Six athlon pillars
Which combination of physical and cognitive attributes make up the ideal multi-sport athlete? We have broken things down into six evaluation pillars. We feel these six categories, initially separately measured and then combined together, paint the clearest picture of what raw athleticism looks like.
Agility
Agility could be defined as a physical attribute where athletes can accelerate, slow down, change direction, or stop in response to a sport-relevant, unscripted occurrence or obstruction. An athlete's agility is assessed through several tests at an Athlon Combine, each focusing on different planes to get an accurate 360 degree.
Endurance
Endurance is defined as physical capability to perform an exercise for an extended period. There are two-subcategories of endurance; muscular and cardiovascular endurance. Muscular endurance is the measure of a muscle's ability to continually contract against resistance over a period of time. Cardiovascular endurance is a measure of how well the heart and lungs perform during moderate to high-intensity physical activity. Athletes are tested for both at an Athlon combine.
Strength
Muscular strength allows an athlete to lift, push, pull or carry a heavy load. Although power and explosiveness are more closely correlated to success in the sports arena, muscular strength provides the foundation to perform athletic movements such as sprinting, jumping and other change of direction tasks; it also decreases an athlete's risk of injury. Athlon tests for both upper and lower body, as well as anterior and posterior strength.
Cognitive
Elite athletes unquestionably require superior physical skills, but in order to truly differentiate themselves from the pack, they also need their cognitive functions to be as sharp as their muscles are fit. Processing speed when making on-the-fly decisions, and the ability to focus and concentrate in the face of adversity is crucial for any athlete. Athletes testing at an Athlon event get a cognitive assessment in addition to the physical scores.
Speed
Speed is one of Athlon's six pillars of athleticism, and is directly correlated with success in nearly every sport. 'Speed' encompasses acceleration, maximum speed & speed endurance. Assessing an athlete's speed at an Athlon Combine is executed using a blend of tests- most notably the 40-yard dash and its 10-yd and 20-yd splits. All captured using laser timing systems to ensure all results are accurate.
Power
Explosive power can be defined as how well an athlete can exert the maximum amount of force, as rapidly as possible. Strength, speed, and endurance alone is not enough in most sports; power is arguably the strongest determinant of elite athleticism. Athlon Combines incorporate a multitude of tests to measure Power; among them are the Kneeling Power Ball Toss and Tank Push/Pull Dash. Power is a unique pillar in that it can use timing, distance and repetitions to assess an athlete.
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