Abstract
This study explored the influence of different counter movement jump (CMJ) goals on performance, kinetics, and kinematics between 56 highly-trained and elite track and field (T&F), football, and futsal athletes. Within and between-sport difference were compared when aiming to: (a) “jump as high as possible” (CMJh) and (b) “jump as fast as possible” (CMJf), using a mixed MANOVA and follow-up univariate mixed ANOVAs. Movement goals had a significant main effect on all variables (p < 0.001). Comparatively, CMJf elicited higher mean propulsive power normalized to body mass (MPPbm, ηp2 = 0.794) and reactive strength index modified (RSIMOD, ηp2 = 0.755), alongside lower jump height (ηp2 = 0.782), contraction time (ConT, ηp2 = 0.857), propulsive displacement (ηp2 = 0.751), and countermovement velocity (CMvelocity, ηp2 = 0.600). Sport interaction analyses revealed that T&F athletes consistently outperformed the other sports in RSIMOD across both movement goals (d = 1.105 − 1.598). MPPbm and ConT differed significantly between T&F and football (d = 0.947 − 1.324). A Movement goal × Sport interaction for CMvelocity indicated that T&F and football athletes increased CMvelocity under CMJh (d = 1.242 − 1.635, p < 0.001) compared to CMJf, whereas futsal players maintained similar downward motion across goals (p = 0.938). In conclusion, movement goals significantly modify CMJ performance variables in such athletes, and these effects are further influenced by sport specialization. Clear and goal-specific verbal instructions should be standardized in CMJ testing to ensure reliable athlete monitoring and performance evaluation.
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Dario Pompa conceived and designed the study, acquired the data, performed the analyses, and drafted the manuscript. Howie J. Carson contributed to study design, data interpretation, and manuscript writing. Ruggero Romagnoli was responsible for data collection, literature search, and manuscript drafting. Antonio Lucadamo conducted the statistical analyses and contributed to manuscript writing. Francesco Lagala developed the software used for data analysis. Luca Bovolon contributed to statistical analyses, as well as manuscript review and editing. Alessandra S. Caporale contributed to statistical analyses, as well as manuscript review and editing. Vincenzo Manzi, Francesco Sartor, Marco Beato, and Marika Berchicci contributed to drafting and substantive revision of the manuscript. Maurizio Bertollo provided supervision, project administration, and critical review of the manuscript. All of the authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.
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Pompa, D., Carson, H.J., Romagnoli, R. et al. Effect of movement goal on countermovement jump performance in athletes across different sports. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-40260-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-40260-9
