Is It Time To Retest Your Metrics?
Here at Velocity, every athlete that comes through these doors must first complete an Integrated Athletic Assessment (IAA). Collecting 45 data points, painting a clear picture of who you are and how you measure up, prior to the start of your training program.
After your training program begins, we offer a FREE re-testing combine on the 1st Saturday of every month. These re-testing events provide valuable insight into your progress and help facilitate your next set of goals & adjustments that need to be made in your next training period.
Lets take a deep dive into the Integrated Athletic Assessment (IAA)
What is the IAA exactly?
Our IAA breaks down into 4 major components:
1. Movement capacity – Mobility/Stability
2. Strength
3. Power/Force Output
4. Speed, Agility, & Endurance
The IAA uniquely collects 45 data points within the 4 categories listed above, painting a clear picture of who you are as an athlete and how your strengths & weaknesses compare to those of your peers, prior to the start of your training program. Combining this data with your long and short term goals, your individual training program is created.
How do we, as coaches, utilize the IAA in our training planning?
Concluding each individual IAA, the athlete’s information filters into their “VIPR Profile”:
V – Velocity
I – Integrated
P – Performance
R – Report
Every coach at VSP has direct access to these profiles. It allows our coaches to visibly see exactly where their athletes need to improve. This is crucial in daily, weekly, and monthly planning for our group & private setting sessions.
A good example of this:
Monday’s micro-group session includes 4 athletes. The performance filters of the day dictate lower body movement patterns (Squat/ Hinge/ Unilateral/ Bilateral/ etc.). All 4 athletes tested higher force production in their “belt squat” (anterior chain) compared to their “mid thigh pull” (posterior chain) extracted from their VIPR profiles.
To athletes or parents… this may mean little or nothing. But to our Velocity coaches – I can assure you, this small detail, on a vast spreadsheet, steers our ship – in that session, we will undoubtedly be training posterior chain strength (i.e. Deadlifts, RDL, Hamstring Curls, etc.) versus anterior compound movements (i.e Squats, Split Stance Lunges, Marching, etc.). To the laymen’s eye, it is all just a workout, a grouping of drills that make you tired – buy using testing data & analyzing individual player output, we craft a training program, targeting your needs, your weaknesses, your limitations.
I realize that this might read as gibberish to many of you, but understand, there is high level sports performance science built into how we prepare each and every session.
How can you use this assessment in the future…
This is a powerful tool in our training process. Other than to create and manage your program, the IAA can be used:
- To track personal progressions
- As a progress report with you and your coaches
Our VIPR profile allows athletes to track their own personal progressions between IAA testing and also allows them to track comparisons to athletes within a similar age range and sport.
Secondly, whether it’s a club coach, high school coach, or college coach – athletes are always working on specific tasks assigned by their coaches.
Whether it be:
1. To “get more physical” by improving strength
2. Try “coming back next season with faster feet” by improving agility
3. Or “jumping higher to achieve better positioning” by increasing power
Being able to have something to show for your hard work and improvements is crucial for you and your coaches. Our VIPR profile allows our athletes to have that luxury.
Our testing suggestions:
Remember, we offer a FREE re-testing combine on the 1st Saturday of every month. These re-testing events provide valuable insight into your progress and help facilitate your next set of goals & adjustments that need to be made in your next training period.
We encourage athletes to test at least 4 times per year:
Integrated Athlete Assessment at the start of your program – followed by:
1. An 8-12 week check-point – every 2-3 months
2. Testing just before you start your primary competition season
3. A mid-season check-point of maintenance or loss of training gains
4. Testing prior to the re-start of your offseason training program
The best part is that every time you re-test, the data pours into your ViPR report, allowing you to track the growth within your program, manage the dips that may happen during in-season competition and set goals for the year over year growth toward your long-term athletic development.
Now that we know what the IAA is, how our coaches use it, and how you can use it to track future progression… What are we waiting for?
Let’s get assessed! Or Re-assessed! See you in the gym!
Written by:
Jordan Bledsoe – Owner/ Director of Performance
Jake Lebovitch – Sports Performance Coach & Liaison to Athletes
