The energy return properties of the longitudinal arch in jumping

The human foot arch has been suggested to store and release elastic energy during locomotion. However, experimental evidence for this assumption during jumping is missing. Thus, the relationship between the maximum deformation of the arch and jump height during countermovement jumps was investigated. There was no relationship between the deformation of the arch and jump height. This suggests that the energy return properties of the arch are not evident in a jumping task, and therefore do not contribute to jumping performance.