Insight into another application of this great training tool

Next Level with OptoJump Insight into another application of this great training tool The BFS Dot Drill is taught at all BFS clinics and certifications. he BFS Dot Drill is a key exercise in the BFS program for all athletes. It is not only a great warm-up exercise for any activity, including weight training, it also develops balance and coordination. It’s a versatile and simple exercise, and now working with Microgate USA, we’ve found a way to make it even better. But first, let’s explore the history of the Dot Drill. Besides its other purposes, a warm-up needs to increase your body temperature, breathing rate and heart rate to the level of the activity you will be performing.

The Dot Drill will accomplish this, but it goes one step further because it improves coordination, foot speed and agility. It also strengthens the ankles, an area of the body that could be considered a weak link in athletes, as the ankles are frequently injured in athletics and are often frustrating to rehabilitate. And because an athlete who injures an ankle is five times as likely to injure it again, it makes sense to include exercises that will prevent the ankles from becoming injured in the first place. The Dot Drill is performed on a 2-foot-by-3-foot surface with five dots, as shown in Figure 1.

There are five exercises in the BFS Dot Drill, and the athlete performs each drill six times in the following sequence: Up and Back, Right Foot, Left Foot, Both Feet, and Turn Around. Detailed descriptions of each of these drills are included in our set-rep log books. Our BFS Dot Drill DVD shows the Dot Drill in action. When athletes first attempt the Dot Drill, they often Tfeel clumsy and find it extremely tiring. But these issues will pass, especially if the athlete commits to performing it six times a week. That may seem like a big commitment, but consider that the record for the Dot Drill is 33.37 seconds for boys and 37.77 seconds for girls.

So, for most athletes, we’re asking for less than 10 minutes of work per week – an investment well worth the time. At BFS, we’ve found that if you’re really serious about Figure 1. The BFS Dot Drill consists of five exercises performed six times. improving performance in any aspect of strength and conditioning, you have to test it. Whether it’s by how much you lift, how high you jump or how fast you run, you have to find a way to accurately measure performance so you can set personal records and then break those records. This is also true with the Dot Drill, and we recommend that athletes get tested twice a month and record the results.

To help the athlete determine how they are doing on the Dot Drill, BFS The OptoJump quickly and easily assesses body mechanics while an athlete is in motion, such as when performing the Dot Drill. Shown demonstrating these features, both at a lecture and at BFS headquarters, is Dr. Peter G. Gorman, president of Microgate USA.

TRAINING & EQUIPMENT has established a set of standards for both girls and boys, as follows: GRADE All-American Super Quick Great Average Needs More Work Under 40 sec 40-49 sec 50-59 sec 60-70 sec Over 70 sec Under 45 sec 45-54 sec 55-64 sec 65-75 sec Over 75 sec We believe the BFS Dot Drill is a perfect warm-up for any workout program, for any athlete at any age. There are certainly many additional ways to prepare the body for a workout, but for its simplicity and effectiveness, you can’t beat the BFS Dot Drill. This great warm-up exercise should be a part of every workout program. Having said that, we have found a way to take the Dot Drill to an even higher level of testing and accuracy.

Figure 2. Symmetry and Foundation BFS envisions three protocols using the OptoJump system that can be included in any physical education or sports performance setting: (1) Symmetry and Foundation, (2) Ability and Stability, and (3) Advanced Performance. that give them a “favorite side.” Further, this information will Two of the most basic qualities in physical activity are run- be helpful in preventing injury or determining if an injured athlete is ready to play again and at what level. ning and jumping. Physical fitness tests have been standardized Advanced Performance.

With the OptoJump, each phase over the years so that coaches and physical educators can assess of an athlete’s Dot Drill performance can be evaluated, helpthese qualities in the athletes they work with. We would like to ing to determine weaknesses that could affect performance and propose a more precise system of testing. put them at a higher risk of injury. A sample report is shown in OptoJump™ is an advanced testing and training system that quickly and easily assesses body mechanics while an athlete Figure 4. The BFS Dot Drill is a proven, effective testing and trainis in motion. The program presents real-time feedback in three ing tool for athletes.

Now, with the addition of the high-tech formats: video, graphical and numerical. We envision three BFS protocols using the OptoJump system that can be included science of OptoJump, the Dot Drill is an even better tool for helping young athletes to fulfill their physical potential. in any physical education or sports performance setting: (1) Symmetry and Foundation, (2) Ability and Stability, and (3) Advanced Performance. Symmetry and Foundation. The basic test is the March in Place. An alternate protocol would be walking on a treadmill at three miles per hour without shoes. A sample report is shown in Figure 2.

With a simple, 30-second march-in-place test, OptoJump can measure the contact time of each foot, the flight time of each foot, and the athlete’s ability to hold their center of mass constant. An athlete’s biomechanical baseline, or “gait print,” can then be tracked over time, allowing physical educators, coaches and trainers to objectively measure biomechanical development and ensure effectiveness of training. Ability and Stability. The basic tests are the vertical jump, (three jumps as high as possible), BFS 5 Jump Test (five jumps as fast and high as possible) and the Drift Protocol (five jumps on each leg, as fast and high as possible, once facing forward, once facing sideways).

A sample report is shown in Figure 3. The vertical jump provides information about an athlete’s power and their ability to start movement. With the OptoJump, multiple jumps can be evaluated, determining the height of each jump and calculating the average of a set of jumps. The Drift Protocol assesses an athlete’s “stability dynamics” by measuring the displacement (drift) axis in terms of vertical and horizontal.

Such information can provide important information for a coach to determine The accuracy of the OptoJump system has been extensively evaluated by faults in biomechanics that affect performance research centers across the globe, such as Neuromuscular Research Laboratory in Zurich, Switzerland.

– for example, if an athlete has stability issues BALANCED TRAINING WITH BFS PROVIDES • SYMMETRY/FOUNDATION • ABILiTY/STABILITY • OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE • INJURY PREVENTION OPTOJUMP PROVIDES THe Most Advanced athletic assessment tool, So YOu know your program is working BFS TEAMS WITH TECHNOLOGY LEADER OPTOJUMP %RMRRSZEXMZIW]WXIQSJEREP]WMWERH QIEWYVIQIRXXLEXFVMRKWEWWIWWQIRX ERHSTXMQM^EXMSRSJTIVJSVQERGIXS EXLPIXMGHIZIPSTQIRXFEWIHSRTVIGMWI SFNIGXMZIHEXE 8LMWQEOIWMXTSWWMFPIXSEWGIVXEMRXLI EFMPMXMIWSVTL]WMGEP½XRIWWSJEREXLPIXI MREWMQTPIERHMQQIHMEXI[E] 3ZIVXMQI3TXS.YQTGVIEXIWE HEXEFEWIXLEXQEOIWMXTSWWMFPIXS GSQTEVIZEPYIWJSVXLEXEXLPIXISV HMJJIVIRXEXLPIXIW &]EGUYMVMRKJYRHEQIRXEPTEVEQIXIVWSJ XLIPIZIPSJERMRHMZMHYEP´WTIVJSVQERGI ERHGSRHMXMSR3TXSNYQTEPPS[WGSEGLIW 'EPPJSVMRJSVQEXMSR ERHXIEGLIVWXSIEWMP]QSRMXSVXLIMV EXLPIXIW OPTOJUMP 1 meter system:

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From BFS Magazine — January/February 2012. Part of the BFS Magazine Archive (1980–2014).