Date of Award
Summer 6-9-2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Kinesiology (PhD)
Department
Kinesiology
Abstract
To examine whether a periodized, eight-week strength and conditioning (S&C) program incorporating Olympic Weightlifting (OWL) improves vertical jump height and reduces peak landing forces in adolescent female athletes. Despite the proven benefits of neuromuscular training (NMT), (Nessler et al., 2017; Mattu et al., 2022), access to high-skill S&C remains limited for this population (Sommi et al., 2018; Parsons et al., 2021). Twenty-four adolescent female athletes were divided into a training group (n = 15) and a control group (n = 9). The training group completed two one-hour sessions weekly for eight weeks. Pre- and post- intervention testing assessed vertical jump height and peak ground reaction force using a drop vertical jump test on force plates. The training group showed a significant increase in vertical jump height (p < .001, d = –1.62), while the control group declined (p = .016, d = 1.02). No statistically significant changes in peak landing forces were found. A negative correlation was found between baseline jump height and post-training landing forces (r = –.55, p = .005). OWL- based training significantly improved vertical jump performance in adolescent female athletes. Although landing forces remained unchanged, OWL may enhance power output and address disparities in access to high-quality S&C for female athletes.