VALD Performance Assessment
A force plate system, such as the ones offered by VALD, measures the ground reaction forces generated by a body standing on or moving across them. In the realm of sports performance assessment, these systems offer a plethora of benefits by providing valuable data on an athlete's biomechanics, movement efficiency, and potential imbalances.
Here's how a VALD force plate system can be used in a sporting performance assessment:
- Jump Analysis: By asking athletes to perform vertical jumps on the force plate, practitioners can gain insights into jump height, power generation, landing mechanics, and asymmetry between legs. This can help in assessing lower limb explosive power and the efficiency of energy transfer.
- Balance and Stability Assessment: By standing on the force plate and maintaining balance, particularly on a single leg, athletes' postural control and stability can be assessed. This is crucial for sports that require precise balance and for rehab scenarios post-injury.
- Change of Direction and Agility: By initiating rapid changes of direction on the force plate, practitioners can analyse the athlete's ability to generate and control forces during dynamic tasks. This can be pivotal for sports that require quick directional changes, like basketball, soccer, or tennis.
- Ground Reaction Forces in Running: By running over the force plate, the system can measure the forces exerted on the ground during each foot strike. This can provide insights into an athlete's gait cycle, potential overloads, and risks of injury.
- Load Distribution Analysis: Force plates can reveal how weight and force are distributed across an athlete's feet. Imbalances or shifts in load can highlight potential issues, whether from injury or inefficiencies in technique.
- Rehabilitation Monitoring: For athletes recovering from an injury, force plates can track progress and adaptations over time. Seeing how ground reaction forces and movement symmetry change during the rehab process can guide decision-making and interventions.
- Fatigue Analysis: By comparing force plate metrics at the beginning and end of a workout, practitioners can understand how fatigue impacts biomechanics and adjust training loads accordingly.
- Customisation of Training Regimes: By regularly assessing athletes using the force plate, coaches and trainers can tailor training regimes to address specific weaknesses or imbalances, ensuring optimal performance enhancement.
- Data-Driven Decisions: VALD force plate systems come with advanced analytics and visualisation software. This allows practitioners to dive deep into the data, observe trends, and make informed decisions about an athlete's training or rehabilitation program.
By integrating a VALD force plate system into a sporting performance assessment, professionals gain an invaluable tool that offers detailed biomechanical insights. These insights not only drive performance improvements but also contribute significantly to injury prevention and rehabilitation strategies.
