Augmented Feedback Reduces Ground Reaction Forces in the Landing Phase of the Volleyball Spike Jump
Context:Frequency and magnitude of ground reaction forces (GRF) have been implicated in causing injuries such as “jumpers knee.”Objective:To investigate whether a single session of augmented feedback concerning landing technique would decrease GRF.Design:Pretest posttest experimental design.Setting:University biomechanics laboratory.Participants:Fifteen female Division 1 intercollegiate volleyball players.Intervention:Participants were required to land on a force platform after spiking a volleyball from a four-step approach before and after an intervention involving visual and aural augmented feedback on correct jumping and landing technique.Main Outcome Measures:Mediolateral (ML), anterioposterior (AP), and vertical (V) GRF normalized to body weight (BW).Results:Augmented feedback was found to significantly (P = 0.01) decrease VGRF by 23.6% but not ML (25%, P = 0.16) and AP (4.9%, P = 0.40) peak GRF.Conclusions:A single session of augmented feedback may be effective in reducing VGRF in collegiate athletes.