Degree Name

PhD (Doctor of Philosophy)

Program

Kinesiology and Sport Studies

Date of Award

8-2012

Committee Chair or Co-Chairs

Michael H. Stone

Committee Members

Craig A. Wassinger, Hugh S. Lamont, William A. Sands

Abstract

The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the potential use of net impulse and its characteristics in vertical jumping to monitor athletes' performance status and responses/adaptations to interventions. Five variables were proposed as net impulse characteristics: net impulse height and width, rate of force development, shape factor, and net impulse proportion. The following were then examined: 1) test-retest reliability of a new approach to identify net impulse in a force-time curve and of net impulse characteristics and criterion validity of the new approach; 2) effective measures of net impulse characteristics; 3) relationships between training-induced changes in its characteristics and force production ability.

The following are major findings of the dissertation. Rate of force development particularly for the countermovement jump require a large magnitude of change to overcome the variable's inherent variability. Shape factor and net impulse proportion for the static jump should be used with caution and requires further investigations. Alternative net impulse can be used interchangeably to criterion net impulse. Of the proposed net impulse characteristics, net impulse height and width and shape factor were found to contribute to countermovement jump height, whereas all the net impulse characteristics were found to contribute to static jump height. Of the characteristics found to contribute, relative net impulse height (net impulse height divided by system mass) appears to be an important characteristic to achieve a high jump height for the countermovement and static jumps and net impulse proportion for the static jump. A mechanism behind increased countermovement jump height may be an increased countermovement displacement as a result of increased force production ability. A mechanism behind increased static jump height is the increased proportion of the entire positive impulse occupied by net impulse (i.e. increased net impulse proportion).

The findings of this dissertation show the possibility of the use of the net impulse characteristics to monitor athletes' performance status and responses/adaptations to interventions. However, because this dissertation was the first to explore the potential use of the net impulse characteristics for athletes' performance monitoring, the existing knowledge is still preliminary and further research is required before practical recommendations are made.

Document Type

Dissertation - unrestricted

Copyright

Copyright by the authors.

Included in

Biomechanics Commons

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