The Effect of Ankle Taping on the Ground Reaction Force in Vertical Jump Performance

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of closed basket weave (CBW) ankle taping on the vertical ground reaction force during the contact phase before the take-off in vertical jump performance. We hypothesized that ankle taping would limit the capability for explosive force generation during the contact phase before the take-off in jump performance. Twelve healthy young men (age, 20.2 ± 1.3 years; height, 1.76 ± 0.05 m; body mass, 66.1 ± 6.1 kg; mean ± SD) performed a vertical jump performance on a force plate without (CON) or with ankle taping (CBW technique) of the right ankle joint. Vertical jump ability was assessed using 2 styles of vertical jump with no arm swing: a countermovement jump (CMJ) and squat jump (SJ). From the vertical ground reaction force (GRF), maximum jump height, vertical impulse (VI), rate of force development, maximum GRF (GRFmax), and time-series GRF (GRFts) during the contact phase before the take-off in jump performance were determined. Jump height was significantly lower for CBW (36.6 ± 6.6 cm) than CON (38.1 ± 6.7 cm) in CMJ, but not in SJ. Rate of force development and GRFts at 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, and 65% of total time of the contact phase in jumping performance were also significantly smaller for CBW than CON in CMJ, but not in SJ. Conversely, VI and GRFmax were not significantly different between the groups in either jump condition. These results suggest that ankle taping impairs CMJ performance, because of a decreased ability to develop large force rapidly on the ground before the take-off.