Sports is an integral aspect of human life that aid in keeping a body physically fit, professionally, (as a career); as a career, as a leisure activity or just one of the sources of physical fitness. Sports help to educate a sense of discipline, team spirit and boost confidence. Apart from these, it teaches us of being social and feels togetherness.
And most importantly punctuality. It enhances the overall capacity and personality of a person and improves the organ mechanism within the body. Sports is helpful at any stage of our life which improves focus, body strength, and mental strength and aids in coping up with difficult situations and accepting failure efficiently. Thus, improving physical & mental coordination.
In recent years, sports have really picked up in India and producing great athletes. Athlete life is full of success and failure stories, that is how one progresses. Coaches, trainers, and physio plays an important role in providing feedback and enhancing the overall capacity of an athlete, be it personally, physically, or academically.
Feedback from experts reinforces the skills of an athlete and raises the bar of their performance. This can be done with the use of various assessment and evaluation tools.
At present, India is leading the “Khelo India” Program which aims the mass participation of young athletes to achieve excellence in sports at the base level for which an equal standard of training is also needed.
Feedback given by experts for physical evaluation and tests is evidence-based data on the basis of valid and reliable tools which helps in finding out the strength and weaknesses of an athlete or team.
The physical tests are performed by these tools which provide some data that helps the experts to form a specific training program for an athlete, adding the area where one is lacking. Then these training programs are followed for a certain given time and re-valuation is advised to know the effectiveness of the training program.
Essential Tools and Examination Systems for Athlete Physical Evaluation: -
HAND-HELD DYNAMOMETER MUSCLE CONTROLLER (K-Force)
It is a portable muscle dynamometer equipped with an electronic force transducer which is perfect for immediate muscle strength assessment.
BO-BO BALANCE BOARD TEST
To test static and dynamic balance the Bobo Motion smart balance board is embedded with the movement sensor that tracks the static and dynamic balance of athlete via bobo motion application in phone or pc. The athlete is asked to stand on the board with both feet and follow the instructions on the screen or as told by the instructor.
FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENT SCREEN TOOL (FMS)
It is used to identify asymmetries and risk of injuries or a dysfunctional or performance limiting movement pattern. It aims to analyze imbalances in mobility and stability during seven fundamental movement pattern which are designed to provide observable performance of basic locomotor, manipulative and stabilizing movements by placing an individual in extreme positions where weaknesses and imbalances become noticeable.
Blaze Pod
Blazepod is a flash reflex training tool that helps in improving and assessing the reaction time of the person. Blazepod is a brand of interactive fitness training devices designed to enhance speed, agility, and reaction time. It consists of a set of small, durable pods equipped with LED lights and wireless connectivity. These pods can be placed on the ground, walls, or any other surface.
Motion Capture & Gait Lab
At Aspire we have the Motion Capture System equipped with 12 Arcus and 1 Micas Camera and powered by Qualisys, Sweden* The Qualisys Gait Module is optimized for analyzing gait pattern of the athlete. Personal data such as height, body mass and birth date, can be entered and changed directly in QTM. This data is stored in the motion capture files, so there is no need to keep and maintain external databases. All files are stored in a simple, transparent file hierarchy, making it easy and hassle-free to move the data across disks and computers.
BMI
Body mass index is a tool to measure Lean body mass which contributes to quickness, speed, agility and performance and it helps to generate more force. By reducing non- essential body fat muscular and cardiorespiratory endurance can be enhanced. On the other hand, additional body fat can inhibit balance coordination movement and endurance making it detrimental to overall performance.
POLAR HEART RATE & VO2 Max
It is wireless device that measures heart rate during exercise load. It makes the training more scientific and précised and it helps endurance athletes to train at right intensity level focusing on heart rate training zones.
HAND DYNAMOMETER
It is used to measure the maximum isometric strength of the hand and forearm muscles which helps to frame plan for strengthening.
By Dr. Dimple Bhardwaj (Sports Physiotherapist)