VERT-Derived Jump Volume and Intensity Related to Functional Movement Quality in Female Collegiate Volleyball Players
Introduction: High-volume, high-intensity jumping and forceful landings are inherent to the sport of volleyball and associated with the prevalence of overuse injuries in the sport. The chronic accumulation of training stress over the course of a sports season leads to fatigue, increased injury risk, along with decreased neuromuscular function, motor control, and joint mobility. This study aims to investigate the relationship between jump metrics measured using the VERT Team System and functional movement quality assessed using three NASM transitional movement assessments. Methods: VERT wearable sensors were used to measure jump count, jump height, and impact landing percentages in 8 NCAA Division I women’s volleyball players (N = 8, mean height: 71.5 ± 1.5 inches, mean weight = 164.5 ± 17.9 lbs.). The NASM transitional movement assessments were performed at the beginning and end of the competitive season. The differences in movement scores over time were assessed using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. The correlations between jump metrics and movement assessment scores over time were investigated using Spearman’s rank-order correlations. The differences in each jump metric between players who did or did not demonstrate improvement in each movement score were assessed using Mann-Whitney U tests. Results: No significant correlations resulted from these statistical analyses. Conclusion: A cumulative jump workload over a collegiate volleyball season was expected to significantly affect athletes’ functional movement quality over time based on the effects of chronic training stress found in previous research. A small sample size and underpowered statistical analyses may explain the lack of significant results. Future research should continue to investigate the effects of high-volume, high-intensity jumping on functional movement quality, and how these can be mitigated to reduce the prevalence of overuse injuries in volleyball.
functional movement, jump count, neuromuscular function, VERT, volleyball
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