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Research Quarterly. American

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Relationship between Leg

Speed and Leg Power
a a a
R. K. Gray , K. B. Start & A. Walsh
a
University of Western Australia , Nedlands ,
Western Australia , Australia
Published online: 17 Mar 2013.

To cite this article: R. K. Gray , K. B. Start & A. Walsh (1962) Relationship between
Leg Speed and Leg Power, Research Quarterly. American Association for Health,
Physical Education and Recreation, 33:3, 395-399

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10671188.1962.10616469

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 Relationship Between leg Speed
and l e g Power
R. K. GRAY
K. B. START
A. WALSH
University of Western Australia
Nedlands, Western Australia

Abstract
With the previous development of a new test of leg power based on scientific princi-
ples, the problem of the components of the term muscular power was investigated. A
test of leg speed using the bicycle ergometer was refined and had a test-retest reliability
0.969 when subsequently used on the experimental sample of 62 adult males. The fac-
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tors of leg speed and leg power were then compared and a correlation of +0.470 was
established. This was mathematically lower than figures relating speed and power ob-
tained by previous researches in this field and was probably due to the differences in
the criterion measures together with sample and experimental error.

MUSCULAR POWER is regarded as an important basic component of motor

performance. Although it is frequently referred to as a motor element it is
probably a composite of a number of different factors operating together to
produce an explosive effort. Hutto (5) surveyed the studies that had used
factor analysis to investigate the components of muscular power. These
studies, attempting to identify the components of power, had employed the
existing tests of power such as the Sargent Jump, the standing broad jump,
and the shot put. Despite opinions such as Carpenter’s (1) that “the Sar-
gent Jump is considered to be an excellent indication of an individual’s pow-
er,” these tests would not conform with the physical sciences definition of
power as the rate of doing work. Thus, muscular power should be defined
as the rate of performing muscular work, and the existing tests could not be
regarded as accurate measuring instruments on this criterion, that is,
work
power = -.
time
A method of calculating leg power on mathematical criteria was outlined
by Start (11) in 1961. More recently the authors (2) presented a further
test of leg power, the vertical power jump, based on the above scientific con-
cept, which had a high test-retest reliability ( r = .985). The test basically
used a modified, formalized version of the Sargent Jump. The subject as-
sumed as a starting posiiton a full crouch with one hand behind his back
and the other upstretched by his head. From this starting position the sub-
ject sprang upwards and marked the top of his jump with chalked finger-
tips. The locations of the subject’s center of gravity in the full crouch posi-
395
 396 The Research Quarterly, Yol. 33, No. 3

tion, on the standing tiptoe position, and at the peak of the jump were cal-
culated. 1hese data together with the subject’s weight enabled the work
done and the time taken to do this work to be calculated using the simple
laws of motion. 1he calculation gave a figure for the power of the subject’s
legs in this movement. With this more precise test of leg power available, a
further examination of the relationship betweeen power and some of its
physical attributes appeared worthwhile.
In each of the six studies Hutto surveyed, a relationship between speed
and power was indicated. Further, the physical definition of power in-
volved the speed factor in using the term rate. Thus speed and power ap-
peared likely to be fundamentally related.
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This study was undertaken to redetermine the relationship between leg

power and speed of leg movement. The measure of leg power was the ver-
tical power jump described by Gray, Start, and Glencross (2).
Certain investigators (1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9 ) have used running speed as a meas-
ure of leg speed. In these researches running speed was measured in terms
of time taken to run a given distance or distance covered in a given time.
However, it was felt that in a test based on running, variables such as length
of stride, mechanical efficiency and running technique remain uncontrolled.
Speed of movement has also been measured by use of a revolving crank.
The principle of this measuring device had been used previously by Wilkie
(12) to measure speed of arm movement Wilkie employed a crank attached
to a bicycle wheel and took the number of revolutions in a given time as the
score. Wilkin (13) also used this method in his study of weight training and
speed of movement. Zorbas and Karpovich (14) tested an arm movement in
the frontal plan by a similar apparatus. Lotter in 1959 (6) and 1961 (7)
used similar apparatus for establishing speeds of arm movements. Slater-
Hammel (9) and Lotter (6, 7) used a bicycle ergometer to measure speed
of leg movement.
The authors preferred the bicycle ergometer as an instrument for measur-
ing leg speed because the many variables involved in running were elimi-
nated, whereas on the bicycle, with the feet strapped to the pedals, the dis-
tance the feet move at each revolution remains constant for all subjects, and
standard conditions can more easily be maintained in a laboratory.
For the experiment the bicycle ergometer was bolted to a rigid framework
which prevented unwanted movement when pedaling at high speed. Toeclips
and strap attachments on the pedals were also provided to prevent the sub-
ject’s feet from leaving the pedals at maximum effort. A revolution counter
was attached to the frame and connected by cams to the wheel. The optimum
tension on the resistance band of the wheel was determined by a prior study
involving ten subjects. As a result of this study a tension of 2yz kg. was
found to provide sufficient resistance to enable the feet to keep firm contact
with the pedals and yet not give the feeling of being a strength or endurance
effort.
 Leg Speed and Leg Power 397

The optimum duration of this test ride had to be sufficient to allow the
initial inertia of the machine to be overcome and full speed to be reached
and maintained for a short period. The test ride also had to be of short
enough duration not to introduce an endurance factor. The 16 subjects of a
separate subsample (from a stationary start) of 7, 10, 13, 16 and 20 sec.
duration to discover this optimum period. The 10-sec. test produced the high-
est average rate of revolutions per second (8.06) and the highest standard
deviation (0.57). As a consequence the 10-sec. period was selected as the
duration of the test trials on the basis of the higher speed and discrimination
it appeared to offer.
The problem of test-retest reliability involved multiple efforts and the pos-
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sible fatigue effects of consecutive efforts had to be considered. Should each

member of the group have one trial each before any subject could have a
second trial, the bicycle seat would have to be adjusted prior to each ride.
If the subject could make three trials consecutively, the seat would only have
to be adjusted a third as frequently as in the interspersed trial method. To
test the effects of consecutive and interspersed trial methods ten subjects did
six trials in two sets of three. Five used the consecutive method, that is, they
performed three trials with a rest between each trial before leaving the bi-
cycle. The other five used the interspersed method, that is, each person had
one trial and left the ergometer which was then adjusted for the next sub-
ject. Both groups then did a second set of three trials using the alternativtl
method. Analysis of the results Phowed no significant difference between
the interspersed and consecutive methods, and the subjects themselves did
not profess greater feelings of fatigue M hen questioned about the two meth-
ods. On this basis the comecutive iiiethod was selected for the main experi-
ment since it could be administered in less time.

Experimental Procedure
An available sample of 62 medically fit male Teachers’ College students
comprised the experimental group. To familiarize the subjects with the two
testing techniques, four practice periods spread over the two weeks prior to
the experimental test were given on the ergometer and the vertical power
jump.
On the day of the test the vertical power jump was administered accord-
ing to the test instructions ( 2 ) . On the same day, after a rest period, the
speed test was given. Each member of the group had one set of three con-
secutive trials and, after a recovery period, had three further trials for retest
purposes.

ResuI t s
The reliability of this test of leg speed using the bicycle ergometer was
estimated on the basis of the scores obtained in the test-retest trials and was
found to be +0.969.
 398 The Research Quarterly, Vol. 33, No. 3

The data on leg speed and leg power were then compared and the details
of the product moment correlation between speed (r.p.s.) and power (h.p.)
as measured in this study are summarized in Table 1.

TABLE 1.-RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SPEED AND POWER OF THE LEGS

I zi 1 ;::; 1 1 1 1
Item N Mt ut Ur crz

Power
Speed :$ +:NO 0.128 3.68

Discussion
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The value of the correlations between leg power and leg speed as measured
in this study ( r = +0.47) was low and could only account for 22 percent
of the variance. Thus factors general to both measures accounted for less
than one quarter of the observed variance. This finding of high specificity
agreed with the recent work by Lotter (7) on generality and specificity in
speed and Smith's study (10) of reaction time and movement time.
The correlation between speed and power obtained in this study was math-
ematically, though not statistically, lower than correlations between other
tests of leg speed and Sargent Jump that have been obtained by previous
workers. Rarick (8) obtained correlations of f0.64 and +0.61 between the
time taken to cover the last 10 yds. of a 30-yd. sprint and the Sargent Jump.
When he eliminated the arm movement in the Sargent Jump the correlation
was +0.63. Harris (4) found leg speed as measured by the 40-yd. dash cor-
related +0.59 with the Sargent Jump. The different tests used to measure
the factors of speed and power together with sample and experimental error
probably accounted for the differences in these correlations. It was thought
that the more rigorous tests employed in this study, in which variables such
as arm movement, coordination and learned skill are more closely controlled,
might have given a more accurate indication of the relationship between leg
speed and leg power. If this hypothesis were correct then the relationship
was even lower than had hitherto been believed, and would, in turn, indicate
high specificity in the two activities.

Conclusions
1. Leg speed as measured by the bicycle ergometer and leg power as
measured by the vertical power jump correlated +0.470, which was signifi-
cant at the .001 level.
2. The obtained correlation was mathematically but not statistically lower
than those obtained by other researches that had investigated the relationship
between leg speed and leg power.
3. The low correlation indicated the high specificity and lower generality
of these items.
 Leg Speed and Leg Power 399

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[Submitted July 18, 1961)