## 2 Methodology
### Procedure  
To examine lower limb explosive power among basketball players, we developed a unique jumping test specifically for examining lower limb explosive power in basketball players. This capability was measured through the jump movement of the layup following penetration to the basket, which combines both horizontal and vertical movements that replicate real time basketball movements on court. Flight time was used as the measurement indicator of this test--before and after contact with the ground. This was measured using the Optojump system by MicroGate (Bolzano, Italy), an optical measurement system that is comprised of a receiving and transmitting bar. This system offers high accuracy compared to alternative measuring methods and enables tests and measurements in real sports environments, such as basketball courts and soccer fields [21; 23; 24]. Each jump was also recorded on two separate video recorders. Using the Optojump system enabled real time documentation of numerical and graphic measures, thereby providing an objective tool. The gathered data were then transmitted directly onto an Excel file, enabling fast and simple documentation and access [24]. The complementary video recordings allowed us to examine and verify the recorded data as needed.  
The participants performed the tests assessed in this study at about 4 p.m., with indoor temperatures of about 20.4 \(\pm\) 0.5 \({}^{\circ}\)C and humidity of about 60.3 \(\pm\) 3.5%. The participants wore basketball shoes and appropriate sportswear. Prior to the tests, the participants warmed up for about 20 min on their home basketball court. The warmup included six minutes of layups (right/left), eight minutes of mobility movements and dynamic stretches, and six minutes of accelerations.  
After warmups, each participant performed the unique test twice, which included two layups and penetrations to the basket, once for their dominant leg (U1D) and once for their non-dominant leg (U1 ND). In this study, the dominant leg was defined as their preferred hopping leg. These were repeated 72 h later, for their dominant leg (U2D) and for their non-dominant leg (U2 ND). The test/retest results were then compared to assess the reliability of the new test. During Day 1 of the testing, after performing the U1D and U1 ND tests, the participants also performed nine additional standardized tests. A recovery period of at least five minutes between each test was provided. All tests were carried outon the basketball court where the participants regularly practiced and played, to ensure familiarity with the testing environment. The unique test/standardized test results were then compared to assess the validity of the new test.  
In addition to the new test, the participants also completed a 5 and 10 m sprint, the bounding power test (BP), and the following six versions of the countermovement jump (CMJ): countermovement jump both legs, hands free (CMJF); countermovement jump both legs, with hands on hips (CMJWH); countermovement jump, dominant leg, hands free (CMJDF); countermovement jump, dominant leg, with hands on hips (CMJDWH); countermovement jump, non-dominant leg, hands free (CMJNDF); and countermovement jump, non-dominant leg, with hands on hips (CMJNDWH). The results of these tests were compared to those of the unique new test to assess validity. The participants were able to achieve complete recovery following a five-minute rest between tests in all the tests, allowing the participants to perform a number of tests on the same day. However, the unique test was performed first, for both the dominant and the non-dominant leg. We chose to conduct this test first, prior to performing the additional nine standardized tests--to ensure similar conditions 72-h later during the retest.