Counter Movement Jump and Sport Specific Frequency Speed of Kick Test to Discriminate Between Elite and Sub-Elite Kickboxers

Abstract

Background: Although counter movement jump (CMJ) test has been used for years to measure neuromuscular power, it is unclear what is the sensitivity of CMJ in distinguishing between combat athletes. Objective: The aim of this study is to assess the ability of 10-second frequency speed of kick test (FSKT) and CMJ to distinguish between elite and sub-elite kickboxing athletes. Methods: Twenty-four kickboxers voluntarily participated in this study. The inclusion criteria for all participants were to compete in the national championships at least the last three years. Athletes reaching at least a quarter-final were considered as elite (n = 12, age 21.3 +/- 1.8 years, body height 176.0 +/- 0.6 cm, body mass 70.91 +/- 9.1 kg, training experience 7.2 +/- 1.8 years) whereas athletes who could not reach the quarter-finals were considered as sub-elite (n = 12, age 20.0 +/- 1.6 years, body height 177.0 +/- 4.5 cm, body mass 69.05 +/- 5.24 kg, training experience 6.21 +/- 0.62 years) in the national championship held in the last tournament. Participants performed 10-second FSKT and CMJ test twice. Independent t-test was used to determine whether there were differences between groups and effect size (Cohen's d) was calculated. Additionally, a discriminant function analysis was used to determine which test most accurately distinguished elite and sub-elite kickboxers. Results: Body height, body mass, body mass index, and training experience did not significantly differ between the groups (p >.05), while CMJ (p = .001, d = 1.49) and FSKT (p < .001, d = 2.56) were significantly higher in the elite group than the sub-elite group. According to discriminant function analyses, FSKT correctly classified participation of 91.7% athletes in the elite and sub-elite groups, while CMJ correctly classified 70.8 % of athletes. Conclusions: This study suggested that FSKT can be used to determine successful and non-successful kickboxers since it is more effective at distinguishing the groups than CMJ test.