Validity of the Hawkin Dynamics wireless dual force platform system against a piezoelectric laboratory grade system for vertical countermovement jump variables

Dos'Santos, Thomas ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2715-0116, Evans, Daniel T and Read, Dale B ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6367-0261 (2024) Validity of the Hawkin Dynamics wireless dual force platform system against a piezoelectric laboratory grade system for vertical countermovement jump variables. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 38 (6). pp. 1144-1148. ISSN 1064-8011

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the criterion validity of the Hawkin Dynamics (HD) wireless dual force platform system for assessing vertical countermovement jump (CMJ) variables, compared with those derived from a Kistler piezoelectric laboratory grade force platform system. During a single testing session, HD force platforms were placed directly on top of 2 adjacent Kistler force platforms to simultaneously collect vertical ground reaction forces produced by 2 male recreational soccer players (age: 29.0 ± 2.8 years, height: 1.79 ± 0.01 m, mass: 85.6 ± 4.7 kg) that performed 25 vertical CMJs each. Sixteen vertical CMJ variables pertaining to jump height (JH), flight time (FT), time-to-take off (TTT), countermovement depth, body weight (BW), propulsive and braking mean, and peak powers, forces, and impulses were compared between systems. Fixed bias was observed for 6 of 16 variables (peak and mean braking power, mean propulsion force, TTT, FT, and BW), while proportional bias was present for 10 of 16 variables (peak and mean propulsive and braking force, TTT, FT, peak and mean braking power, mean propulsive power, and BW). For all variables regardless of fixed or proportional bias, percentage differences were ≤3.4% between force platform systems, with near perfect to perfect correlations (r or ρ = 0.977-1.000) observed for 15 of 16 variables. The HD dual wireless force platform system can be considered a valid alternative to a piezoelectric laboratory grade force platform system for the collection of vertical CMJ variables, particularly outcome (i.e., JH, reactive strength index modified) and strategy variables (countermovement depth).