In anything from business to education to sports, measuring progress is a great way to ensure positive growth. As an athlete, knowing your baseline measurements and abilities is essential for planning and reaching athletic goals in the future. Athlete assessments can help with personal health knowledge and growth. Through specialized techniques in sports therapy, athletes can learn to move better both in athletics and everyday life. Read on to learn more about athlete assessments:
Evaluation before training. Athletes should go through a thorough evaluation before they begin a routine of individualized training and treatment. This kind of assessment can help to safely and efficiently get athletes ready for their sport.
Movement is key. The American Physical Therapy Association notes that the movement system of the human body is composed of a collection of systems—cardiovascular, pulmonary, endocrine, integumentary, nervous, and musculoskeletal—that interact to move the body. At a facility like ROI, the body’s movement system is the focus for training and treating athletes to reach top physical performance. Based on assessments, each athlete’s program for exercise and rehabilitation is personally tailored with the movement system in mind.
Other methods of measurement. Fitness and athletic assessments can have different components such as cardiorespiratory or aerobic endurance, muscular fitness, flexibility, and body composition. Other qualities that can be evaluated include balance, stability, mobility, power, and agility.
Targeted and tailored. After completing athlete assessments, trainers and athletes can work together to plan an exercise program based on assessment results. By evaluating and addressing issues of mobility, stability, strength, endurance, and balance, assessments can help to reduce the risk of injury in athletes. A trainer can help athletes to do assessments that are most relevant to specific sport and fitness goals.
Prepare for athlete assessments. It’s good to go into an assessment as a well rested, well hydrated, and well fueled athlete. Preparation also includes wearing athletic clothes and shoes. Sleep, hydrate, eat well, and dress for your sport.
Focus on the purpose. Consider why you are doing an athlete assessment. Giving your best effort and following trainer instructions carefully will ensure the best and most accurate baseline measurements.
Comprehensive review of results. Working with a professional, review your assessment results. This can help you to interpret results and create a plan for improvement.
Goal-setting guides you. A professional trainer can also help an athlete to set realistic goals. Goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely. As an athlete, it’s important to know what individual physical fitness goals you have so that both sports therapy and athletic training can help you to reach them.
After Athletic Assessments
Track progress. Training at a facility makes tracking progress over time easy. This can help athletes to see improvement and to identify areas that need more help and training.
Consider therapy as part of your process. There are methods of sports therapy that are geared toward benefitting athletes. Different methods of sports therapy include manual techniques like massage, therapeutic exercise such as functional retraining, dynamic strength training, and endurance training. Other therapeutic techniques and modalities include ice, heat, taping, and electrical stimulation. This kind of specialized therapy is employed by professional sports teams for long and short-term support.
Continue your work with professionals. ROI aims to help athletes achieve goals in any sport. With an experienced staff, the team at ROI invests in each athlete’s journey, using sports therapy, state-of-the-art techniques, high quality equipment and facilities in order to get the best results possible.
Join a team. Being part of a team can help you grow as an athlete. ROI offers certified strength and conditioning specialists, elite coaches, certified physical therapy doctors, registered dietitians, licensed massage therapists, and dedicated sports staff all under one roof. Together, this team can help you to build a personalized, integrated, and science-based program.
Where to start: Whether you’re a professional athlete, a college or high school athlete, or simply looking to get into top physical condition, it is possible to work with the top coaches and sports therapists in central Texas, ROI is a great place to start.
Reach out to the professionals at ROI to get started on your journey. Start with an athlete assessment, and grow from there. Learn more about the ways ROI can help you get going.