Table 1 Selection criteria used in the meta-analysis
Category | Inclusion criteria | Exclusion criteria |
|---|---|---|
Population | Healthy water sport athletes, with no restrictions on their fitness or competitive level, sex, or age | Participants with health problems (e.g. injuries, recent surgery), precluding participation in a plyometric jump training programme |
Intervention | A plyometric jump training programme, with a minimal duration of ≥ 3 weeks, which included unilateral and/or bilateral jumps, which commonly utilize a pre-stretch or countermovement stressing the stretch–shortening cycle | Exercise interventions not involving plyometric jump training (e.g. upper-body plyometrics only training interventions) or exercise interventions involving plyometric jump training programmes representing less than 50% of the total training load (i.e. volume, e.g. number of exercises) when delivered in conjunction with other training interventions (e.g. high-load resistance training) |
Comparator | Active control group (i.e. athletes participating in regular training schedules) Studies comparing different plyometric jump training approaches (e.g. different intensity) without active control group, or traditional control group (i.e. non-active participants) will also be considered, as well as specific-active control groups (e.g. involving alternative training methods such as high-load resistance training) | Absence of control group |
Outcome | At least one measure related to physical fitness (e.g. countermovement jump height; body fat) and/or sport-specific performance (e.g. 50-m swimming speed) before and after the training intervention | Lack of baseline and/or follow-up data |
Study design | Multi-arm trials | Single-arm trials/observational studies |