(45) LONGITUDINAL CHANGES AND CORRELATION OF SPRINTING, DROP JUMP AND VERTICAL JUMP

Purpose: In track and field, athletes train all year round to improve their overall performance. Previous studies have shown correlation between vertical and drop jumps with sprint times, but studies have not observed how such correlations may change over time. Therefore the purpose of the study was to compare the year-long changes of sprint, drop jump and vertical jump performance of track and field athletes, and to examine how these jump performances correlate with the changes in sprint performance. Methods: Eleven NCAA Division I track athletes (males = 3 females = 8) participated in this study. Each athlete completed trials of 30-meter sprints, vertical jump, and drop jump during their pre-season in 2023, and then again in 2024. The variables that were analyzed for the sprint trial were 30-meter split times measured every 5 meters. For the vertical jump, the jump height (cm), modified reactive strength index and propulsive impulse were used for analysis. For the drop jump, the jump height (m), reactive strength index and propulsive impulse were all used for analysis. The best trial was analyzed for results. Spearman rank correlations were conducted for each year individually. These correlations examined the associations between each of the vertical jump and drop jump measures with each of the sprint split times. Significance was set at p< 0.05. Results: There was a significant difference between the 30m time trials between the two years. During the 5m, 10m, 15m split times, the athletes recorded slower times in 2024 than 2023. The 20m split, the athletes did not have a significant difference. During the 25m split, the 2024 athletes started to decrease their times and run faster. After the full 30m sprint, the athletes finished faster in 2024 than they did in 2023. For the correlation in 2023, there were no significant differences for any of the variables measured. However, in 2024, there were significant differences in the negative correlation of the vertical jump height for all splits as well as the vertical jump RSImod during all splits excluding the 25m split. The drop jump only had a significant difference in negative correlation during the latter half of the sprint: the 15m, 20m, 25m, and 30m split times. Conclusions: Although the athletes were slower in the first 15m of the 30m sprint, they did improve in their overall 30m sprint time. The vertical jump showed correlation during both the first and later stages of the sprint, but the drop jump showed only significant correlation during the later stages. This could mean that performance of the propulsive impulse of the drop jump could impact the sprint times during the last 15m of a 30m sprint. Practical Applications: Coaches and athletes should be aware that improvement in sprint times can happen in any split in the sprint. While overall sprint times may improve, it would be beneficial for coaches to examine the separate phases of a sprint to determine where those improvements need to occur. By identifying where athletes can improve, coaches can then develop training plans to work on vertical and drop jump exercises to advance explosiveness, sprint takeoff, and acceleration if needed. Acknowledgements: None