Power–Force–Velocity Profiling as a Function of Used Loads and Task Experience

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate cohort-specific reliability and concurrent validity of 3 different vertical power–force–velocity (P–F–v) profiles to determine force, velocity, maximal power, and the slope of the force–velocity relationship using squat jumps. Methods: Fifteen male sport students and 15 elite ski jumping athletes (male = 11; female = 4) conducted 2 block-randomized test–retest sessions with 5-point-method or 2-point-method loading conditions. A third P–F–v profile was established by excluding the data point most declining the coefficient of determination (r2) of the 5-point method. Results: Acceptable absolute and relative reliability were found across methods in ski jumping athletes (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] ≥ .79, coefficient of variation [CV] ≤ 6.2%). However, force values were significantly lower in the retest (≤2.1%, d ≤ 0.75). In contrast, no systematic differences (P ≥ .461), but unacceptable absolute and relative reliability, were found in sport students (ICC ≥ .63, CV ≤ 14.8%). The P–F–v parameters of the different collecting and evaluating approaches yielded high to excellent correlations (ski jumping athletes: r ≥ .64; sport students: r ≥ .61), but maximal power (≤4.6%) and velocity (<6.2%,) values of sport students revealed significant differences. Conclusion: The similarity of P–F–v testing and basic ski jumping training daily exercises seems to be more significant to obtain reliable force–velocity parameters than the methodological approach. Accordingly, P–F–v profiles seem to be reliable with the proposed methods only in highly task-experienced athletes but not in less task-experienced cohorts like sport students.