Abstract:
The vertical jump performance depends on the movement pattern of particular
take-off force. This study aims to design a biomechanical model to describe the
optimization of an athlete's vertical jump height (VJH). Though lower extremity
movement has been studied to optimize the vertical jump, in this study, the
movement of the upper extremity and its influence on the VJH observe through
the biomechanical model. The conservation of momentum of an athlete's center of
gravity (CG) in the air is considered to design the biomechanical model. A jumper
(1.85 m, 70 kg) of a Chinese high jumper (best performance 2.20m) was selected to
test the model. Ten high-speed cameras (ViconT40S, 100Hz) setup and reflective
markers (14mm) were used to determine the time history of attached markers on
the joints of subjects. The 3D coordinates of the necessary markers were calculated
using ViconT40S digitizing software. According to the biomechanical model, VJH
optimizes at the zero velocity of CG is zero with special placement of arms: arms
are extended, one arm vertically upward (shoulder angle 1800), the next arm
downward (shoulder angle 00), and maximum relative vertical displacement of
shoulders. The subject also describes the special shoulder position is influenced to
optimize VJH by 4.30+0.01 cm for his maximum take-off velocity.
