THE EFFECTS OF COMPRESSION SHORTS ON MUSCLE OSCILLATION AND LONG JUMP PERFROMANCE

Abstract

Compression garments were used to explore their effect on athletic performance and muscle oscillation during a 3-step long jump task. The study consisted of a 3 dimensional kinematic analysis (Vicon Motus 9.2) with force data collected by a Kistler force platform. Ten male subjects performed 6 jumps under 2 conditions, bare leg (control condition) and with the compression shorts. Two-tailed paired samples T-test were conducted to discover significant changes in the measures of Muscle Oscillation (MO), Peak Vertical Ground Reaction Force (PVGRF), Peak Horizontal Ground Reaction Force (PHGRF) and Jump Length. The findings of the study suggest that long jump performance can be increased (.18m) while wearing compression shorts, although the legs ability to disperse force may be reduced by the garment.