VSP Spotlight – Westlake’s Brooke Pfeiffer
This week’s VSP athlete spotlight shines on Westlake HS basketball star Brooke Pfeiffer. Brooke started here at VSP a couple months ago through our RTPP (Return To Play) program. This program is offered to athletes returning from an injury as a bridge back into performance training from their current physical therapy. Brooke, coming off an ACL & MCL tear, wanted to regain the speed, strength, & power that made her an all-state caliber HS player and potential college recruit.
Let’s dive into how we helped her!
Strength
Over the past couple of months, we wanted to prioritize lower body strength within Brooke’s development plan.
Through anterior & posterior focused bilateral & unilateral exercises, we were able to increase the amount of force she was able to produce on our MTP & Belt SQ tests by a total of 188 LBS!
For only a couple months of focused training… that is quite the increase.
With a strong & stable base we were able to transition her training focus to transferring her increased force production into more power.
Power
Through a variety of plyometric drills & complexes we were able to help Brooke increase her lower body power output in both the vertically & horizontally.
Vertically, her vertical jump & vertical RSI both improved. As well as horizontally, he broad jump & triple broad jump both improved.
The confidence that her body was healthy + her new increased strength levels + high level technique acquisition = increases in all lower body power tests & better overall plyometric ability.
Now, with increased force & power production, how did we translate that into speed & COD gains?
Speed
- 10 YD Dash
- 30 YD Shuttle
- 40 YD Dash
- LEFT Drill
- Woodway Top Speed (MPH)
- 300 YD Shuttle
Brooke improved in all of these metrics…
To say she improved her acceleration, top speed, speed endurance, & COD is an understatement.
Now with increased confidence, more strength, power, & speed then she has ever had before, Brooke should be locked & loaded to dominate her senior season.
Overall
Overall, Brooke has dominated these last two months of training. Bridging the gap from physical therapy post surgery to performance pre-season focused training has been massive for her development. We are excited to see Brooke continue her consistency on the training floor & the court. Her senior season & looming college commitment will be a reflection of all the hard work she has been putting in.
Keep it up Brooke!
Written By:
Jake Lebovitch – Assistant Director of Performance & Content Manager