Exploration of the validity of the two-dimensional sagittal plane assumption in modeling the standing long jump

Most previous standing long jump studies have been based on the assumption of two-dimensional sagittal plane motion with bilateral symmetry. The purpose of this study was to investigate the validity of this assumption. Standing long jump trials were collected using six adult male participants. Each participant stood with a foot on each of two force plates and performed eight standing long jumps for maximal distance. Inverse dynamics analyses were performed for two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) models, and joint moments, powers, and work values were compared. The differences between these models with respect to the validity of the common planar jumping assumption were analyzed. Good agreement was observed between 2D and 3D methods for the lower body, with minimal differences in sagittal plane moments, power, and work for the ankle, knee, and lower back. There were significant, but relatively small differences in the sagittal plane kinematics and kinetics at the hip. For the upper body, the results contradicted the sagittal plane assumption in that significant moments and power were generated about the abduction/adduction axis of the shoulder and a similar amount of work was performed about both abduction/adduction and flexion/extension axes of the shoulder. The elbow also showed significant differences in power and work. These results indicate that an assumption of planar motion should be sufficient for many studies of the standing long jump that only examine lower body movement. However, for studies that include upper body motion, diagnosing injury risk, or investigating gender differences, a 3D model may be more appropriate.