Testing
The same tests the pros take.
A Baseline Test takes your athlete through three VALD systems in up to 1 hour 30 minutes with a coach, in a small group of up to 4, and ends with a report that shows where they stand and where to work. Every test is non-invasive and movement-based: they squat, jump, land, push, and sprint.
The Baseline
Same tests. Same order. Every time.
Every Baseline runs the same tests in the same order with the same number of tries, so this session compares with the next. Your athlete is compared with their own body, left side against right, and with their last session. For body size, jump height and power, hip strength, and sprint times, when the number holds up across repeat tries and published youth data covers their age, the report also shows where it sits among kids the same age and sex, as a guide, never a ranking. Every athlete runs the same set; the one age gate is the hop, from age 12.
- Height and arm spanGrowth
- Ankle mobility testMobility
- Overhead squatMovement
- Shoulder rangeMobility
- Body weightMass
- Countermovement jumpPower
- 10-5 hop (from age 12)Reactive strength
- Sprint, 0 to 15 yardsSpeed
- 505 turnAgility
- Mid-thigh pullStrength
- Hip, shoulder, hamstring, and quad strengthStrength
The hardware
Four systems.
Together they build a complete picture of your athlete. Here is what each one measures, and why that number matters in their sport.
VALD ForceDecks: Force Plates
Your athlete stands on two plates and steps on to be weighed, jumps, hops, or pulls against a fixed bar. The plates read the force of every millisecond through each leg separately. Body weight, the countermovement jump, the 10-5 hop from age 12, and the mid-thigh pull run here. A coach watches the practice landing of every hop first.
- Jump heightcm
- Peak forceN
- Power outputW/kg
- L/R asymmetry%
- Reactive strength indexRSI
Why it matters: jump height tracks explosiveness, and because each leg is read on its own, a left-right difference that holds up across tries shows up while it is still easy to train.
VALD HumanTrak: Motion Capture
A camera-based system tracks their joints in 3D while they stand, drive a knee over their toes, squat, and turn an arm in and out at shoulder height. No suit, no markers. It takes height and arm span, and the ankle test, the overhead squat, and shoulder range show ankle range, depth, how the knees and trunk hold up, and how freely each shoulder turns.
- Joint anglesdeg
- Ankle rangedeg
- Squat depth (knee bend)deg
- Knee driftdeg
- Trunk leandeg
- Shoulder range, in and outdeg
Why it matters: how an athlete moves decides how they hold up. Movement quality is the difference between training hard and training safely.
VALD ForceFrame: Strength Testing
Your athlete pushes or pulls against fixed sensors, one side at a time. Every test measures the inner and outer hip on each leg, each shoulder turning in and out, the hamstrings, and the quad with the knee straightening.
- Max isometric forceN
- L/R imbalance%
- Strength vs. body weight%
Why it matters: a side-to-side gap is invisible in the mirror but clear to the sensors, and once it shows up across repeat tries, training can close it.
VALD SmartSpeed: Timing Gates
Electronic timing gates clock sprints, splits, and agility runs to the millisecond, the way combines and pro trials do it. They run the sprint, with gates at 0, 5, 10, and 15 yards, and the 505, a sprint into a turn on each side. The 15-yard time tracks acceleration from one test to the next, the speed over the last 5 yards shows how fast your athlete is moving, the 10 m time (worked out from the gates) is compared with kids the same age, and the 505 tracks agility.
- Sprint splits (0–5, 5–10, 10–15 yd)s
- Acceleration, speed over the last 10 ydmph
- 505 turn, each sides
Why it matters: a stopwatch hides a tenth of a second. At game speed, a tenth of a second is the play.
The whole body
One battery. Every athlete.
Every test is the whole-body battery, in up to 1 hour 30 minutes. On the camera: height and arm span, ankle mobility, the overhead squat, and shoulder range. On the plates: body weight, the countermovement jump, the 10-5 hop from age 12, and the mid-thigh pull. On the turf: the sprint and the 505. On the frame: hip, shoulder, hamstring, and quad strength, one side at a time. No test is picked by sport and nothing is added at checkout. The one age gate is the hop, which starts at 12.
The report
What you get back.
Every Baseline and retest ends with a private report, written for the athlete and the parent, not for a sports scientist. It compares your athlete with their own body and their own last session first, shows where body size, jump height and power, hip strength, and sprint times sit against published youth data for their age, and a coach reads it before it is released. Every athlete gets the full profile page, whether or not they train with us.
Every test, and which numbers held up across repeat tries. A number that did not is marked for a retest, not read.
Side-to-side differences on the jumps and the strength frame, counted only when they are bigger than the spread between tries.
Up to three findings, most important first, each with a training focus. When nothing stands out yet, the report says so and sets the baseline.
When to come back and what to repeat, so the next report shows what changed.
A coach reads every report before it is released, and their name is on it.
After the Baseline
Then keep measuring.
A Baseline is the start. The numbers matter most when the next set shows what changed. See plans and pricing ↗
Coaching a team, club, or school? Team screens from $65 an athlete, built with your club from the whole-body battery; each athlete gets a results sheet that leads to a Baseline. See team screens ↗
Retest
The same tests, with a new report that shows what moved. A retest is $179, or $99 on a training plan, and we suggest one every 6 to 8 weeks.
Season Pass
3 tests for $399: about $133 a test, for one athlete, booked one at a time. Test at the start, middle, and end of a season without training with us.
Train with us
One Training plan for ages 8 to 18: coached sessions built on the report, with tests at $99. From $299 a month. See training ↗
What to expect
Show up. Move. Get the numbers.
Nothing invasive, nothing your athlete hasn't done in a warm-up. A coach runs the whole session, explains each test before they do it, and the report follows.
Then see how those numbers become training. How training works ↗
- Ages8 and up, every sport
- TimeUp to 1 hour 30 minutes
- Price$199 · $99 on a training plan · No sign-up fee
- WearAthletic clothes and training shoes
- BringWater. Everything else is on site
- Under 18A parent or guardian signs up
- AdultsSame Baseline, same report
Get started
It starts with a Baseline.
Baseline Test $199 · $99 when you train with us
Create your free family account, add your athlete, and pick a Baseline time. Questions? Call (858) 899-0098.
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