Incorrectly, too many people think that distance, whether it be vertical or horizontal, is equal to power. Sir Isaac Newton taught us that distance must be divided by contact time to give a true understanding of power (there’s no sense in having a 40-inch vertical if it takes too long to get off the ground). Here, we look at the athlete’s ability to generate power – their flight time divided by contact time – to give a Power score

The athlete takes a small jump into a 10m OptoJump system, followed by a maximum effort broad jump. The system calculates the exact distance of the jump, flight time of the jump, and contact time of their feet touching the ground to create the jump.

Athletes earn a high power score if they are able to jump further in less time spent on the ground. If it takes a long time for an athlete to load their jump, they lose the explosivity required to reach maximum potential. Over time, they should be increasing distance and decreasing ground contact time.

To improve distance, the athlete needs Flight School. To improve contact time, the athlete needs Ground School.