This excerpt from Developing Speed looks at how a fundamental understanding of the biomechanical principles that affect speed can assist coaches and athletes in developing running speed.

This course is an introduction to force plates and performance testing. This course covers the basics of setup and calibration of force plates, and then walks through several fundamental performance tests including squat jumps, countermovement jumps, drop jumps and loaded jumps. Two versions of the isometric mid-thigh pull as well as an isometric squat are also covered in the course. Real-time data collection from the software is also shown as the athletes are performing the tests. A module on data analysis rounds out the course, which includes five metrics collected from the force plate, as well as calculations from this data, including relative strength index - modified, and dynamic strength index.

Maximal force can be expressed across a range of conditions influenced by the external load and the time available to express force. As a result, several distinct and specific strength qualities exist. Conversely, some expressions of maximal force are similar and can be categorized as a single quality. Therefore, strength assessment systems must be sophisticated enough to isolate and measure each quality while minimizing redundant information. This article presents a contemporary, evidence-based and practical framework that reduces the many strength and speed-strength metrics into 5 distinct qualities. Alongside this, we present case examples of the application of strength diagnosis.

This excerpt from NSCA’s Essentials of Sport Science briefly explains the force-velocity-power profile and how it can give strength and conditioning coaches a more holistic view of athletes.

This article briefly describes the importance of training perceptual-cognitive skills for faster performance.

This excerpt from NSCA’s Essentials of Sport Science describes strength as a velocity-dependent concept.

Neil Baumgartner, PhD, speaks at the 2013 TSAC Conference on the science and rationale behind the Air Force Fitness Test.

This infographic summarizes a study in which adding both horizontal and vertical force-vector exercises enhanced physical performance during in-season play.

Force Plate Assessment & Practical Application Presentation

In this session from the 2017 NSCA National Conference, Mike Stone explains what rate of force development (RFD) is, how it is derived, and the underlying mechanisms affecting RFD.