Old School Physical Fitness Tests Don't Cut It Anymore...
For optimal sports performance programming, a specialized coach must use multiple assessments and movement screens to Determine the Specific Needs of Each Athlete
To develop a comprehensive performance training program, it is important to use more than simple physical fitness tests to determine each athlete's physical needs--which later need to be addressed.
Besides determining the
sport specific training needs, an athletic performance coach will also perform a series of
postural assessments,
movement assessments (including gait assessment) and
athletic fitness assessments to determine any special
athlete specific training needs.
These special athlete specific (physical) needs could be the result of a variety of conditions, such as:
- Injury (past or present),
- over-training (or over-reaching),
- poor performance programming (training programs that were not balanced),
- improper exercise technique (improper coaching),
- poor/faulty movement patterns,
- repetitive movement patterns, and
- improper preparation.
These needs could be comprised of serious and not-so-serious situations involving muscles, bones, joints, etc.
A few examples of special needs would be:
- specific muscle imbalances that have resulted from compensatory movements from a previous injury (i.e. continuing to put more weight on the left leg when squatting after a leg injury to the right leg),
- imbalances from repetitive sport-specific movements without training opposing muscle groups to retain balance and joint integrity (i.e. difference in torso rotation between the right and left, on a right handed javelin thrower), or
- impairments in movement patterns from birth/growth deficiencies (i.e. internal rotation of the left tibia as a result of growth during adolescence).
By using advanced physical fitness tests and assessments to determine if there are any special needs to address, the coach can effectively design a program, which will ensure that, not only, will progress be made in strength, power, speed, etc., but that exercises can be selected that won't potentially injure or increase the athlete's risk of injury.
Specific
Corrective Exercises should also be selected to help correct any detected
dysfunctions/distortion patterns or additional special physical needs. Helping to correct these issues will also help reduce the athlete's risk of injury and help the athlete move more efficiently in sport (wasting less energy and producing a more effective result).
Begin with a Comprehensive Performance Evaluation
At Finish First Sports Performance, every athlete begins with a mandatory performance evaluation. Again, more than just a physical fitness test, it is composed of a
movement assessments,
postural assessments, and
athletic fitness assessments (a series of additional tests used to determine baseline fitness levels and to assess performance variables such as speed, strength endurance, power, power endurance, etc.), to enable our coaches to design the most detailed and athlete specific program possible.
Use Balanced/Integrated Training Programs for Better Sports Movements, and Less Risk of Injury
Human performance and fitness is optimal when the body is in balance and it is functionally sound.
People who do not address functional limitations or imbalances will never reach their full potential, have increased risk of injury, and are more likely to reach a training plateau before achieving their desired results.
We use the latest front-line research, special assessments and movement screens, and testing apparatus to obtain the most accurate results.
We currently use the
Functional Movement Screen™
and
additional physical movement assessments (created by physical therapists, expert sports science professors, orthopedic specialists, chiropractors, and movement science researchers).
These assessments have been hand-picked by Finish First Sports Performance as the best in the industry for providing us the information we need to create the best program for our athletes-and at one time they were only offered to professional athletes--and they are excellent at measuring an athlete's movement abilities, impaired movement patterns, as well as evaluating for any mechanical imbalances (mobility, flexibility, and stability).
As a result, the customized performance program for each athlete will include specific corrective exercises to repair any detected imbalances and restore his/her body's natural functional balance.
We currently offer 5 different performance evaluations to gather the data we need about each athlete. They are the
Individual Eval (1.5 hour)(Recommended for most),the
Individual Elite Eval (2 - 2.5 hours)(More advanced tests, similar to elite/professional sports combines), the
Individual Quick Eval (30 min)(For current athletes to check progress), the
Team Individual Eval (15 min)(Individual testing for a team of athletes), and the
Team Eval (length varies)(Testing for the entire team at the same time).
These evaluations also serve as a great teaching tool with the coaches, athletes, and parents, so that they have a thorough understanding of any issues that need to be addressed specific to each athlete, and his/her sport.
Finish First Sports Performance Evaluations
(so much more than old school physical fitness tests :-))
Individual Eval
The Individual Eval is the most commonly used evaluation at our training center, and it typically lasts about 1.5 hours. This eval includes an introduction to our full traditional warm-up sequence, followed by postural assessments, movement screening, and additional performance tests, then concluded with our traditional stretching sequence.
Information is collected, notes are taken from observation, and scores are recorded for tests used during the eval--this info is used when designing the training program, and used to help chart progress when the athlete is re-tested.
Individual Elite Eval
The Individual Elite Eval is a specific evaluation that includes many of the same tests used in professional sports combines, in addition to everything included in the standard Individual Eval.
For example, for elite hockey players, tests would be administered similar to the NHL combine, and for elite football players, tests would administered similar to the NFL combine.
Individual Quick Eval
The Individual Quick Eval is the evaluation that is used as another way for current athletes to check their progress with their training program. This evaluation only takes about 30 minutes, and focuses on the specific tests used in the athlete’s previous evaluation.
Team Individual Eval
The Team Individual Eval is used for groups or teams (4+ athletes), and each athlete is scheduled individually for his/her evaluation session. The traditional warm-up is taught, an abbreviated version of the individual eval is used (less tests), and then traditional stretches are taught. This evaluation lasts 15-30 minutes.
Team Eval
The Team Eval is best suited for an entire team at once. Our training center has enough testing equipment to test an entire team in one session, including an introductory teaching of the warm-up sequence and cool down stretching sequence. Local college and high school teams have contracted our services because our team eval is efficient, accurate, and extremely beneficial to customized programming. Our services are also available to perform the team eval at your facility, using our testing equipment.
Please
contact us if you would like more information about our evaluation services.
