Leveraging Hawkin Dynamics’ Technology to Power Multi-Center Research

Before I joined Hawkin Dynamics in January 2024, I was an associate professor of sport and exercise biomechanics at the University of Salford (UK). I’ve been conducting research with force plates in both laboratory and professional sports environments for over 15 years. Early on, we used a single wired portable force plate for our off-site testing, and I would manually analyze the data in Microsoft Excel. While this process served as a great education on force-time analysis, it was lengthy and could take days between testing and generating meaningful, actionable insights for athletes and their coaches. 

In 2019, I received my first set of Hawkin Dynamics wireless dual force plates. The fact that they were wireless was a game changer for off-site testing. Hawkin Dynamics had incorporated the same analysis procedures I was conducting in Excel into their software, producing instant and accurate results. This breakthrough provided solutions to multiple challenges to our existing mobile testing approach, including lack of power outlets, trip hazards from extension cords, and the inability to provide immediate actionable data to the coaching staff. 

Hawkin Dynamics’ force plates opened new doors, allowing us to conduct large multi-center applied research projects. We secured funding to acquire three more plates, Hawkin Dynamics funded a PhD student, Andy Badby, and we launched the Force Assessment in Football (FAIF) project in June 2021. 

Force Assessment in Football: From Initial Tests to Expanded Research 

The FAIF project was designed to enhance the understanding and application of force measurement in football (or soccer for American readers!). The project’s goal was to optimize player performance, guide return-to-sport decisions, screen for injuries, and prescribe effective training exercises. Initially focused on three fundamental tests using four Hawkin Dynamics force plates and two portable isometric rigs, the project expanded over time through additional research funding. This blog post will briefly explore the journey of the FAIF project as an example to help outline key considerations for conducting multi-center testing from lessons we learned along the way.

Three Core Tests 

The FAIF project began during the 2021-2022 football pre-season period in the English football leagues with three primary tests:  

1. Countermovement Jump (CMJ): Measures ballistic lower body force production – a staple in most force assessment batteries performed by us with one dual force plate and foam surround. 

2. Countermovement Jump-Rebound (CMJ-RE): Evaluates reactive lower body force production – an alternative test to the drop jump performed by us with one dual force plate and foam surround. 

3. Isometric Mid-Thigh Pull (IMTP): Assesses maximal lower body force production – performed by us with two dual force plates and two portable isometric rigs. 

These initial assessments established a baseline for evaluating players’ neuromuscular performance at the beginning of the pre-season, and they formed the backbone of Andy Badby’s PhD research. Each test was repeated three times, and a squad of 25 players could be tested in less than one hour. This setup allowed for efficient data collection and instant analysis, enabling the project team to establish normative data-driven baselines and benchmarks for talent identification, return-to-sport protocols, and fatigue monitoring. 

To build accurate baselines, we repeated the same tests during the following pre-season period, adding data from new players or squads to our dataset to achieve our target sample sizes (a minimum of 85 players per group – initial progress based on pre-season data shown in the image below). Clubs received individual player reports within 24 hours, which was crucial for building trust and creating buy-in. This mutually beneficial agreement ensured that clubs received a free force assessment service, and our research team could utilize anonymized data for research purposes. As a result, we were invited back by each club we serviced in subsequent years. 

Expansion of Testing Capabilities 

In the first year (comprised of two pre-season periods), we’d shown that the Hawkin Dynamics dual force plates and our staff/student assessment team could provide an extremely high level of service to football clubs and impactful industry-focused research, which also provided opportunities to enhance student experience. It was also important to us that if a club invited us back in to test their players, we could offer additional assessments that were of interest to them but did not come with a huge time cost and fulfilled our research objectives. We also wanted to add an international collaborative element to the FAIF project to help raise its global profile and impact.    

By the beginning of the 2023-2024 season, having secured funding for additional force plates, foam surrounds, and isometric rigs, we introduced three additional assessments in the UK with a greater injury risk reduction focus: 

1. Isometric Plantar Flexion: Assesses the maximal force capabilities of the calf musculature. 

2. Isometric Knee Flexion: Evaluates maximal ‘hamstrings’ strength. 

3. Unilateral Countermovement Jump: Measures ballistic force production of each leg independently. 

These tests provided more nuanced insights into players’ force capacity, particularly in identifying potential weaknesses or imbalances that could be targeted through tailored training programs. We managed to complete all seven assessments (inclusive of two knee flexion angles for the ‘hamstrings’ tests) in around 1.5 hours per squad, which was a significant accomplishment. 

Dr. Marcos Soriano and his colleagues from Universidad Camilo José Cela in Spain began administering the initial UK assessment battery (CMJ, CMJ-RE, and IMTP) with La Liga football clubs to build normative baseline data for those cohorts. Clubs in both the UK and Spain received individual player reports to guide training programming decisions more precisely. Importantly, the now Dr. Andy Badby, had surpassed his target sample size for the English Football League players who comprised his PhD research participants (see image below). 

Powering Multi-Center Research Projects 

Over three seasons, the FAIF project team tested around 600 professional football players across 20 clubs in England and Spain. This success was made possible by combining the speed and precision of several Hawkin Dynamics' wireless force plates with the hard work and organization of the project team. Efficient and consistent testing protocols were crucial to building trust with the clubs and ensuring high-quality data. 

The success of this international multi-center collaboration hinged on strict adherence to standardized operating procedures across all locations. We achieved this by running multiple in-house force assessment workshops for all involved staff and students before each pre-season period. This ensured consistent equipment setup, verbal coaching cues, and data collection procedures. 

Dr. Marcos Soriano’s involvement in the UK pre-season of 2022-2023 was invaluable. He then took this experience back to Spain, holding the same workshops with his research colleagues to ensure consistency between our two countries. Extensive practice beforehand meant testing sessions ran smoothly, with each team member knowing their role and responsibilities. 

Conducting Multi-Center Testing: Key Takeaways 

One of the most significant challenges of the FAIF project was the logistics of conducting multi-center testing. Testing across multiple clubs presented unique challenges, requiring precise organization and planning. I would regularly remind all staff and students that each time we go into a club, we need to treat it like a job interview, as one major issue could devalue our service and potentially lose buy-in from the players and club staff, and so we treated the associated preparation with the attention it required. Several key considerations emerged: 

1. Preparation is Crucial: Successful testing sessions depend on thorough preparation (see the image below). This includes charging devices, uploading player data to the cloud, ensuring adequate staff accounts, logging into apps beforehand (in case WiFi or mobile connectivity is absent), setting up equipment before players arrive, and conducting practice trials to ensure all devices function correctly. Players and club staff also need to be adequately briefed and motivated.

2. Consistency Across Clubs: Maintaining consistency in testing protocols across clubs is vital. This means standardized equipment setup, verbal instructions, player body positions, and consistent durations and number of trials. Any variations could lead to inconsistent data, complicating analysis across clubs. 

3. Time Management: With limited time available for testing sessions (usually around 1 to 1.5 hours per squad), efficient time management is essential. This involves organizing players and equipment in a way that maximizes the use of available time while minimizing disruptions. Rotating players across assessments in a randomized order worked well for us. 

4. Data Management and Analysis: With multiple clubs and a large volume of data, managing and analyzing results can be complex. The use of Hawkin Dynamics’ secure cloud and validated software ensured seamless data management, allowing us to focus on the parts in our control – namely, the quality of the data that entered the cloud in the first place. 

Conclusion 

The FAIF project serves as an example of how leveraging Hawkin Dynamics’ technology can power multi-center research collaboration on an international scale. Although this article was originally intended for an academic audience, it became clear to me while writing it that these principles apply to any organization with multiple centers. So, whether you’re an academic looking to scale up your force assessment research or a private facility owner with multiple sites, please reach out if you have any questions on how to get started.

Acknowledgments  

Below is a list of FAIF project team members from the UK and Spain, respectively.  

Prof. Paul Comfort, Dr. Andy Badby, Dr. Nick Ripley, Jack Fahey, Dr. Chris Bramah, Dr. Paul Sindall, Dr. Paul Jones, University of Salford BSc (Hons) Sports Science students, Dr. Marcos Soriano, Dr. Franciso Javier Robles Palazón, Dr. Ester Jiménez-Ormeño, Dr. Francisco Areces-Corcuera, Dr. Verónica Giráldez-Costas, Dr. César Gallo-Salazar, Dr. Diego A. Alonso-Aubín, María Menchén-Rubio, Dr. Víctor Paredes, Julio Ceniza Villacastín, Juan Lama Arenales