If You Aren't Assessing, You're Just Guessing

With many seasons underway, we’re already planning the next testing point for our athletes. We thought we’d take a moment to explain what testing includes and how we find value in the data. After all, testing takes valuable time and resources, and we can’t afford to waste either of them. By being selective about what we test and systematically implementing the information, we can better tailor training to our athletes at various points of the year.

So what is it we test? Well, some standards include, height, weight, wingspan, and other basic measurements. This can give us relative data as we compare to athletes of various body types. Other tests include jumps, force output, sprints, throws, and a battery of other skill-based metrics. By collecting a wide range of data across various training qualities and planes of movement, we’re better able to create a more holistic athlete profile.

Now, not all these tests may apply to you. Some may not even be relevant. However, the outputs of these tests can help create a profile of possible strengths and weaknesses as they relate to certain training qualities (speed, power, strength, etc.) that DO matter to you. We can also gauge ranges of motion across different joints that can help guide exercise selections to either implement or remove constraints. Essentially, by gathering this data, we can better pinpoint relative weak links in your chain. We can better plan where YOU should focus your efforts to maximize your training.

In terms of HOW we use the information, well, now that’s the deep stuff. Instead of diving down the extremely deep rabbit hole of testing metrics and analyses, we’ve made a summary video that gives some perspective on how we use the data.

As you can see, there is some pretty in-depth stuff. But, by correlating the info to relevant norms and sport standards, we can better bucket athletes with specific training focuses during specific points of the year. By retesting every 8-12 weeks, we’re able to keep our finger on the pulse and use continued data collection to either reaffirm the plan or pick up on trends that may have us change course. Whatever appears to be in the athlete’s (or team’s) best interests.