Sports Science Lab: Force Plate, VBT & Combine Testing in Kingsport, TN

ASSESS. DON'T GUESS.

Most clinics decide with their eyes. We decide with numbers.

The same kind of testing used by pro and college organizations here in the Tri-Cities:

  • Kingsport

  • Johnson City

  • Bristol

What does a Performance Assessment Include?

  • Force plates give us ground reaction force, rate of force development, bilateral limb symmetry, and neuromuscular fatigue profiles in real time. That data directly changes how we train, load, and progress athletes AND rehab patients.

    Post-op ACL hitting 85% limb symmetry on the CMJ but RFD is still asymmetrical? Calendar says they're ready. The plates say otherwise. Research shows force plate symmetry metrics are stronger return to sport predictors than time-based protocols alone (Gokeler et al., 2017). 📊

    Hawkin is trusted by NBA and NFL orgs because the data is validated and reliable. We are running the same assessments on our youth and collegiate athletes that pro orgs run on their multi-million dollar guys. That's the standard we operate at.

    Most PT clinics are guessing. We are measuring. 🔬

    Assess. Don't Guess. ⛽️

  • We utilize Hawkin Dynamics TruStrength fixed dynamometry is the gold standard for isolated muscle strength measurements. Gone are the days of your PT saying “hold your arm out and don’t let me move it…” That gives us ZERO information but here, we get the strength in Newtons (trackable data points).

  • You will be screened by a Doctor Of Physical Therapy at all of the major hubs of mobility including: shoulder, spine, hips, ankle, knees to ensure you have adequate range of motion to access those athletic positions need to perform at your very best and reduce risk of injury.

  • We use OVR timing gates to assess acceleration, deceleration, and change of direction to time speed that translates to your power output and the field or court.

  • Your DPT and Strength Coach combine their knowledge and findings to create an extensive data report and game plan to address deficits and maximize performance while keeping injury risk as low as possible.

  • Once the post assessment is reviewed, your coach and clinician will present the Plan of Attack.

    This could be rehab first to improve injury risk before being cleared for Performance.

    You could roll into 1v1 sessions OR small group work with a Strength Coach.

THIS IS WHERE SPORTS SCIENCE MEETS SPORTS REHAB AND HIGHLY-STRUCTURED TRAINING

Frequently Asked Questions

Still have questions? Take a look at the FAQ or reach out anytime. If you’re feeling ready, go ahead and apply.

Book Your Assessment!

  • Force plate testing measures how much force a person produces and

    how fast they produce it. An athlete jumps on a pair of plates, and

    the plates record the force from each leg separately, hundreds of

    times per second.

    That shows things you cannot see by watching someone move. Two legs

    can jump the same height while one of them produces force far more

    slowly than the other.

    At Tri Star Strength x Rehab in Kingsport, Tennessee, we use Hawkin Dynamics force plates alongside strength testing, timing gates, and grip testing to build a full picture before we write anyone a plan.

  • Most rehab and most training runs on opinion. A coach watches you

    move and makes a call. A therapist pushes on your leg and decides it

    feels strong enough. That works until it does not.

    Athletes who went back to sport without passing objective testing

    had a 38.2% reinjury rate. Athletes who passed had 5.6%.

    You can hit 90% symmetry on how high you jump and still be badly off

    in how fast you make force. One of those gets you hurt again.

    Only one shows up on a tape measure.

  • HAWKIN DYNAMICS FORCE PLATES

    You jump. The plates measure how much force you make, how fast you make it, and whether your left and right sides match.

    We look at jump height, power, rate of force development, reactive strength, and how the two sides compare on the way up and on the way down. Landing is where most people get hurt, and it is the part nobody measures.

    FlexPro Grip

    Measures The elbow flexors that protect the UCL (“Tommy John”).

    Grip strength tells us about forearm strength, which matters for throwing athletes and elbow health.

    For adults, grip strength is one of the better simple markers of how well someone is holding up over time, which is why it is in every longevity assessment we run.

    VALD ForceFrame

    Real numbers, in Newtons, for each muscle group on each side.

    Not "hold your arm out and don't let me push it down." A therapist's arm is not a measuring device, and that test tells you almost nothing.

    For throwing athletes we track shoulder strength in both directions,

    because the ratio between them says more about elbow risk than

    either number alone.

    SHREDmill

    A flat, self propelled treadmill that measures top end velocity in mph, time to acceleration, and time to peak velocity.

    MOVEMENT SCREEN

    A Doctor of Physical Therapy checks the shoulder, spine, hips, knees, and ankles against what your sport actually asks for.

    The machines give us numbers. The clinician tells us what they mean.

  • A written report with your numbers, what they mean, and what to do

    next.

    Then a sit-down to go through it together. We pick the two or three things that would move the needle most and leave the rest alone. If you are testing to get cleared for sport, you get a straight answer. If you pass, you go back with data behind you. If you do not pass, you get a plan that closes the specific gap.

    Everyone retests every 8 to 12 weeks, so the numbers either move or we change the plan.