A Comparison of Reactive Strength Index-Modified Between Six U.S. Collegiate Athletic Teams

The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in reactive strength index-modified (RSImod), jump height (JH), and time to takeoff (TTT) between 6 U.S. collegiate sport teams. One hundred six male and female Division I collegiate athletes performed unloaded (\u3c1 kg) and loaded (20 kg) countermovement jumps as part of an ongoing athlete monitoring program. Reactive strength index-modified, JH, and TTT values for each team were compared using 1-way analysis of variance. Statistically significant differences in RSImod (p \u3c 0.001), JH (p \u3c 0.001), and TTT (p 0.003) existed between teams during the unloaded jumping condition. Similarly, statistically significant differences in RSImod (p \u3c 0.001), JH (p \u3c 0.001), and TTT (p 0.028) existed between teams during the loaded jumping condition. Men\u27s soccer and baseball produced the greatest RSImod values during both the unloaded and loaded jumping conditions followed by women\u27s volleyball, men\u27s tennis, women\u27s soccer, and women\u27s tennis. The greatest JH during unloaded and loaded jumping conditions was produced by men\u27s baseball followed by men\u27s soccer, women\u27s volleyball, men\u27s tennis, women\u27s soccer, and women\u27s tennis. Men\u27s soccer produced shorter TTT compared with men\u27s baseball (12.7%) and women\u27s soccer (13.3%) during the unloaded and loaded jumping conditions, respectively. Collegiate sport teams exhibit varying reactive strength characteristics during unloaded and loaded jumping conditions. Understanding the differences in RSImod between sports may help direct the creation of training and monitoring programs more effectively for various sports