Effects Of Single-Leg Box Jump Training On 400-Meter Sprint Performance

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the impact of an 8-week single-leg box jump training on 400m sprint performance single-leg jump distance and vertical jump height of athletes. The study was experimented by pretest posttest control group design at Police Lines, Qila Gujjar Singh Lahore under Punjab Police Sports Department. Thirty eligible athletes (19–24 years old) participated in the study, with 15 athletes in an intervention group and 15 athletes in a control group. In addition to the regular training, the intervention group was trained 4 times per week for 8 weeks with a structured training program of the single leg box jump, while the control group was not given the specific training and continued with the normal training program. The 400 m sprint test, single leg jump test and the vertical jump test were used to measure performance before and after the intervention. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired-samples t-test, independent-samples t-test, Pearson correlation and Cohen's *d* at the significance level of *p* < .05. The results showed that the intervention group had significant improvements in all performance measures. The mean time for the 400m sprint was also significantly reduced from 58.42 ± 3.15 seconds at pre-test to 56.18 ± 2.87 seconds at post-test (2.24 seconds, *p* < .001). Likewise, the jump distance in the single leg jump improved from 185.4 ± 12.6 cm to 194.2 ± 11.8 cm and the vertical jump height improved from 42.6 ± 4.8 cm to 46.2 ± 4.5 cm (both significant at *p* < .001). There were no significant differences in the measured variables in the control group. However, there were no significant differences between groups, but moderate effect sizes were observed in favor of the intervention group. An 8-week single-leg box jump training program may be an effective way to enhance explosive performance of lower limbs and 400 m sprint performance in athletes. Larger samples are needed for further studies to confirm these results.