Reliability and validity of a linear position transducer for measuring jump performance.

This study determined the reliability and validity of a linear position transducer to measure jump performance by comparing the mean force, peak force, and time-to-peak force measurements with data obtained simultaneously with a force platform. Twenty-five men performed squat, countermovement, and drop jumps with the linear transducer connected from a waist belt and base, which were placed upon a force platform. The Pearson correlation coefficients across the 3 jumps for the mean force (r = 0.952-0.962), peak force (r = 0.861-0.934), and time-to-peak force (r = 0.924-0.995) were high, providing evidence that the linear-transducer and force-platform measurements were similar. The trial-to-trial reliability of the jumps measured by the linear position transducer gave an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.924-0.975 for mean force, 0.977-0.982 for peak force, and 0.721-0.964 for time-to-peak force. The coefficients of variation were 2.1-4.5% for mean force, 2.5-8.4% for peak force, and 4.1-11.8% for time-to-peak force. Our findings showed that the calculations derived from the linear transducer were very similar to those of the force platform and hence provided evidence of the validity of this method. The data from the linear transducer were also shown to be reliable. Therefore, this method of calculating force may provide a cost-effective alternative to the force platform for measuring this variable.