Rebound Jump Test: how to assess power endurance

A single jump tells you how much power you can generate once. But what happens when you have to repeat it over and over without rest, as happens in many team sports? That's where the Rebound Jump Test comes in: a series of continuous vertical jumps that measures not just power, but how that power holds up (or degrades) under fatigue.

What does this test measure?

It assesses power endurance: the ability to maintain a high level of performance over repeated vertical jumps for a set period, typically between 15 and 60 seconds. It combines elements of power, reactive capacity, and fatigue tolerance.

Equipment needed

• Contact mat or force plate, to record flight time and contact time for each jump
• Stopwatch
• Enough space for repeated jumps safely

Test protocol

1. The subject stands on the mat, hands on hips
2. Tell them to perform continuous maximal vertical jumps, minimizing ground contact time between each jump (bouncing), for a preset duration (typically 15, 30, or 60 seconds)
3. The mat records the height and contact time of each individual jump throughout the period
4. Provide verbal encouragement throughout the test, since fatigue naturally causes effort to drop
5. At the end, you get metrics such as: average height, first-third vs. last-third height, and a fatigue index (percentage performance drop)

Common mistakes

• Allowing pauses or "rests" between jumps during the test (it must be continuous)
• Not recording jump by jump, losing information about the fatigue curve
• Choosing an inappropriate duration for the athlete's level (60 seconds can be excessive for beginners)
• Not motivating verbally, which can make a performance drop look like lack of effort

How to interpret the result

The most informative data point is the rebound jump fatigue index, comparing the average height of the first third of the test with the last third:

$$\text{Fatigue Index} (\%) = \frac{\text{First-third height} - \text{Last-third height}}{\text{First-third height}} \times 100$$

Fatigue index (30-sec test)	Interpretation
< 15%	Good power endurance
15-30%	Moderate power endurance
> 30%	Marked performance drop — prioritize strength/power endurance work

Relationship with other tests

This test complements single-jump tests well, adding the "time" dimension they don't capture:

• CMJ (Countermovement Jump) Test — gives you the "pure" power value without fatigue, as a baseline reference
• Repeated Jump Anaerobic Power Test — a variant focused specifically on the anaerobic component of repeated efforts

Track and monitor

This test generates a lot of data (one value per jump), but what matters for tracking is the summary: average height and the fatigue index. With Movalytics you can log these summary values at each assessment and see whether your power-endurance programming is helping your athletes "hold up" better over the course of an effort.

Frequently asked questions

How long should the test last? 30 seconds is a common, manageable starting point. 15 seconds is more accessible for beginners, while 60 seconds is more demanding and better suited to highly trained athletes. Which sports benefit most from this test? Especially team and individual sports with repeated jumps (volleyball, basketball, jumping events in track and field), where maintaining power across successive actions is decisive. Is it normal for height to drop during the test? Yes, some drop-off is expected and normal. What matters is how much it drops: an excessive drop indicates room for improvement in power endurance.