Relationship between functional movement patterns (FMS-3) and vertical jump performance assessed with the Wheeler Jump sensor in Peruvian secondary school students

Abstract

Objective: To examine the relationship between three functional movement assessment items — Deep Squat (DS), Hurdle Step (HS), and Shoulder Mobility (SM), termed FMS-3 as a tripartite functional protocol for school physical education — and performance on Squat Jump (SJ), Counter Movement Jump (CMJ), and free-arm Counter Movement Jump (ABK).

Methodology: A descriptive-correlational design was used with a convenience sample of secondary school students from Colegio Rosario del Solar, Lima, Peru (n=42). The FMS-3 battery was administered under resting conditions, and jump tests were applied following a standardized warm-up and familiarization with the Wheeler Jump sensor. Spearman correlation was used as the primary statistical measure, and Student's t / Welch's t-tests were applied for sex-based comparisons.

Results: The DS was the only item with significant associations with vertical jump performance (DS?SJ: ?=0.392, p=0.014; DS?CMJ: ?=0.357, p=0.026). The total FMS-3 score was marginally associated with SJ (?=0.321, p=0.047). The HS and SM showed no significant associations with any jump modality. Males outperformed females across all three jump modalities (d=1.15–1.20).

Conclusion: The findings indicate that, among the items assessed, only the Deep Squat showed a significant correlation with vertical jump performance, specifically with SJ and CMJ, suggesting its utility as an indicator of explosive power in secondary school students. Additionally, the Hurdle Step is proposed as a detector of lower-limb functional asymmetries, and Shoulder Mobility as an evaluator of the upper-body kinetic chain.