"Let's test the jump" sounds like one test. It is really three.
A countermovement jump, a drop jump and a set of hops all end with an athlete in the air, but they ask different questions. If you pick the wrong one, you get a clean number that does not tell you what you wanted to know.
Here is how I choose.
Countermovement jump: how high can they get?
Stand tall, dip, jump as high as you can, land. No box, no rush.
This is the test for plain jump height. The athlete has as much time as they like to load, so it shows how much force they can put into the ground when time is not the limit. It goes up when strength and power training is working.
Use it for most athletes, most of the time. It is easy to coach, easy to repeat, and the simplest number to compare from one block to the next. If you only run one jump test, run this one.
Drop jump: how fast do they turn landing into take-off?
Step off a box, land, and jump straight back up with as little time on the ground as possible.
The number that matters here is not height alone. It is RSI, the reactive strength index: jump height divided by ground contact time. A high RSI means the athlete gets a lot of height out of a short contact. That is the quality sprinters, jumpers and court athletes rely on every time a foot hits the ground.
Use it for athletes whose sport is full of quick contacts, and for athletes in a plyometric block. Two cautions. Keep the box height the same each time you compare, because RSI changes with the drop. And do not give it to someone who cannot yet land a drop jump well; the countermovement jump is enough for them.
Hops: how stiff and springy are the ankles?
Quick, repeated hops on the spot, knees fairly straight, bouncing off the balls of the feet.
Hops give RSI too, but from a different movement: short, fast contacts driven mostly by the ankles. It suits sprinters and anyone working on ankle stiffness, and it needs no box at all.
How I decide
- Team sport athlete, general strength and power phase: countermovement jump.
- Sprinter, jumper or court athlete in a plyometric block: drop jump RSI, from one fixed box height.
- Working on ankles or foot contacts, or no box available: hops.
- Not sure: countermovement jump. You can add a reactive test later.
Pick one main test for the block and keep it. Running all three every testing day takes time, tires the athlete, and gives you three numbers to argue about instead of one clear answer.
How I measure them with a phone
All three come from video. I prop a phone low and side-on so the feet and the floor are in frame, film the jumps in the SpeedTrackr Android app or film with the normal camera and import the clip, then mark take-off and landing. The countermovement jump gives jump height. Drop jumps and hops give RSI. Normal 60 fps video works; slow motion is the more precise option. It is film or import, then results, not live analysis.
For drop jumps on Android, you enter the box height first, so RSI results are kept with the box they came from.
If you coach a squad, turn on Coach Mode and pick the athlete before each test. Each athlete's body weight is saved, so jump power is worked out with the right weight, and their jumps sit on their own page next to their sprint and bar speed results. Coach Mode works in the Android app and on the web app.
The short version
Countermovement jump for height. Drop jump for how fast they use the ground. Hops for the ankles. Choose the one that matches the question, keep it for the whole block, and compare like with like.
The Android app is on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.speedtrackr.reactionpro
On an iPhone or a laptop, use the web app: https://www.speedtrackr.com/auth/login
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