The association morphological, anthropometric and force characteristics have with countermovement jump height and strategy.

The aim of this investigation was to assess the association morphological, anthropometric and force characteristics have with countermovement jump (CMJ) height and strategy. Forty-eight athletes (20.8 ± 2.4 y, 184.8 ± 10.1 cm, 83.6 ± 14.3 kg) underwent CMJ testing using motion capture and force platform analysis. Architectural features were assessed using ultrasonography, and force characteristics were gathered from an isometric squat (ISOSQ). Associations with CMJ height were examined using correlational and regression analyses. CMJ strategies were identified using principal component (PC) and cluster analyses, with between-cluster differences assessed using independent t-tests. Lateral gastrocnemius (LG) thickness, LG fascicle length (FL), vastus lateralis (VL) FL, skeletal muscle mass, and body fat percentage explained the greatest variance in CMJ height (R2 0.52). Two clusters were identified, distinguished primarily by PC1 (hip and knee flexion, time-to-peak-knee-flexion and hip flexion, and relative braking peak power) and PC3 (peak knee and hip flexion angle, and peak ankle dorsiflexion angle). CMJ height was best explained by LG FL (R2 0.25) in Cluster One (n = 20) and by skeletal muscle mass and body fat percentage (R2 0.64) in Cluster Two (n = 28). Ultrasound-derived measures are potentially warranted to better understand their association with jump height.