Development of vertical jump performance in young male football players: a longitudinal meta-analysis

Background : Studies synthesizing the physical fitness development from longitudinal data in young athletes are relatively limited. Purpose : This longitudinal meta-analysis estimated developmental patterns of vertical jump performance in young football players using data from longitudinal studies. Methods: Following PRISMA guidelines, studies with repeated measurements of countermove ment jump performance were identified from four databases (MEDLINE,Web of Science, SCOPUS) up to March 2024. A bias assessment adapted from the Cochrane risk of bias tool was applied. Bayesian multilevel modeling was used to perform a longitudinal meta-analysis, resulting inv vertical jump performance curves. Results: Ten studies met the eligibility criteria, including twelve independent samples. A non linear increase in vertical jump performance was observed, with substantial variation between studies. The peak growth velocity occurred about 1 year after the theoretical age at peak height velocity, around 13.7 years. A noticeable levelling of in the rate of vertical jump was predicted for late adolescence. Conclusion: This study provides the first longitudinal meta-analytic summary of vertical jump development in young male football players. Our analysis suggests a nonlinear development of vertical jump performance with an accelerated development 6 months to 1 year after PHV, followed by a marked leveling off in development during late adolescence. Trial registration : CRD42020175084 (PROSPERO), 25/03/2020