## 5 Conclusions and Practical Applications  
Multiple hops offer an easy, valid, and reliable method for assessing neuromuscular function and are commonly used by physiotherapists, strength and conditioning coaches, and technical coaches. The utility and interpretation of these tests is usually based on the distance jumped. The focus of this article was to determine if other kinematic and kinetic measures could enhance the diagnostic value of 3-Hop and 5-Hop assessments, within a sports performance/sprint context. With this in mind, the findings were as follows. Both 3-Hop and 5-Hop distances were strongly correlated with 10, 20, and 40 m sprint times, which have applications for assessment and training. For example, changes in the distance jumped should correspond to quicker sprint times (especially for longer distance sprints), which could be monitored between official timing light or radar assessments. In terms of training, using multiple hops as a training option to improve sprint times is certainly supported by the results of this study. RSI\({}_{\text{hor}}\) calculated from jump distance was a stronger predictor of sprint performance than calculation from flight time, and it is recommended as the variable of choice for measuring horizontal reactivity. This can be performed with force plates, or by using more readily available smartphone AI-based digitizing applications, such as Vuemotion (Sydney, Australia); however, using flight time in the calculation can offer a more practical approach for field assessments for those without expensive analysis tools, as simple smartphone video technology has been shown to be both valid and reliable for this purpose [1, 2]. Most of the movement strategy kinetic variables did not correlate strongly to the outcome variables (jump distance/sprint times) in this cohort. Of the kinetic measures investigated, maximal vertical force and horizontal propulsive impulse were found to be correlated best with the 10 and 40 m times, and, as such, are potentially the best variables to measure, monitor, and train athletes if force plate technology is available. It would seem that the hop ratio between the 3-Hop and 5-Hop cannot differentiate sprint ability in sportsmen; however, RSI\({}_{\text{hor}}\) can, and, therefore, this measure could be used to measure and monitor athletes, or for talent identification purposes. Given the high collinearity between the 3-Hop and 5-Hop tests, it would seem prudent to measure and monitor only one of the hops. The stretch loads associated with the 5-Hopexceed that of the 3-Hop, and, therefore, decisions on the hop used in an assessment battery may be made around the unilateral strength-power qualities and athleticism of the athletes who are involved. One limitation of this study was the homogeneity of the sample. While it encompassed a diverse range of participants from various sports requiring both skill and a variety of strength qualities, the sample was limited to university-aged male participants. Future researchers should aim to include a more diverse range of ages and should include female athletes to enhance the generalizability of the findings. Secondly, a more in-depth analysis of the kinetic data, particularly focusing on the power and work involved in completing both the 3-Hop and 5-Hop tasks, could provide deeper insights into the storage and utilization of the elastic energy capacity of athletes across hops. The individuals who contributed to this paper are listed as follows: Conceptualization, A.S. and J.C.; Methodology, A.S., J.C. and J.N. ; software, J.N. and R.N. ; formal analysis, A.S. and J.C.; investigation, A.S., J.N. and R.N. ; resources, R.N. and T.W. ; data curation, J.N. and R.N. ; writing--original draft preparation, A.S. and J.C.; writing--review and editing, A.S. and J.C.; visualization, A.S. and J.N. ; supervision, J.C.; project administration, T.W. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript. This research received no external funding.