What you need to know when using applied statistical approaches to determine the minimal differences during monitoring of neuromuscular status in athletes: appropriate methods of analyzing data in “real world” scenarios of Sport Sciences

Statistical approaches are commonly used for determining the minimal differences when monitoring athletes in Sport Sciences. One of the most used approaches is the smallest worthwhile change (SWC) in the countermovement jump height. SWC is mostly calculated using a distribution-based method as 0.2× between-subject standard deviation or 0.3× within-subject. However, an adequate understanding of this and other data analysis methods for this purpose is still necessary for practitioners and researchers in this interdisciplinary area of the field. Therefore, this study aimed to communicate what is required to know when using applied statistical approaches to determine the minimal differences for monitoring neuromuscular status in athletes.