2009 NSCA Sports Specific Training Conference

The Strength Performance team toured the 2009 NSCA Sports Specific Conference in Nashville, TN, January 9-10, 2009. For access to all of the presentations given at the conference, you can click here to be taken to the official NSCA website and download each presentation.

In addition to enjoying the opportunity to personally introduce ourselves to many of you, we spoke to a large number of vendors regarding up and coming technologies aimed at allowing strength and conditioning coaches to continue to improve their programs and make an even more dramatic impact on the athletes participating in their programs. We'd like to take this opportunity to highlight two technologies we consider "game changers":

Myotest, a company based in Switzerland and now expanding its product offering to the US, has developed a wireless measurement device to measure POWER. In my own experience as a strength coach and throughout numerous conversations with coaches such as yourselves, I have come to understand the need to improve upon the traditional "strength" measurement by incorporating the measurement of "power", and improvement of power output, into a workout/training program. In Strength Performance's opinion, there simply is not a better product on the market today than the wireless device created by Myotest. A sample of the output delivered by the Myotest device is as follows:

Power (watts) Contact Time (ms)
Force / Strength (newton) Flight Time (ms)
Velocity / Speed (cm/s) Muscle Stiffness
Vertical height (in or cm) Reactivty
1 RM Power/speed & power/Strength training zones

The heart of the Myotest product is a small, handheld, "ipod" like device. The device is placed on an athlete via a velcro belt. The device can also attach to a weight bar via a plastic clip. While the Myotest product works well for bench press, squats, squat jumps, etc. a software upgrade is expected this summer to allow the device to also measure explosiveness during Olympic lifts such as the Power Clean.

The retail price for the handheld device, velcro belt and clip is currently ~$695. An advanced, yet easy to use software program is also essential to the reporting function of the Myotest product. Together, the retail price of ONE software program and ONE Myotest handheld device is ~$1,350. Multiple handheld devices may be used with the software program, so buying multiple software programs is NOT NECESSARY.

The Myotest device has been tested significantly in both Europe and the US. A sample of one validity test is attached below.

The Strength Performance Team highly recommends this product. More information can be found on Myotest's US website. Click here.

Dartfish, another company with European origins, develops performance enhancing sport video training applications and exclusive televised broadcast footage. The best way to understand Dartfish's product is to watch sample videos produced through its software program. (We'll be posting these videos soon, so keep an eye out for them.)

During our conversation with Shelly Francis, Director of Sales - Southeast USA, we were taken through examples of athletes in the weight room and on the field of play. The software allows a simple video of an athlete to be transformed into a total analysis of a lift and/or other exercise or movement, including, but not limited to, angle identification, form analysis, etc. An athlete can even be shown in multiple phases of an action, similar to the following picture:

This allows for analysis to take place during every phase of a lift or other activity.

In addition to video analysis, a coach can review video, comment on the video and upload the video/comments to a private website that can be accessed by other coaches and/or the athletes themselves. It's a fantastic way to distribute information and access this information anywhere, anytime.

The Dartfish packages range in retail price from ~$500 - ~$4,700. Regardless of the package chosen, the cost is only a ONE TIME fee. For an additional ~$500 annual fee, Dartfish will provide free technical help anytime and free software upgrades as product advances are made.

If you are looking for a product that allows for greater analysis of your athletes, the Strength Performance team highly recommends this product. For more information on the product, click here. A case study is also attached below.