Over the past few years, Les Spellman has touched on Return to Performance from so many different angles — and let’s be real, it’s such a deep topic, promising to touch it all in an email would do it a major disservice.
But today, we want to focus on one area Les and his team have refined over the years: the testing protocols they use to inform their training.
Two things that Spellman performance has leaned on in their assessment battery is Force-Velocity and Load-Velocity Profiles (FVP & LVP)—two powerful tools to identify how an athlete accelerated before injury, and what needs to be restored to get them back.
This is why they track metrics like:
- Horizontal force production
- Acceleration and max velocity step mechanics
- Deceleration profiles
- Symmetry in force output
Much of this comes from their speed testing.
But, to uncover an athlete’s raw physical traits, they lean on 3 key tests. These give us a reliable baseline to individualize training and drive return-to-play success.
And the best part… they’re extremely simple.
The 3 Tests Spellman Performance Uses with Their Athletes
Jump Testing
Simply put, jump testing helps you answer these important questions:
- Are you powerful?
- Are you reactive?
- Are you balanced?
Key Tests:
1. CMJ (Countermovement Jump) — Measures power output.
2. RSI (Reactive Strength Index) — Measures reactivity (jump height vs. ground contact time).
They use the 10/5 RSI: 10 repeated hops, then average the top 5 for consistent data. This has become popular in the field because it’s time efficient, doesn’t require the set up of a box, and is easily standardized.
Programming Insight:
- Better CMJ than RSI = needs reactive plyos
- Better RSI than CMJ = needs power plyos
Range of Motion Testing
If an athlete can’t get into a position in the controlled and stable environment of a ROM test, then they won’t be able to get into it where it matters, on the field.
In particular, looking at the ROM of the posterior chain and seeing what happens to the pelvis as the hip moves deeper into flexion gives them a ton of information in a short amount of time.
Key Test:
3. Active Straight Leg Raise (ASLR) — Assesses core control, pelvic stability, and hamstring flexibility.
Why it matters: Poor control here often shows up as anterior pelvic tilt during sprinting, which can lead to inefficiencies or injury.
They’re not the only tools they use—but they’re some of the most consistent and valuable.
If you’re looking to build out your own speed system, these would be the perfect tests to integrate on top of your standard speed assessments.
This article comes to you from Output Sports, a proud sponsor of the 2025 ALTIS Speed Summit. Their team is at the forefront of practical, data-driven solutions for coaches and clinicians working in performance and rehab.
Learn more about their tools and technology by clicking here.
