Stretch-Load Demands of Multiple Hops: Implications for Athletic Performance and Rehabilitation
Date
Authors
Sharp, Anthony
Neville, Jonathon
Nagahara, Ryu
Wada, Tomohito
Cronin, John
Supervisor
Item type
Journal Article
Degree name
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Publisher
MDPI AG
Abstract
Background/Objectives: This study aimed to quantify the kinetic demands of multiple hops in series, movement tasks that are commonly used in strength and conditioning and physiotherapeutic practice. Focus was placed on comparing the demands of a quintuple hop (QH) task to a triple hop (TH) task, with particular focus on quantifying the eccentric braking stretch-load demands. Methods: Forty-four male university athletes (age 20.1 ± 1.4 years; body mass 71.2 ± 8.6 kg; stature 171.9 ± 5.1 cm) completed the hopping tasks across 54× track-embedded force platforms, where braking and propulsion kinetics were measured. Results: Significant (p < 0.001) averaged increases in maximal vertical (~32%) and horizontal braking impulses (~56%) for both TH and QH tasks were noted across hops. The last two hops of the QH task were found to have greater averaged vertical (~58%) and horizontal (~180%) stretch-load demands than the two initial hops (p < 0.001). Conclusions: This is the first study where an extensive summary of kinetic measures for both TH and QH has been reported. The findings highlight the biomechanical, stretch-load aspects of these exercises, which can help practitioners better prescribe and program hops for injury prevention, rehabilitation, and performance enhancement.Description
Keywords
4201 Allied Health and Rehabilitation Science, 42 Health Sciences, 4207 Sports Science and Exercise, Rehabilitation, Physical Rehabilitation, stretch-shorten cycle, triple hop, quintuple hop, eccentric braking, injury risk
Source
Biomechanics, ISSN: 2673-7078 (Print); 2673-7078 (Online), MDPI AG, 6(2), 54-54. doi: 10.3390/biomechanics6020054
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© 2026 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.