How To Assess Your Leg Power And Stabilization With This Simple Test

All surf and snow sports athletes need to have both explosive leg power and and the ability to absorb force and stabilize. From riding waves to carving powder, if you have the ability to generate and absorb force in a lateral direction, you will be on your way to improved surfing/riding/skiing and also decrease your risk of injury such as knee injuries.

The test shown below is a great test you can do at home to measure both your ability to generate force and also to balance on landing. Your ability to land and absorb an eccentric force is just as important as the jumping itself, because it you can’t land effectively you will likely fall or even injure yourself.

Have a go at the test below and see if you can beat me 🙂

The Lateral Bound Test

You will need a tape measure to measure the distance of your jump. Extend the tape measure out across the floor so you have plenty of room. Make sure you wear cushioned sports shoes and do an adequate warm-up first (such as some bodyweight squats and lunges).

Completing the test…

• Start standing on one leg, then bend from your hip, knee and ankle and use your arms for momentum as you jump laterally to land on the opposite leg.
• For the score to count, you need to land on the other leg and stay balanced for at least a full second. Make sure you absorb the landing by bending at your hip, knee and ankle.
• Do a couple of warm-up jumps first before having 2-3 attempts with maximum effort.

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My Test Score

• Right Leg – 2.23m
• Left Leg – 2.27m

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My left leg appears to be slightly more powerful. This would probably be due to the fact that this is the leg I would normally jump off in other sports such as taking a mark in Aussie rules footy or doing a layup in basketball.

Do the test and post your score in the comments section below.

This test was taken from the High Performance Club – Functional Fitness Assessment. If you want to test your total body functional fitness for surf or snow sports, join the High Performance Club to access the full assessment.

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