Authors: Horațiu Calfa, Niculina-Liliana Mihăilescu
Affiliation
National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, Pitesti University Center, Romania
Abstract
Background. Long jump is an athletic event that requires strength and speed abilities, both alone and in combination, and the way they condition each other has effects on athletic performance. The explosive force is decisive in this event and the speed on the run up, as well as obtaining the optimal speed near the takeoff board, creates optimal conditions to perform a successful jump.
Aims. The aim of this study was to identify whether and to what extent correlations exist between force speed parameters and competition performance in under 16-18 years old women long jumpers.
Methods. The research took place in two stages under similar conditions for all sub jects; the first stage at the Romanian National Indoor Athletic Championship 2023 and the second stage at the Romanian National Outdoor Women’s Athletic Championship 2023. 15 subjects were chosen for this study all long jumpers participating in the National Athletic Championships of Romania aged 16-18 years (x=13.87, SD=0.75). The measurements took place at both competitions under the same conditions and with the same measuring devices and the following parameters were investigated: speed on the last 10 m of momentum, 1 maximal repetition, verti.cal jump and afferent flight time, performance obtained in the competition.
Results. The study identified significant correlations in both indoor and outdoor testing between test performance and speed over the last 10 m of the run up, r = -0.547, n = 15, p = 0.035 and r = -0.547, n = 15, p = 0.035, between vertical jump and flight time, r = 1, n = 15, p ˂ 0.001. The correlations between the performance obtained in competition and the other variables are statistically insignificant for both tests, for indoor testing: r = 0.151, p = 0.591 for flight time of the vertical jump, r = 0.209, p = 0.455 for one maximal repetition, r = 0.165, p = 0.556 for vertical jump and for outdoor testing: r = 0.151, p = 0.591 for the flight time of the vertical jump, r = 0.209, p = 0.455 for 1 maximal repetition, r = 0.165, p = 0.556 for vertical jump.
Conclusions. Based on the results recorded in this study, strong negative linear correlations were determined between the speed on the last 10 m of the run-up and the performance obtained in the event, reinforcing the claim that a high speed on the run-up can lead to better performance in the long jump event. The lack of correlations between force parameters and long jump performance suggests that physical training at the level of the researched group is precarious and confirms the need to intervene on how to develop its specific strength.
Keywords: long jump, performance, speed, specific force.
