Author(s): AUGUSTOVICOVA, D., HADZA, R., HRUBY, M., Institution: COMENIUS UNIVERSITY, Country: SLOVAKIA, Abstract-ID: 1597

INTRODUCTION:
Countermovement jumps (CMJs) are a widely used tool in athlete training, performance monitoring, and research for measuring power output. Athletes with intellectual impairments (II) typically rely on gross motor batteries or specialized test batteries. Strength diagnostics are often conducted through long jump or hand grip tests. While there has been extensive scientific research on physical fitness for individuals with II, there is limited data available on elite athletes using CMJ, particularly for female athletes with II and those with Down syndrome.
METHODS:
The aim of the study was to evaluate the reliability of the CMJ in elite para-karate athletes who have II (with an IQ below 75 “K21”) and Down Syndrome (DS) “K22” by utilizing Kistler Force plates. During the classification session of the WKF World Para-karate championships 2023, a group of 20 (K21) and 24 (K22) para-karate athletes (age 27.2±7.0 and 27.4±6.2 years) performed the CMJ twice within a 1-minute interval.
RESULTS:
The difference between the test and re-test in jump height calculated from flight time was not significant (-1.45± 4.50 cm, t(42)=-1.88, p= 0.07, for K21 -0.71± 5.42 cm, t(19)=-0.58, p=0.57 and for K22 sport class -0.32±3.92 cm, t(19)=-0.365, p=0.719 respectively.
The difference between the test and re-test in jump height calculated from take-off velocity was not significant (-0.94± 7.10 cm, t(41)=-0.86, p=0.39, for K21 -2.45± 5.70 cm, t(21)=-0.64, p=0.53 and for K22 sport class -0.32±3.92 cm, t(21)-2,04, p=0,06 respectively.
The ICC correlation coefficient for jump height calculated from flight time indicate good reliability to excellent reliability ICC=0.79 (95%CI 0.64-0.88), K21 ICC=0.9 (95%CI 0.77-0.96), K22 ICC= 0.90 (95%CI 0.77-0.96), and for jump height calculated from take-off velocity moderate to good reliability ICC=0.70 (95%CI 0.51-0.83), K21 ICC= 0.82 (95%CI 0.61-0.92), K22 ICC=0.61 (95%CI 0.26-0.82), (p≤0.01 for all ICC coefficients).
CONCLUSION:
To ensure that the test is easily understood, it is essential to communicate and explain it using simple language while providing visual demonstrations. Our analysis has shown that the CMJ test is a suitable option for assessing explosive power in II para-karate athletes, for both sport classes (K21 and K22). The parameters obtained from the CMJ test, such as jump height determined by take-off velocity and flight time, can be relied upon as reliable indicators for evaluating explosive power, with higher reliability for jump height calculated by take-off velocity.

Acknowledgement: This article is a partial work of the VEGA project (number 1/0611/23).