Do I need prior experience to enroll?

No prior experience is required. The program is designed to guide you from fundamentals to professional-level knowledge.

Will I receive a certificate upon completion?

Yes, upon successful completion you will receive an official certificate from the Barça Innovation Hub.

How long do I have access to the course materials?

You will have access to all course materials for 12 months from the date of enrollment.

In what language is the course delivered?

This program is available in English. All materials and assessments are provided in the selected language.

Certificate in Profiling and Monitoring of Athletes using Force Platform Technology

Force Platform technology is increasingly used by performance, strength & conditioning and medical practitioners in sports in their daily practice. This technology has over the past decade become one of the most commonly available tools to assess neuromuscular performance in sports settings – as part of the profiling of healthy athletes and in their care and management as part of regular monitoring during the competitive season. Force platform assessments are also now commonplace in rehabilitation centres for status and trend evaluation or sitting alongside other strength & power diagnostic tools such as isokinetic dynamometry or in 3D kinematic assessments. However, practitioners without a biomechanics background, are likely not to have had much exposure to this technology in their formative education. Furthermore, there are few definitive sources of information designed for the practitioner that combine the delivery of core evidence and scientific principles with real-world experience delivering this technology in the sports setting to optimize training or rehabilitation processes. This is the reason for creating this program with practitioner-scientists with years of experience using this technology in the sports setting. While, as the title indicates, the principal focus of the certificate is on the use of kinetics derived from force platform testsforce platform (technology) has become a key asset when pursuing answers to performance and injury related questions that practitioners are constantly faced with in their roles. However, we also refer to 3D kinematics and isokinetic testing where it is important to have an understanding of the additional information that these related tools can provide. In this program, we aim to give you the means to understand and use data derived from force platform assessments to inform and enhance your decision-making processes in sports performance and rehabilitation-return to the sport.

Category: Sports Analytics
Level: beginner
Duration: 3 months
Price: 675 EUR

Official courses from Barça Innovation Hub, FC Barcelona's educational arm, with experts who have worked inside the club. Earn an accredited certificate issued by the hub, available across the Middle East and North Africa through Champions Hub, its official partner for the fifth year.

What you will learn

Interpret and analyze force platform data effectively for assessing neuromuscular performance.
Apply kinematic principles to understand movement variables and phases in sports contexts.
Utilize kinetics to evaluate and manage injuries, particularly in ACL and lower limb muscle and tendon cases.
Implement a comprehensive assessment toolbox for monitoring athlete performance, injury rehabilitation, and return to sport protocols.
Integrate short-term load-response monitoring techniques to optimize training adaptations and long-term athletic performance.

Course content

Module 1: Force Assessment and an Introduction to Kinematics
- Force platform testing fundamentals
- CMJ understanding variables and phases
- Kinematics introduction
- Upper Limb Assessment
Module 2: Injury and Rehabilitation Kinetics and Kinematics
- Kinetics in ACL injury risk and rehabilitation (Isokinetics)
- Kinetics in ACL injury and rehabilitation (Jump-land testing)
- Kinematics in ACL injury risk and rehabilitation
- Kinetics & kinematics in lower limb muscle and tendon injury and rehabilitation
Module 3: Performance, Injury, and Rehabilitation Assessment Toolbox
- Additional lower limb dynamic tests (squat jump, drop jump, squat, land & hold)
- Lower Limb Isometric Tests
- A framework and toolbox for kinetics and kinematics in rehabilitation and Return to Sport
- A framework and toolbox for short-term load-response monitoring and evaluating chronic adaptations

Certificate in Profiling and Monitoring of Athletes using Force Platform Technology