Countermovement rebound jump testing: suggestions for coaches to optimise test utility

Vertical jump assessments such as the countermovement jump (CMJ) and drop jump (DJ) are widely used by strength and conditioning practitioners to evaluate slow and fast stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) function. However, administering both tests independently can increase testing time and logistical demands in applied settings. The countermovement rebound jump (CMRJ) has recently been proposed as an integrated assessment capable of capturing the characteristics of both slow and fast SSC performance within a single task. Despite growing interest, practical guidance on how the CMRJ should be implemented, coached, and the subsequent data interpreted, remains limited. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to provide practitioners with an applied framework for optimising the use of the CMRJ in performance testing environments. Specifically, this article outlines key considerations related to task execution, verbal cueing, familiarisation, and quality control procedures. In addition, a tiered framework for interpreting CMRJ metrics is proposed, prioritising performance outcomes, movement drivers and strategy metrics, and inter-limb asymmetry measures. Collectively, and for interpreting CMRJ outcomes, practitioners are encouraged to prioritise a small number of reliable outcome metrics for rapid performance profiling, and to use additional metrics selectively to explain changes in performance, movement strategy, or any existing side-to-side differences.