A very clever idea! Inexpensive, portable, easy to use, and most importantly, accurate!
How it works:
The VJ Test Mat consists of a measuring tape with a belt at one end, a rubber mat, and a tape feeder attached to the center of the mat. The ingenious feeder device provides very little resistance to tape movement while stopping the tape immediately at the highest point of the jump. The testee stands on the mat and puts the belt around his/her waist. The tape is pulled through a clip in the belt until taut to adjust for height of the athlete. The measuring tape at the mat feeder is always set at 0 cm/in. When the tape feeder is unlocked the device is then ready for the athlete to jump. After the vertical jump is made the length of tape pulled through the feeder indicates the height of the jump. The coach can then simply bend down and read the height of the jump, clearly displayed at the feeder, write down the result, and move quickly onto the next jump or athlete. An entire football team or class could be accurately tested in a surprisingly short time.
This VJ Test Mat is simple, easy-to-use, and most importantly accurate.
Simple, because it does away with the complicated and time-consuming methods of measuring a jumper's vertical. No longer do you need to chalk an athlete's hand, and then eyeball or climb up a ladder and measure the difference between an athlete's initial reach and the fuzzy chalk mark left on the wall. No longer do you have to climb onto a chair or use a stick to return the colored vanes to their original position for the next jumper. Nor do you have to subtract the athlete's initial reach (often simulated) and final reach.
Easy-to-use, because it takes no more than 15-20 seconds to set up for an athlete's first jump; no additional time is required for subsequent jumps, the athelete returns to starting position and the tape is pulled back to 0.
Accurate, because the athelete doesn't have to touch anything. In other words, it measures a true vertical jump, rather than a jump next to a wall, which seriously inhibits jumping capability and requires good shoulder flexibility and skill to reach with one hand.
