Counter Movement Jump (CMJ)

CMJ assess the ability to redirect the body center of mass (COM) vertically after an initial decent. Kinetic measurements like peak force, power, and rate of force development are calculated.

About:
The ability to jump vertically is essential for many athletic activities and sports. The CMJ is a useful tool to assess lower-body explosive potential and has been correlated with explosive movements like sprinting and weight lifting. CMJ is a reliable and repeatable assessment which can be used to track performance improvements, training load, neuromuscular fatigue and supercompensation. Making it an ideal evaluative tool for monitoring daily readiness to train.

To perform the CMJ, the athlete will first start by standing on the force plates with their hands on their hips (left panel in the figure above), then they will begin a downward squatting movement by flexing the hips, knees, and ankles (middle panel in the figure above), after reaching the bottom, the movement is then redirected and COM is rapidly accelerated vertically until both feet leave the ground (right panel in the figure above).

References:
[1] Anicic, Z., Janicijevic, D., Knezevic, O. M., Garcia-Ramos, A., Petrovic, M. R., Cabarkapa, D., & Mirkov, D. M. (2023). Assessment of Countermovement Jump: What Should We Report? Life, 13(1), 190. https://doi.org/10.3390/life13010190
[2] Bobbert, M. F., Mackay, M., Schinkelshoek, D., Huijing, P. A., & Van Ingen Schenau, G. J. (1986). Biomechanical analysis of drop and countermovement jumps. European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology, 54(6), 566–573. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00943342
[3] Claudino, J. G., Cronin, J., Mezêncio, B., McMaster, D. T., McGuigan, M., Tricoli, V., Amadio, A. C., & Serrão, J. C. (2017). The countermovement jump to monitor neuromuscular status: A meta-analysis. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 20(4), 397–402. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2016.08.011
[4] De Souza, E. O., Tricoli, V., Rauch, J., Alvarez, M. R., Laurentino, G., Aihara, A. Y., Cardoso, F. N., Roschel, H., & Ugrinowitsch, C. (2018). Different Patterns in Muscular Strength and Hypertrophy Adaptations in Untrained Individuals Undergoing Nonperiodized and Periodized Strength Regimens. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 32(5), 1238–1244. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000002482
[5] McMahon, J. J., Suchomel, T. J., Lake, J. P., & Comfort, P. (2018). Understanding the Key Phases of the Countermovement Jump Force-Time Curve. Strength & Conditioning Journal, 40(4), 96–106. https://doi.org/10.1519/SSC.0000000000000375