On January the 15th and 16th 2022, our Strength and Conditioning partners Saltus Performance ran over 100 of our athletes through a physical testing battery synonymous with the NBA combine. 

The results and the top scorers from each test are outlined below. See the bottom of the page for a complete description of the tests for: 

1. Counter Movement Jump (CMJ)

2. Squat Jump (SJ)

3. ¾ Court Sprint (22m)

4. Lane Agility Drill

Saltus Performance utilizes results from these tests to guide training prescription. By doing so they take out the guesswork behind exercise selection, and custom tailor programming to each individual’s needs; no more wasted time doing exercise that isn’t helping you perform better on the court.

Lane Agility Test

The Lane Agility Drill is a test of a player’s ability to change direction at a moment’s notice. The running course is set up around the basketball key. The athlete must run forwards to the baseline. At the cone, change movement to a side shuffle, and move sideways to the right across the baseline. At the next cone, backpedal up the lane to the foul line, then side shuffle left back towards the start line. Here the subject touches the floor at a point even with the starting cone, then reverses direction to return back around the course to complete another revolution. The first side shuffles right, forward sprint, side shuffle left then backpedal to complete the test. Remain facing forwards towards the baseline throughout the test.

WATCH THE FOLLOWING VIDEO TO SEE SALTUS TIPS FOR IMPROVING YOUR SCORE.

3/4 Court Speed

Running speed is critical for basketball performance, particularly to gain a positional advantage. The test involves running a maximum sprint over 3/4 of a basketball court (75 feet or 22.86 meters).

WATCH THE FOLLOWING VIDEO TO SEE SALTUS TIPS FOR IMPROVING YOUR SCORE.

Counter-Movement Jump (CMJ) and Squat Jump (SJ)

Split Second youth basketball players had the privilege to use Saltus Performance’s Force Decks by Vald Performance to quantify testing metrics associated with the CMJ and the SJ. Force Decks are state-of-the-art testing hardware that provides unparalleled measurement accuracy and data collection. 

The Force Decks measure ground reaction force (GRF) and peak power output in the CMJ and SJ. GRF is defined as the force exerted by the ground on a body in contact with it. Since GRF will always be equivalent to the force an athlete puts into the ground, we use GRF to quantify an athlete's maximal force production. Peak power output is defined as the amount of work done over a change in time. In layman's terminology, peak power is often used interchangeably with “explosiveness”; demonstrating an athlete’s ability to produce a lot of force quickly. 

The CMJ is a downward action followed by a reciprocal upward action. The CMJ utilizes the musculotendinous mechanism of stretching (lengthening) and contracting 

(shortening) in order to produce force. This stretching and lengthening is often coined the “stretch-shortening cycle”. (See figure 1.B; Page ) 

The Squat Jump is done without initial downward action and only utilizes the muscular mechanism of contracting (shortening). (See figure 1.A) 

Generally, CMJ performance is better than SJ performance. This difference reflects the utilization of elastic energy (i.e. the musculotendinous stretching previously mentioned). On average the CMJ scores 20-30% above the SJ height. However, this is not always the case. For example, a very strong athlete with a poor ability to utilize their 

stretch-shortening cycle may yield a SJ that is higher than the CMJ. This type of athlete might benefit more from a program that works on elastic qualities such as drop jumps, multi-rebound jumps, loaded jumps, or other exercises that incorporate a brief loading phase that facilitates short ground contact times. If the difference is greater than 30%, this type of athlete would highly benefit from more strength work and producing more force through movements such as loaded squats and deadlifts. 

WATCH THE FOLLOWING VIDEO TO SEE SALTUS TIPS FOR IMPROVING YOUR SCORE

Split Second Basketball is excited to partner with Saltus Athletics to help our athletes train throughout the year. Please feel free to reach out to the contact information listed below to (1) book additional strength and conditioning sessions with Saltus, (2) if you have any questions, and (3) provide any feedback you feel we should be aware of. 

Sean Del Ben (Perfomance Director): sean@saltusathletics.ca 

Sebastian Torterollo (Testing Coordinator / Coach): sebastianmtl20@gmail.com

Ashley Capwell (Testing Facilitator / Coach): ashleycapewell@hotmail.com 

Evan Thomas (Testing Facilitator / Coach): evanthom1@gmail.com