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Every test in EPP's assessment suite — built on Photon Sports' patented 3D tracking and VALD's force plate technology. Science-backed protocols used by Premier League clubs and high-performance programmes worldwide.
Sprint & Speed
Linear speed assessments using Photon's 3D tracking — 60 data points per second, equivalent to 300 timing gates on a 30m sprint. Complete velocity curves, not just split times.
The benchmark linear speed test. Athletes sprint from a stationary standing start through the Photon unit over preset distances of 5, 10, 20 or 30 metres. Unlike timing gates which capture a single point, Photon tracks centre of body mass across the entire lane at 60Hz — generating a complete velocity-time curve for every sprint.
The athlete builds speed before the Photon unit and flies through the 10–30m test lane already at or near top velocity. This isolates true maximum speed from the acceleration phase — critical for understanding an athlete's neuromuscular ceiling and differentiating speed from acceleration athletes.
The most diagnostically powerful sprint test available. Multiple sprints performed — both unloaded and with increasing sled resistance. Photon builds a complete Force-Velocity Profile showing where the athlete sits on the Force–Velocity spectrum and whether they are force-deficient or velocity-deficient. Directly informs training prescription.
A validated force-velocity profiling protocol developed by performance researcher Bram Swinnen, using incremental sled loads and Photon Sports tracking. Progressive loads are applied and the resulting velocity data generates a precise FV profile — particularly valuable for identifying whether an athlete needs to prioritise force or velocity development in training.
Repeated Sprint Ability is the capacity to sustain near-maximal sprint performance across multiple sprint efforts with limited recovery. Photon automatically controls rest periods and times each sprint with full velocity curve data — revealing how sprint speed, peak force, and mechanical profile deteriorate under fatigue. Directly relevant to match demands in football, rugby, hockey, and basketball.
Frequent short sprint tests (typically 10–20m) compared against a rolling 4-, 12- or 52-week average to determine an athlete's current neuromuscular readiness. Photon's deviation graph instantly highlights whether an athlete is fresh, fatigued, or overtrained — enabling evidence-based load management decisions before training or competition.
Change of Direction
Deceleration is the forgotten factor in most sprint testing. EPP's COD battery isolates the ability to brake, turn, and re-accelerate — the mechanical qualities that prevent injury and win games. 85% of sprints in football involve a change of direction.
The 5-0-5 is the gold-standard deceleration test in team sport. After a 10m run-up, timing begins at the 5m mark — measuring purely the ability to decelerate, turn 180°, and re-accelerate over 5m. Photon generates a complete brake-turn-drive velocity curve, with left and right leg tested separately to detect asymmetry.
The world's most widely used agility test — used at the NFL Combine and by professional clubs globally. Athletes sprint 5m left, 10m right, 5m back to start. Photon tracks each deceleration and re-acceleration phase with full velocity curves and side-to-side symmetry analysis. Studies show 700+ direction changes per football match.
The T-Test combines forward sprint, lateral shuffles, and backward running — making it the most comprehensive measure of multi-directional agility. Critical for team sport athletes in football, basketball, hockey, and netball where 360° movement is required. Photon tracks each phase independently, revealing if lateral or backward movement is the limiting factor.
The ADA test is a specialised deceleration battery that isolates the ability to control rapid stops from high speed — one of the strongest predictors of lower-limb injury risk. EPP uses Photon's deceleration test battery to provide actionable injury prevention data that is otherwise invisible to coaches. The Photon ADA test is described as unique in the market for deceleration profiling.
The Cut Test measures an athlete's ability to perform sharp cutting actions — sprinting into a cone and cutting at specific angles (45°, 75°, 90°, or 135°) over a 10m approach and 5m cut distance. Photon measures velocity into the cut and out of the cut, revealing the mechanical cost of changing direction and detecting asymmetries between dominant and non-dominant cutting legs.
Research shows 85% of maximum velocity sprints in professional football are curvilinear — not straight. Yet most tests only measure linear speed. The Curved Sprint test uses a 9.15m radius arc and Photon's 3D tracking to assess an athlete's ability to maintain speed and mechanical efficiency while sprinting on a curved path — the most representative speed test for football.
Jump & Power
Vertical jump tests reveal lower-body explosive power, neuromuscular fatigue, and the stretch-shortening cycle — qualities that underpin acceleration, sprint performance, and injury resilience. Photon captures jump height, flight time, and limb symmetry instantly on the field.
The CMJ is the most validated and reliable measure of lower-body explosive power available. The athlete dips quickly and jumps maximally — using the stretch-shortening cycle to enhance power output. EPP performs 3 CMJs with and without arm swing to get a complete power profile. The CMJ is strongly correlated with sprint speed, 1RM strength, and fatigue status.
The Squat Jump removes the elastic energy component by starting from a static 90° knee flexion position — measuring pure concentric force production without any countermovement benefit. When compared against the CMJ, the difference reveals the athlete's ability to utilise the stretch-shortening cycle. A large CMJ-SJ gap indicates strong elastic energy storage; a small gap suggests training of the SSC is a priority.
Single-leg jump tests are the most sensitive test for detecting bilateral asymmetry — differences in power output between dominant and non-dominant legs that are invisible in two-legged tests. EPP uses single-leg CMJ and SJ to quantify limb asymmetry to the nearest %, enabling precise injury-risk identification, return-to-play decisions, and individualised strength programming.
VALD Force Decks
Dual force plates sampling at 1,000Hz — the same system used by Premier League clubs, Olympic institutes, and leading sports science universities. Force Decks take CMJ and SJ testing to a new level of granularity: ground reaction forces, rate of force development, contraction time, and inter-limb asymmetry at millisecond resolution.
Force Decks
VALD Force Decks are dual-plate wireless force platforms used to measure every dimension of an athlete's jump performance — from ground reaction forces to rate of force development to inter-limb asymmetry — all at 1,000 samples per second.
Where Photon Sports gives you velocity-based data on the field, Force Decks provide the force-based data that explains the mechanism behind what Photon captures. Together they form a complete performance picture.
VALD Force Decks — Official Overview
The definitive countermovement jump assessment. Force Decks measure every millisecond of the CMJ — from the unweighting phase through the braking and propulsive phases to landing. This level of detail is impossible with Photon or contact mats alone. Force Decks reveal whether an athlete's jump limitation is in force production, velocity, or the transition between phases.
Three consecutive CMJs performed with minimal rest — tracking the athlete's ability to maintain jump output across efforts. The drop-off in height or power between jump 1 and jump 3 reveals neuromuscular fatigue accumulation and recovery characteristics. Paired with Photon's freshness monitoring this gives coaches a complete picture of readiness and fatigue state.
Ready to Get Tested?
Book your full assessment battery — we'll recommend the right test selection based on your sport, age, and goals in a free 15-minute discovery call.