There are generally two classifications of technology trainers integrate into their workflows: tools that can help improve the intervention-based side of the equation and tools that can help improve the assessment process.
The former is easy and spans the lion’s share of tech that gets accumulated by coaches, trainers, rehab specialists, and performance professionals. This can include everything from dumbbells all the way to resistance training technology and recovery modalities—essentially, anything aimed at creating an adaptation.
On the flip side—and what this article covers—is the latter: technology aimed at assessing athletes in order for us to make better decisions as coaches. This includes physiological assessments like Omegawave and MOXY all the way to pressure insoles and force plates.
The most important consideration when making this type of investment is, first, ensuring that you’re well-positioned from an education perspective to successfully integrate a technology into your workflow. In other words, do you understand how to interpret the data the tool provides and then make the right calls about how said data informs your training decisions.
Because force plates can be such a value-add across various disciplines, there are a number of professionals who can benefit from integrating them into their assessments, says @RewireHP. Share on XIn this guide, we’ll tackle force plates specifically and help you identify whether the investment is a good fit in the first place as well as which options may be worth exploring.
Insert Video 1. Coach Coop on why he integrates force plates into his training process.
What Best Describes You? Coach, Researcher, or Sport Scientist?
Because force plates can be such a value-add across various disciplines—including performance, rehabilitation, and beyond—there are a number of professionals who can benefit from integrating them into their assessments.
Some force plate companies have even aimed their products mostly at one of these target areas. Understanding what you’re looking to measure in the first place can simplify the buying process and set you up for success because you’ll actually be getting the insights you’re after.
Let’s start simple. Most performance coaches and trainers likely use force plates for jump testing, integrating them as a proxy on neuromuscular readiness potential and other raw output-based values. Because of this, some of the more research-based systems with metrics galore may not warrant the extra financial investment, and they could wind up causing overwhelm if there’s a product-fit mismatch. Simplicity of integration and an ability to deliver on metrics that help coaches make quick, informed, data-driven decisions are key for this use case.
Researchers are usually after the highest quality data, and oftentimes the most options when it comes to available metrics. Having a system that delivers data ubiquitously across performance, fitness, and rehab analytics may be worthwhile. There may also be a need in this realm for cross-integration across other assessment tools to link different data sets regarding motion capture, output-based tests (e.g., strength tests), and more.
A force plate is nothing more than a glorified weight scale that samples changes in applied force at a high rate. The data from a force plate is useful, but it’s only one part of the puzzle. Share on XMost sport scientists, team training staffs, and rehab specialists are looking for some combination of the first two because it’s essential to make rapid-fire, KPI-based decisions in a team setting. At the same time, an ability to bring other assessments into the fold, such as motion capture, to inform training and rehab decisions based on larger, relevant data sets is ideal. More metrics than a traditional individual owner-operator trainer may be warranted, as well.
We should note that other situations and scenarios exist (such as more robust private sector facilities), but:
- These tend to be the main archetypes.
- Even these “exceptions” still fit within the aforementioned classifications.
What Are You Looking To Assess?
A force plate is nothing more than a glorified weight scale that samples changes in applied force at a high rate. The data from a force plate is useful, but it’s only one part of the puzzle—and it’s important to clear up what that information can do for a coach. Marketing can create hyperbole for the value of the force-time curve of a vertical jump, but dismissing the data is just as dangerous. Force analysis through a platform is the gold standard, even in the age of smaller, cheaper IMU sensors.
A force plate is usually an industrial, robust platform connected to a computer or tablet. Due to the size, most of the time it’s used as a jumping device; but, we are now seeing more exercises like isometric pulls and even traditional lifts being performed. One important reminder: A force plate is capable of looking at all forces, such as lateral and horizontal force, not just the vertical plane.
You can argue that, most of the time, a strength coach wants to measure vertical force with most of the exercises they test in the weight room, but most non-contact injuries come from cutting or changing horizontal direction. Many researchers and team staffs are trying to extract ground reaction forces (GRF) from athletic motions so they can look at what makes an athlete great and what can cause injury.
Through a combination of technology that includes force plates, the goal here is sometimes to be able to forecast injury potential or kick the tires on where athletes are at in the rehab process. The layers here can include things like left/right differentials in symmetry as well as kinematic preferences (a.k.a., movement strategy assessments).
Knowing what you’re looking to assess can simplify the buying process.
Although budget is no-doubt a factor to consider when investing in force plates, the best place to start is by identifying what you’re looking to evaluate. Be realistic, too. More bells and whistles may sound cool, but they could wind up going unused while also adding unnecessary layers of complexity to a coach’s workflow.
- If you are trying to test jumps, isometrics, and pulling exercises, get a semi-portable system that focuses on vertical force analysis.
- If you want to look at athletic motion, floor-embedded 3-D platforms are necessary and require a lot more time and analysis.
Jump analysis and change of direction analysis are the primary drivers for force plates in sport, and gait analysis and sprint evaluation favor video and other kinematic data. Kinetic forces from plates are invaluable, but are less prescriptive in technical nature (technique) and are more about training.
Hardware, Firmware, and Software Considerations
Before getting into the different companies and options, it’s extremely important to know how to make a wise investment in force plates by first learning how they are made. Force plates are measurement tools, so they are instruments and not toys.. When buying force plates, coaches should consider the entire solution instead of making a decision based on the size and shape of the system, like they’re buying a sofa.
A force plate is capable of looking at all forces, such as lateral and horizontal force, not just the vertical plane. Share on XHardware
Force analysis can be performed by two primary methods: using strain gauges or using a set of piezoelectric sensors. Other options exist, but the market generally uses these two approaches. Strain gauges are extremely popular for simple household appliances and even novelty items, but they are also perfectly acceptable as research tools. Piezoelectric sensors are currently far more expensive—they can triple the cost or more—but some new technological innovations are resolving these price limitations. Generally, 3-D force analysis is more expensive than vertical force products.
Outside of sensor type, the next decision is to choose between a single plate and dual force plates. One plate can get the gross height of a jump or isometric pull, but two plates can reveal asymmetry problems or improvements. Anyone wanting to invest in jumping or lower body analysis should get two plates because the option is a huge time-saver. A prominent researcher did correctly point out that you can use a single plate and perform multiple jumps to tease out information, but doubling the time is not practical in modern sport.
Firmware
Before skipping to the software and charting, it is essential to talk about firmware, or the lack of it. Most coaches will draw a blank on the importance of firmware because they assume the force plates are just magically sending over the force data to a laptop or tablet. The truth is, newer force plates process the information onboard and then send the near-final data to another location. Similar to velocity-based training options, you can use a tablet or phone as a “brain” or use the smart device just as a display. Different pros and cons exist, but, for the most part, having a “box” improves the user experience.
Most of the market has what we call “zombie plates,” meaning they are pure sensors with a relay device that moves the raw information to a second hardware piece. We think that one integrated option is a better design, but some top-of-the-line products remove the PCB board so they can be thinner or easier to manufacture. I prefer composite products with easy replacement construction, but that is just a personal preference.
Software
There are three key things tolook for when evaluating the software of force plates. The first is how easy it is to capture data. If it requires training or an instruction guide, it’s likely fine for research but a bad idea for coaches. Even if a researcher has all the time in the world, good studies have time windows, so the software needs to run quickly. Most software is on a laptop, which is not a best practice for a weight room, even if you’re using a new Microsoft Surface.
Second after capture is the analysis side. When a coach decides to invest in a force plate, they want sharper data integrity and more richness with information. A force-time curve has a lot of milestones and is perfect to dissect if you know what you are looking for. Some software allows for easy automated review, while others are better equipped for sports scientists to take a deeper dive. A good table is all you need, and CONTEMPLAS is a good example of a design that pushes out a lot of metrics instantly. We are currently seeing a possible trend with web applications, as many coaches want to “test now and analyze later” with teams.
Although budget is no-doubt a factor to consider when investing in force plates, the best place to start is by identifying what you're looking to evaluate, says @RewireHP. Share on XFinally, we have the third key priority with software—export options. Some teams want to track the changes over the season to manage their athletes, which requires a .csv export feature at minimum. Ideally, an API can help streamline this, but only a few products currently support this feature request.
Product Prospectus: Popular Force Plate Testing Systems
Another word on being realistic—be sure you’re ready to integrate force plates into your workflow or the team’s workflow if operating in a group setting. While you don’t necessarily have to use force plates daily, knowing you can commit to folding them into new athlete assessments and re-assessing periodically from there is essential. Otherwise, you risk having an expensive toy that may add a layer of perceived value in the eyes of clients, yet doesn’t actually improve your training outcomes.
Again—also be sure you feel reasonably confident in your ability to both test and interpret the data. Some of this comes from finding the right product-need fit, but some of it also comes from in-the-trenches experience.
We recommend calling companies and inquiring about demo units that may be available in your area. Companies may also direct you to other local coaches so you can get your hands dirty and see force plates represented in a sample workflow.
With that said, here are some popular market options and who they may be ideal fits for.
Hawkin Dynamics
Hawkin has long-been a popular option for force plates among individual coaches and in team settings. Since the first edition of our force plate buyer’s guide, they have evolved quite a bit in terms of what they measure. One example of this is Hawkin’s new center-of-pressure measurement, which helps show where an athlete’s force is being applied as well as what asymmetries may be present. Those familiar with the Postural Restoration Institute or rehab specialists in general are likely familiar with the importance of addressing asymmetries to a reasonable extent. This measurement—while not a complete stand-in for pressure insole monitoring—can serve as a proxy on center-of-mass displacement and asymmetries that’s effective enough for most coaches’ needs.
This—and some of Hawkin’s other new offerings—can help forecast injury potential as well as assess where athletes may be in the rehab process. As we mentioned in the last guide, they were the first to offer a kiosk-style testing system for athletes, and they have designed the most cutting-edge acquisition system for sport. Their product is aimed at vertical forces, such as the jumps and pulls, but they are always evolving. Hawkin Dynamics offers very competitive pricing and a web portal, and they are part of a new trend of companies coming down the road.
Video 2. Hawkin center of pressure demo.
Vald
While Vald (formerly Forcedecks) boasts the usual force plate offerings, they’re more known for their software quality and an ability to integrate force plate data with other assessments, such as motion capture. Vald software is highly user-friendly and delivers assessments ultra-fast.
Noraxon
Noraxon is the gold-standard for both research-driven purposes as well as more robust team setups. Not only do their force plates boast a robust offering of useful metrics, but they offer more cross-integration with other technologies than possibly any other company.
This includes things like pressure mapping systems, wireless EMG neuromuscular profiling to examine the dialogue between nervous and muscular system, and much more. This system—and associated costs—may not be ideal for smaller boutique private sector settings, but it is ideal for research and potentially a good fit for team settings. The nice thing is that Noraxon allow you to build out your own system based on the tech you may need.
Kistler
Kistler was originally intended for more general human performance audiences outside of sport, but its products have since become options in team settings—and their financials are more in line with the budget of a professional team or something on that level. The software is a bit more approachable these days, but it still isn’t nearly as straightforward as other options on this list. However, Kistler is ideal for assessing more horizontal, force vector-driven movements, such as running or cutting. That said, if you’re a regular coach or smaller team without a large budget just looking at mainly vertical displacement/sagittal needs—there are likely better fits.
Bertec
Bertec is one of the industry leaders in movement including gait analysis that’s more aimed at the research side of the equation. They offer a number of solutions that include treadmill systems, gait analysis options, and of course—force plates. Bertec is known more for its hardware than software as its equipment is not only high quality—but also highly durable for most athletic testing needs.
CONTEMPLAS
Based in Germany, CONTEMPLAS offers both hardware and software solutions. One key features is the ability to pair their software with other non-CONTEMPLAS force plate systems outside of the company’s hardware ecosystem. The integration of video to pair with the force plate analytics is an excellent feature that is a major value-add when going over assessments with clients. Thankfully, this doesn’t come with a ton of complexity as their whole setup is quite approachable and easy enough to get started with.
AMTI
Included in our last edition of this buyer’s guide, AMTI offers a quality product. However, their solution isn’t necessarily aimed at sport or your average coach looking to improve the training process with athletic populations. Instead, AMTI is more known for general human locomotive assessments. To this day, they still have a good reputation for their hardware quality and some sports teams do use them.
Two Parting Shots
Understand limitations: While force plates can be highly useful, coaches need to recognize their limitations. Because they are comparatively small in total size, the forces measured on most systems are largely concentric-dominant and look at raw force production. However, in sport, most movements executed at velocity are more elastic and eccentric-dominant. Thus, the exact numbers we get from a force plate shouldn’t be taken as a direct measure of the forces an athlete encounters in sport.
Of all the technology worth potentially integrating, force plates grade out very high high as they can create genuinely actionable insights, says @RewireHP. Share on XAgain, that doesn’t mean they aren’t useful, as force plates represent a phenomenal value-add for coaches. Even if some of the forces measured by most systems aren’t a full stand-in for those encountered in sport, they can be taken as a proxy and are highly useful at measuring:
- How well athletes produce force in decelerating actions.
- How well they get off the ground and their movement strategies for doing so.
- Left to right differentials that may forecast injuries and inform rehab.
- Lower body power.
Buying with these factors in mind can help set expectations for what you can get out of your system.
Understand Integrations: If you keep in mind the aforementioned considerations when buying, you should be in pretty good shape to evaluate which system may be right for you. The biggest thing to ask yourself before investing in force plates is: are you open to making actionable changes to your training process based on the information provided?
If you are—and be honest with yourself, because many coaches operating without force plates are creating good, reliable outcomes—then that’s the first step. The next is defining what specifically you’re looking to measure. After that, tech specs and price range are likely the final determinants.
Of all the technology worth potentially integrating, force plates grade out very high high as they can create genuinely actionable insights. Just don’t get lost in investing in them as a perceived value-add in the eyes of clients or management rather than something that truly can help guide your training.
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