Reliability and Validity of the Portable KForce Plates for Measuring Countermovement Jump (CMJ)

Physical fitness is of great significance to athletes in both single-player and team sports. The countermovement jump (CMJ) is one of the most commonly applied jump tests for assessing the mechanical capacities of the lower extremities. The KForce Plates system is a portable force platform that sends action-time audio and visual biofeedback to a smartphone or tablet through the KForce application, making it a suitable instrument for assessing the CMJ. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the test-retest reliability and validity of the portable force platform (KForce Plates) in the evaluation of the CMJ in collegiate athletes compared to a validated application, My Jump 2. Thirty-four collegiate professional athletes, deriving from various sports backgrounds, participated in the present study. The CMJs were reported with the portable KForce Plates and the simultaneous use of the 'My Jump 2' application using an iPhone 13 between days 1 and 7. Our findings revealed high test-retest reliability (ICC = 1.00 and ICC = 0.99) in-between measurements. High correlations were monitored amongst the portable KForce plates and the My Jump 2 application for measuring the CMJ (r = 0.999, p = 0.001). The Bland-Altman plot exhibits the limits of agreement amongst the portable KForce plates and the My Jump 2 application, where the bulk of the data are within the 95% CIs with an agreement of approximate to 1 cm. Our findings suggest that the portable KForce Plates system is a reliable and valid instrument and, therefore, can be used by experts in the sports field.

Automated summary

Physical fitness is crucial for athletes, and the countermovement jump is a commonly used test for evaluating lower extremity capacities. This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of a portable force platform (KForce Plates) for assessing the countermovement jump in collegiate athletes. The results indicated high test-retest reliability and strong correlation with a validated application, suggesting that the KForce Plates system is a reliable and valid tool for assessing the countermovement jump.