Post-Activation Potentiation Improves Long Jump Performance

dos Santos Silva, D., Boullosa, D., Moura Pereira, E.V. et al. Author Correction: Post-activation performance enhancement effect of drop jump on long jump performance during competition. Sci Rep 13, 19333 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-46708-6

Drop jumps are commonly used in training to improve long jump performance over time, but their immediate effects on performance during competition aren't well understood. This study aimed to see if doing drop jumps just before a long jump attempt could enhance the athlete’s performance through the Post-Activation Potentiation effect.

Eleven male athletes participated, performing 5 drop jumps about 2 minutes before their second and fourth jumps in a competition. The results showed that the jumps following the drop jumps were better than their first and third jump, which did not have follow a set of drop jumps. Specifically, the fourth jump after the drop jumps had a higher take-off vertical velocity compared to the first jump.

The study found that using drop jumps as a pre-jump activation can lead to better long jump performance, likely due to the increased power during take-off.

Are you interested in how post-activation potentiation might enchance performance in other event groups? Check out this study by de Alcantara Borba et al., (2017) here.