference in flagging athletes on a jump mat versus a force plate in collegiate men's volleyball athletes during a season. Methods: Sixteen NCAA Division I men’s volleyball players completed a hCMJ on both the force plate and jump mat at the beginning of every week throughout the season. Key metrics included the Force Plate’s reactive strength index-modified (RSI MOD), jump height (flight time and impulse momentum), and take-off velocity, as well as the jump height from the Jump Mat. Athletes were flagged if the athlete’s vertical jump value was one coefficient of variation below the all time average. Results: The force plate’s impulse momentum and jump mat flagged athletes 24 and 20 times throughout the season, respectively. There were only eight out of 93 (8.6%) instances when athletes were flagged on both the force plate and the jump mat. Twelve out of twenty (60%) jumps that were flagged on the jump mat were not flagged by any force plate metric. Conclusions: When compared to force plates, jump mats do not accurately flag athletes deviation in performance, and therefore should not be utilized during neuromuscular status monitoring. Practical Applications: If jump mats are to be used, it may misinform practitioners and coaches resulting in erroneous treatment strategies. Therefore, practitioners should be cautious using jump mats to monitor athletes neuromuscular status, due to the likelihood of inaccurate information that may lead to inappropriate decisions. Acknowledgements: None