In-Water Vertical Jump
The in-water vertical jump test is a variation of the standing vertical jump, designed specifically for testing water polo players. The participants start from a position of treading water, then pushes up and reaches up as high as they can above the water level.
equipment required: modified Vertec® or similar.
pre-test: Explain the test procedures to the subject. Perform screening of health risks and obtain informed consent. Prepare forms and record basic information such as age, height, body weight, gender, test conditions. Perform an appropriate warm-up. See more details of pre-test procedures.
procedure: The jump height measurement device needs to be set up beside the pool, where the water level is such that the players are unable to touch the bottom of the pool. The equipment needs to be calibrated so that it measures the height reached above the water level. From a position of treading water, the player pushes up and reaches up as high as they can above the water. Several attempts should be allowed with adequate rest between each attempt. To calculate relative jump height, you also need to measure upper body length from the hip to the tip of the finger with the arm fully reaching overhead.
scoring: Several measurements can be made. One is just the absolute jump height (above water level). This does not account for differences in body length. Another measure is a relative jump value, a percentage score relative to upper body length, using the following equation. A score of 100% means the hips just reached the surface of the water, less then 100% the hips were below the water and above 100% means the hips were above the surface of the water.
relative jump score (%) = [absolute jump height/hip to finger tip] x 100
results: in the study by Tan et al. (2009), the results were an average jump height of 139cm (102% relative score) for Australian National squad players. Platanou (2005) in a sample of Greek water polo players found they were able to reach on average 68.3 +/- 4.6 cm. In 2006, in another study using Greek premier league players he measured average results of 68.6 +/- 5.4 cm (range of 56.5-79.5)
references:
- Platanou, T. (2005). On water and dry land vertical jump in water polo players. Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 45 (1), 26-31.
- Platanou T. Simple ‘In-Water’ Vertical Jump Testing in Water Polo. Kinesiology 38 (2006) 1:57-62.
- Tan F.H., Polglaze T., Dawson B., Cox G. Anthropometric and fitness characteristics of elite Australian female water polo players. J Strength Cond Res 23(5): 1530–1536, 2009
Similar Tests
- Procedure for Vertical Jump Testing using the Vertec® or just a wall
Related Pages
- All about vertical jump height testing and its variations.
- On land vertical Jump Demonstration Videos
- About vertical jump techniques
- A discussion about the various vertical jump equipment available.
- Apparatus for sale in the vertical jump store
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