Jayhawk Athletic Performance Lab
Mission
More information to be provided.
Research & Coaching Performance Team
Recent collaborations between KU Athletics and the Human Performance Laboratories in the Department of Health, Sport, and Exercise Sciences have resulted in the creation of the Research and Coaching Performance Team. This team of coaches, sport scientists and students has been developed to optimize and coordinate collaborative efforts for the study of sports performance. Through these efforts, coaches and athletes can benefit as information is made available concerning training methods and modalities.
Andrew Fry is currently a professor in the Department of Health, Sport & Exercise Sciences at the University of Kansas. After obtaining his B.S in Physical Education at Nebraska Wesleyan University, where he was a captain of the wrestling team, he owned and operated a commercial fitness... more
Projects & Funding
Recently, the Research and Coaching Performance Team at the University of Kansas had the opportunity to evaluate the validity of the EliteForm PowerTracker. Although data are still undergoing analysis, first reports indicate that the EliteForm PowerTracker is an extremely useful and accurate tool for the weight room. When comparing PowerTracker data to Tendo captured data, results indicated that PowerTracker was at least as accurate as the Tendo unit, and in some cases, more accurate.
Working in collaboration with KU Athletics by partnering through the Research and Coaching Performance Team, sport scientists at KU were asked to determine if the information provided by the EliteForm system provided correct and reliable information to the coach, athlete and researcher. Unlike other commonly used dynamometers used in the weight room, the EliteForm system does not require attaching a tether to the barbell, but instead utilizes a 3-D video capture system. In a unique study design, the EliteForm PowerTracker was compared to data collected in the laboratory using a force plate and ceiling-mounted position transducer. These devices are commonly used in research settings, and provided the "gold standard" against which the PowerTracker would be compared. In addition, dynamometers from several other manufacturers were simultaneously evaluated as well. In this manner, coaches and trainers could be provided helpful information as to which devices were the most accurate and provided reliable results.
Preliminary data were presented at the meeting of the Central States Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine on October 18th, 2012 hosted by the University of Missouri. The results were extremely promising for the EliteForm PowerTracker. When examining speed squats with loads ranging from 30% - 80% of 1 RM, velocities and powers reported by the PowerTracker were statistically similar to those from the laboratory. Additionally, the correlations between velocity or power for both systems were extremely high, ranging from r = 0.94 - 0.99.
Events
This team is also responsible for the annual two day Midwest Sports Performance Conference that is held every May on the KU campus.
