Assessments:

Athlete assessments in Sports Performance Training are a great way to keep up with an athlete’s skill level and their progress over time. Basically, an athlete assessment is a series of tests like sprints or verticals, that help track the level of skill the athlete is currently at, and where they can improve through sports performance training based on their goals.  Depending on the athlete and the sport they play, the testing they go through can vary. For example, the agility test for a soccer player may be different than one for a basketball player. They both will be required to test their agility, but the type of test they take is based on their sport and requirements through sports performance training. At Next Level Athletics, our focus is overall athlete development through sports performance training, which isn’t necessarily skill-specific but can help improve specific skills needed over time. Our goal is to make you faster, stronger, more explosive, and more agile so our testing should be a combination of those things in order to track an athlete’s progress. We run our athletes through a series of five tests: standing vertical, approaching vertical, 20-yard sprint, 5-10-5, and broad jumps. Depending on the needs of each athlete, there are more we can run through if they need to be tested for that skill. Once those tests are recorded, we upload their numbers onto their personal member profile. We then test again after two or so weeks and track the progress. This allows the member and the trainers to stay on top of the progress athletes are making. If athletes do not wish to be tested or it is not a requirement, we do not test them. As a trainer, it is obvious when one of our athletes is progressing, in which case we ask that athlete to run through a test or two so we know their number. A lot of the time, an athlete will notice an increase in their speed when they are on the field or court. It is very important that we are aware of the progress our athletes are making so when we do notice it, we bring it to their attention and they feel good about the work they have been putting in. One important thing to remember when testing your skill level as an athlete is that there are no “bad” numbers. The first numbers we track are just a starting point to great progress. The majority of our athletes who test at the start of our training then test again in two weeks already see the progress they are making. Staying consistent with the training that we do at Next Level Athletics is the key to seeing the improvements that you want to see as an athlete. Here are the breakdowns of all of the movements we test.

5-10-5:

A 5-10-5 is a sports performance training shuttle run designed to test your change of direction and acceleration. You will start at the middle line and then sprint in one direction five yards change direction and then run back in the other direction for ten yards followed by one more five-yard sprint back to the start line. Staying low and controlled is key to this movement allowing you to change direction more efficiently.

Broad Jump:

A broad jump is a sports performance training measurement of explosiveness and a less vertical and more linear plane. A broad jump in the form of explosiveness can translate a little bit more toward an acceleration speed and overall linear explosiveness. For a broad jump, you will start with both feet on the line with your feet still loading in the air jump you’ll explode out as far as possible reaching with both feet and landing in a stable position. For a broad jump, you wanna make sure that both feet stay planted that you do not fall backward and that your momentum carries your forwards to stay in is still upright position. By testing and broad jump you are testing your overall explosiveness like a professional athlete would. Increasing your force development will do an increase of broad jump giving you more distance and wore explosiveness overall to maximize your jump.

20-yard sprint

A 20-yard sprint is simple enough it is sports performance training testing your overall acceleration and speed through a 20-yard area. The athlete will start out of line and either an upright or three-point stance on their movement the clock will start and they will sprint 20 yards in a straight line as fast as possible crossing through the finish line when the timer stops. A runner should try to complete this as quickly as possible making the best time possible. By using a mix of acceleration and Top speed the athlete will get to the finish as fast as possible.

Standing vertical

Standing vertical is a sports performance training measure of force production from a still position the athlete will get their feet in the position that they see necessary loader jump jumping as high as possible and calculating the number of inches their feet are off the ground. By testing, you’re standing vertical your test and your overall force production and getting a measure of this force production so you can follow to increase over time and see if you have an increase or decrease in force production. Unlike the approach vertical the standing vertical takes less technique and more overall force in power so it is a more raw indicator of your overall force rather than how much technique you have in order to jump higher.

Approach Vertical

The approach vertical is a sports performance training measurement of your overall force production mix with your technique of an approach jump to maximize your jump height. One more applicable to sports like soccer and basketball and volleyball it is good to know your overall force production and jumping through an approach vertical for every sport. With a vertical approach, you can change your technique in order to mast maximize the movements and maximize your overall jump. By working on vertical jump training you can see an increase in your overall vertical without necessarily improving your force production. An athlete should obviously focus on increasing the force production and through an approach vertical you also get a technique that comes in handy with any sport that requires movement into a jam.