ARE YOU TRULY PREPARED? 

HAVE YOU RECEIVED THE CORRECT ADVICE?

Each year, dedicated athletes looking to make the jump from the TAC or local competition to the AFL choose Advanced Athletes Performance (AAP). Their goal: Prepare for the biggest job interview of their life, the AFL Draft Combine, and their first year on an AFL rookie list.

Imagine every Head Coach, Recruiters, Line Coaches and Scouts for each of the now 18 AFL teams watching your every move. Sounds nerve wracking, doesn’t it? Not if you’re prepared.

Here are some recommended fitness tests for assessing AFL players. Many of these are the same as used in the AFL Draft Camp.

• BODY SIZE:                            anthropometric measures – height, hand span, arm length, body mass & skinfolds
• STRENGTH:                           grip strength, 1RM Bench Press
• POWER:                                  vertical jump test (there is also an AFL specific running vertical jump test) 
• SPEED:                                   20 meter sprint (5 & 10m intervals are also measured) 
• AGILITY:                                  AFL agility test 
• ANAEROBIC CAPACITY:       anaerobic sprint recovery test 
• ENDURANCE:                        shuttle run (beep) test and 3 kilometer time trial
• FLEXIBILITY:                          sit and reach test 
• SKILL TESTS:                        kicking efficiency and clean hands handball  

The first step toward achieving REAL gains in athletic performance starts with a truly accurate assessment of an athlete’s physical condition and Combine event ability. Our expert trainers are uniquely qualified and make use of the latest technical research to make such an evaluation possible.

Physical Evaluation
Our scientific screening  and physical evaluation tests enable us to tailor an athlete’s program to meet his unique needs. Specific upper and lower body, front and back strength tests discover any muscular imbalances, which may have resulted from prior training habits or injuries. Performed by our staff of expert trainers and board-certified physical therapists, our ability to identify and address an athlete’s specific weaknesses has been proven to enhance results dramatically.

Event Evaluation
Performance in any single AFL Combine event is as much a measure of SKILL as much as it is a measure of athletic ability. An accurate initial measure of an athlete’s ability in each Combine event is the first step toward achieving and measuring ACTUAL gains. All times and measures are made utilizing equipment identical to those used at the AFL Draft Combine to ensure precision and consistency. Event performances are video analyzed to detect flaws and determine strategies for improvement.

Combine Event Training
The single most important part of preparing for the combine. As each event requires its own specific set of skills, each must be addressed individually. Here the athlete will learn how to perform each specific event in the most efficient manner possible. Practice makes perfect, but actually improving one’s mechanics makes results even better. There are strategies to taking any test and the AFL Combine is no different. Ultimately our objective is to make our clients Master Test Takers. No athlete at the combine will be better prepared and that knowledge will instill the confidence that will allow peak performance.

Sprint Technique Training
This is the area where we first made a name for ourselves. It is possible to improve one’s 5, 10 and 20 meter time. Working on the proper stance, first-step technique, acceleration, maximum velocity mechanics, as well as methods for improving “speed endurance” can all be a factor.

Strength, Power, Agility Training
Each athlete is different, but a stronger, better-balanced athlete will perform better at every combine event. Strength training may include Maximum Strength, Dynamic Effort, Repetition/Muscular Endurance, Accelerative Training, Plyometrics, Isometronics, or Hypertrophy Training. Believe it or not, significant gains in strength are possible in the small window of opportunity we have to work with. Very often all it may take is a different approach for an athlete to make gains from a point where they had plateaued before.

Flexibility Training
Flexibility is one of the most over looked components of training the athlete. The AAP program places special focus on flexibility as we recognize the dramatic effects it can have on performance and its importance in reducing muscle soreness.

Anaerobic / Aerobic Conditioning
This is accomplished through our one-of-a-kind “Dynamic Warm-up.”  Learning this skill alone has been proven to increase our client’s results.

Recovery/Restoration Techniques
Most athletes who come to us know how to train hard, but few know how to train smart. Merely increasing days, sets and reps is never the answer. In fact, proper recovery is the absolute key to performance and improvement. We accelerate the recovery process for the athlete with the best restoration methods available. This includes advice on Active Release Technique, sports massage, chiropractic care, cold baths, and nutrition supplementation.

Active Release Technique
ART is a new non-invasive treatment used to correct conditions arising from overuse, repetitive stress injuries and to enhance athletic performance. ART is a hands-on therapy, designed to restore the normal texture and tension to soft tissue allowing full function and movement. ART breaks down scar tissue and adhesions that form within or between soft tissue. What attracts so many athletes to ART are the quick and lasting results without resorting to surgery.

Systems for Success
The Advanced Athletes Performance (AAP) program is about what our name implies and that is actually about advancing an athletes performance and making better athletes. Our AFL and overall elite sports experience speaks for itself. Come find out for yourself what makes AAP the #1 AFL Draft Combine Preparation Program.

Guided by our four pillars of Mindset, Nutrition, Movement, and Recovery, Advanced Athletes Performance (AAP) utilizes proven training systems that have supported some of the best athletes in this country. These systems, which continually evolve based on the most innovative and cutting-edge training techniques, will be the foundation for your success at the next level. You’ll train with confidence, knowing that you have the tools you need to achieve your greatest results at the Combine.