Countermovement Jump Strategy Changes with Arm Swing to Modulate Vertical Force Advantage

Objective: We obtained force-displacement curves for countermovement jumps of multiple heights and examined the effect of an arm swing on changes in vertical jumping strategy. Countermovement jumps with hands on hips (Condition 1) and with an arm swing (Condition 2) were evaluated to investigate the mechanical effect of the arm movement on standing vertical jumps. We hypothesized that the ground reaction force (GRF) and/or center of mass (CoM) motion resulting from the countermovement action would significantly change depending on the use of an arm swing. Method: Eight healthy young subjects jumped straight up to five different levels ranging from approximately 10% (~25 cm) to 35% (~55 cm) of their body heights. Each subject performed five sets of jumps to five randomly ordered vertical elevations in each condition. For comparison of the two jumping strategies, the characteristics of the boundary point on the force-displacement curve, corresponding to the vertical GRF and the CoM displacement at the end of the countermovement action, were investigated to understand the role of arm movement. Results: Based on the comparison between the two conditions (with and without an arm swing), the subjects were grouped into type A and type B depending on the change observed in the boundary point across the five different jump heights. For both types (type A and type B) of vertical jumps, the initial vertical force at the start of push-off significantly changed when the subjects employed arm movement. Conclusion: The findings may imply that the jumping strategy does change with the inclusion of an arm swing, predominantly to modulate the vertical force advantage (i.e., the difference between the vertical force at the start of push-off and the body weight).