Certificate in Profiling and Monitoring of Athletes using Force Platform Technology

Force Platform technology is increasingly used by performance, strength & conditioning and medical practitioners in sports in their daily practice. This technology has over the past decade become one of the most commonly available tools to assess neuromuscular performance in sports settings – as part of the profiling of healthy athletes and in their care and management as part of regular monitoring during the competitive season. Force platform assessments are also now commonplace in rehabilitation centres for status and trend evaluation or sitting alongside other strength & power diagnostic tools such as isokinetic dynamometry or in 3D kinematic assessments.

However, practitioners without a biomechanics background, are likely not to have had much exposure to this technology in their formative education. Furthermore, there are few definitive sources of information designed for the practitioner that combine the delivery of core evidence and scientific principles with real-world experience delivering this technology in the sports setting to optimize training or rehabilitation processes. This is the reason for creating this program with practitioner-scientists with years of experience using this technology in the sports setting.

While, as the title indicates, the principal focus of the certificate is on the use of kinetics derived from force platform testsforce platform (technology) has become a key asset when pursuing answers to performance and injury related questions that practitioners are constantly faced with in their roles. However, we also refer to 3D kinematics and isokinetic testing where it is important to have an understanding of the additional information that these related tools can provide. In this program, we aim to give you the means to understand and use data derived from force platform assessments to inform and enhance your decision-making processes in sports performance and rehabilitation-return to the sport.