In this study, a procedure for evaluating the performance of an athlete in a squat jump has been developed. The athletes were divided into 2 categories according to their level of merit: elite athletes and nonelite athletes. In some of the subjects, the vertical component of acceleration during the squat jump was acquired with a uniaxial accelerometer. The acceleration-time curves obtained for each category of athletes were analyzed. Some analysis parameters suitable for establishing an athletic training level index were determined. A threshold value for this index that can be used to check gesture learning was also established, allowing the index to be used as a parameter for defining sport performance in a squat jump; thus it can also be used, during the training of an athlete, as the performance index to which reference should be made.
(C) 2006 National Strength and Conditioning Association