VALD ForceDecks for Data-Driven Program Design

VALD ForceDecks for Program Design

August 19, 2024•3 min read

Answer first: VALD ForceDecks are dual force plates that record vertical force over time. At Starke Industries the outputs—jump height, peak force, rate of force development, impulse, power, and side-to-side differences—are used as monitoring indicators to design and adjust training. They are not diagnoses and they do not, by themselves, predict injury.

What ForceDecks add to program design

Generic programs guess. Force–time data shows how an athlete actually produces force: how high they jump, how quickly force rises, how long they are on the ground, and whether left and right share the work. Coaches then choose exercises and loads that target the quality that is lagging for that athlete, and re-test to see whether the plan worked.

Manufacturer materials describe automatic detection of many movement types on ForceDecks. Starke Industries uses the plates inside the VALD testing service together with Dynamo for joint-level isometric detail.

Base tests commonly used for programming

Countermovement jump (CMJ): Lower-body power with a stretch-shortening contribution. Guides explosive and plyometric emphasis when jump metrics or force–time shape are the gap.
Squat jump: Concentric-dominant force with less stretch-shortening contribution. Useful when pure concentric power is the focus.
10-5 repeated hop: Reactive strength and repeated short ground contacts. Informs plyometric density and contact-time goals as program rules—not clinical cut-offs.
Isometric mid-thigh pull (IMTP): Peak isometric force and rate of force development. Useful for maximal strength context alongside jump tests.

Run-specific isometric pushes

Ankle, knee, and hip iso-push variations measure force capacity in positions relevant to sprinting and change of direction. Results help decide where to place strength work for that athlete’s acceleration or top-speed block. Read them the same way as other monitoring indicators: compare like with like, then adjust the plan. They do not replace a medical exam when pain or swelling is present.

Asymmetry and thresholds as decision rules

Side-to-side differences appear across many ForceDecks tests. There is no single percentage that fits every test, sport, or athlete. Starke Industries tracks asymmetry over time and sets configurable decision rules for when to emphasize unilateral work—without treating a number as a universal clinical norm or an injury prediction.

From numbers to the next training block

Collect a matched baseline (warm-up, cues, footwear, rest).
Pick one or two qualities the data show as limiting for the athlete’s goals.
Train those qualities for a defined block.
Re-test under the same protocol and keep, progress, or change the plan.

Pairing ForceDecks with day-to-day monitoring

Force plates are powerful on test day. Between tests, session RPE and wellness questionnaires—both confirmed monitoring tools at Starke Industries—help decide whether the athlete is ready for the planned load. A big drop in a ForceDecks metric after a block is a reason to review the plan; it is not, by itself, a diagnosis.

Research finding (group-level)

A 2024 peer-reviewed study found VALD ForceDecks showed concurrent validity and test–retest reliability against laboratory force plates for strength, balance, and movement assessment metrics (Collings et al., Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, DOI: 10.1016/j.jsams.2024.04.014). That supports using the hardware for measurement quality. It does not license medical claims or guaranteed performance outcomes.

Sources

VALD Performance — ForceDecks
VALD — Understanding ForceDecks test metrics
Collings TJ et al. Concurrent validity and test–retest reliability of VALD ForceDecks… J Sci Med Sport. 2024. DOI: 10.1016/j.jsams.2024.04.014
Starke Industries — VALD testing