THE EFFECT OF VARIOUS LEG KICK TECHNIQUES ON THE VERTICAL JUMP AMONG WATER POLO PLAYERS

A vertical in-water jump is a very important element of the game. Efficient leg kicks in the water should be a basis for regular and efficient performance of the technique of vertical jump. The main aim of this paper was to define the relations between various test in which the characteristics of the techniques of a breaststroke leg kick and eggbeater leg kick were measured in water and the maximal height of a vertical in-water jump. The sample included 29 junior water polo players of the average age of 15.8 years. The results were subjected to descriptive statistics and correlation analysis. The maximum height of a vertical jump was recorded using a video recording. The characteristics of drag force were defined with the three variables separately for a breaststroke leg kick and eggbeater leg kick: the average peak of the maximum drag, the average impulse of drag force and the average peak of explosive drag force. The average maximal height of a vertical jump was 148.21±5.99 cm. The results have shown that the greatest statistically significant correlation was with the characteristics of drag force of breaststroke leg kicks at the level of almost 99%. The characteristics of drag force of eggbeater leg kick did not show statistically significant correlation, only the velocity of the eggbeater leg kick and the endurance in a vertical position for 5s and for 15s, statistically significantly correlated in performing the technique of a vertical in-water jump in young junior water polo players. KEY WORDS: breaststroke leg kick, eggbeater leg kick, leg kicks, vertical in-water jump