Why the jump matters for rugby
Power, which is force produced quickly, sits under most of rugby's decisive actions: the first two steps into contact, the lineout jump, the drive off the mark. The countermovement jump (CMJ) measures lower-body power with nothing more than a jump mat or a phone app and a few minutes. It separates levels, too: in elite French academies, players selected for national youth teams out-jumped their non-selected peers, among forwards and backs alike.
How to test properly
- Keep your hands on your hips for every jump, so arm swing never muddies the comparison.
- Dip to a depth that feels natural, then jump for maximum height with full extension of the legs.
- Land on both feet, on the spot you took off from.
- Take several attempts with short rests and count the best one. National-team testing uses five attempts with 15 seconds between them.
- Repeat the same warm-up, the same surface, and the same time of day whenever you retest.
What elite academy players actually jump
The heights below are averages from elite French rugby academies, measured on a photocell system with a four-jump protocol, rounded to the nearest centimetre. Internationals are players selected for a French national youth team.
| Group | Forwards | Backs |
|---|---|---|
| U16 academy players | 31 cm | 37 cm |
| U18 academy players | 34 cm | 39 cm |
| U20 academy players | 37 cm | 41 cm |
| U20 youth internationals | 39 cm | 44 cm |
Using the jump to watch fatigue
Professional programmes retest the jump through the year to watch neuromuscular performance. The catch is that the number also moves on its own: every athlete has a natural day-to-day spread on this test. When national-team rugby players were tested five times across an eleven-month season, the group averages barely moved, while individual players showed real rises and falls once their scores were compared against their own normal variation.
How to improve your jump
- Get stronger: the squat pattern is the base.
- Train fast: box jumps, power cleans, loaded jump squats.
- Add plyometrics a couple of times a week: drop jumps, bounding.
- Sharpen the movement itself: a quick dip, an aggressive drive, full extension.
- Give it time, and retest on the same setup every few weeks.