Athlete profiling is a critical component of elite sports performance. At King Performance Ideology (KPI), we use a scientific and highly individualised approach to assess an athlete’s physical capabilities, strengths, and limitations. This data-driven methodology allows us to optimise training, reduce injury risks, and enhance performance in sport-specific contexts.
In this article, we will explore:
- What athlete profiling is and why it matters
- Our unique philosophy to athlete profiling at KPI
- Why data hygiene matters in athlete profiling
- How data informs training and injury prevention
- Why profiling is crucial for talent identification and rehabilitation
What Is Athlete Profiling?
Athlete profiling is the process of evaluating physical attributes through diagnostic tests that assess strength, power, flexibility, speed, coordination, and various other factors relating to performance and injury risk. The goal is to understand an athlete’s individual needs and create targeted training programs that enhance their performance while minimising the risk of injuries.
At KPI, our approach to profiling is highly individualised. We treat it as a jigsaw puzzle, where each test provides a piece of information. When combined, these insights give a 360-degree view of an athlete’s capabilities.
Why Do We Test Athletes?
Testing athletes is essential for two primary reasons:
1. Performance Optimisation
Modern sports demand higher levels of physicality than ever before. The ability to sprint, jump, change direction, and maintain endurance over time separates top-level athletes from the rest. Through profiling, we can identify which physical qualities an athlete must develop to reach their peak.
2. Injury Prevention
Injuries are not simply a matter of bad luck—they occur due to a combination of biomechanical and physiological factors. Without identifying these risk factors, it’s impossible to intervene effectively. Athlete profiling helps us pinpoint muscular imbalances, joint limitations, biomechanical deficiencies and force production weaknesses, allowing us to address them before they lead to injuries.
Our Philosophy for Athlete Profiling at KPI
Our philosophy for athlete profiling is centered around observing human movement during competitive sport first. By leaning on video-analysis techniques through our Performance Analysis services at KPI, we like to understand how our athletes move during their sport whilst under several constraints and pressures such as opponents, reactions, fatigue and much more. This provides us with insightful information on true performance and injury risk, considering sports participation is what they do the most.
However, understanding how to improve human movement through looking at this alone is tricky due to the multifactorial and complex nature of the environment. Therefore, by peeling back the layers we are able to identify with greater clarity the physical qualities that contribute to these movements.
Each test is a piece of the jigsaw, and when collected correctly can provide greater clarity on the bigger picture. However, one test alone cannot exclusively provide definitive reasons behind sports participation performance. That is why we start at the end and work back from there.
At KPI, we combine cutting-edge sports science technology with a sport-first approach to ensure our tests are reliable, specific, and meaningful. Our profiling methods include:
- Speed, Agility and Cardiovascular Profiling
- Sprint-Acceleration: Measures acceleration and top-speed using Swift Performance timing gates and StatSports GPS systems and biomechanical running technique with in-house video-analysis systems.
- Change of Direction: Evaluates an athlete’s ability to cut, pivot, and decelerate and accelerate and biomechanical turning technique with in-house video-analysis systems.
- Cardiovascular Fitness: Measures an athletes aerobic and anaerobic capacity with the use of heart rate monitoring during key tests like the 30:15 IFT and Yo-Yo IR2.
- Strength and Power Assessments
- Force Plate Testing: Measures jump height, ground reaction forces, and rate of force development using Vald Force Decks
- Isometric Strength Tests: Evaluates maximal force production, rate of force development and limb asymmetries using tech like the Metrics Hip Extension Bench
- Velocity-Based Training (VBT): Uses bar speed tracking to assess power output using tech like the Output Sports Sensor
- Multidirectional Power: Evaluates power production in three dimensional planes.
3. Movement and Coordination
- Fundamental Movement: squat, lunge, hinge and step patterns.
- Lumbo-Pelvic Control: three dimensional pelvic motion analysis with Baiobit technology.
- Stability: static and dynamic balance exercises with video-analysis and Footscan technology.
4. Mobility and Flexibility Analysis
- Range of Motion Tests: Assesses joint flexibility and movement quality
- Biomechanical Screening: Uses video analysis and Footscan foot pressure mapping to understand movement patterns
5. Medical Screening
- Medical Evaluation & Subjective Assessment: A full-body assessment that holistically examines lifestyle, previous injuries, aches, and pains and much more.
- Gait Analysis & Foot Pressure Mapping: Identifies loading imbalances and inefficient movement patterns
How We Use Athlete Data to Inform Training
At KPI, we don’t just collect data—we use it to optimise training programs. After profiling, we compare results against normative data (age, position, and level-specific benchmarks) to identify key strengths and weaknesses.
“The filling buckets philosophy”
We treat each physical quality as a bucket of water. The size of the bucket determines its importance for any given athlete in comparison to other physical qualities. How full the bucket is with water explains whether it’s a strength or a weakness. The size of the hole in the bucket is a metaphor for how quickly the physical quality will diminish if left alone and the flow of the tap filling up the bucket outlines how long a physical quality may take to improve with a given amount of effort.
This approach allows us, the athlete, and any other key stakeholders to have clarity on where all of our efforts are best placed to achieve the best, most balanced, and most sustainable results.
Training is then customised based on the athlete’s unique profile, eg:
- Strength Deficiencies? → Prioritise heavy resistance training (e.g., hip thrusts, Romanian deadlifts)
- Lacks Power? → Introduce plyometrics and movement efficiency training with explosive movements
- Poor Agility? → Focus on eccentric strength and change of direction biomechanics
- Mobility Restrictions? → Implement targeted flexibility and stability work
This individualised approach ensures that every athlete is maximising their time in the gym and on the field.
Importantly, when and how these training interventions are prescribed in combination with each other and the athletes competitive requirements of their sport is an important factor. For a strength deficient athlete, we know that introducing heavy resistance training within sports that withhold a frequent fixture schedule presents difficulty. However, at least with an eye on the necessity to “get stronger” we can carefully periodise and shape the athletes' work to find windows of opportunity throughout this time. This can be done with the use of isometrics, neurally driven strength work, and limiting eccentric and physiologically damaging work for times that allow necessary recovery between bouts.
Athlete Profiling for Talent Identification & Rehabilitation
1. Talent Identification
For clubs, coaches, agencies and scouts, profiling provides valuable insights into an athlete’s physical potential. By analysing speed, strength, and endurance markers, teams can identify future stars or select players based on game-specific demands.
2. Return-to-Play & Injury Rehabilitation
When injuries occur, having baseline data is crucial for a safe return. Without pre-injury data, it’s difficult to know whether an athlete has regained full function. At KPI, we use profiling to compare post-injury performance to baseline levels, ensuring athletes return stronger and with reduced reinjury risk.
The Importance of Data Hygiene in Sports Science
Not all data is equal. Sports technology is only as good as its accuracy and reliability. Poor data hygiene—caused by unreliable testing protocols or low-quality equipment—can lead to misleading results.
At KPI, we ensure our profiling is scientifically valid by:
- Using well-calibrated, industry-leading technology
- Conducting repeatable, standardized testing
- Avoiding "shiny object syndrome"—choosing tools that provide actionable insights, not just numbers
For a deeper dive into Data Hygeine from our partners at Metrics, click here.
Why Athlete Profiling Is Essential for Success
Athlete profiling is not just about gathering data—it’s about understanding each athlete’s unique physiology and using that information to maximise performance while minimising injury risk.
At King Performance Ideology, we are committed to providing athletes, coaches, and teams with data-driven insights that lead to smarter training, better performance, and longer careers.
Want to take your training to the next level?
Join KPI today and experience the power of athlete profiling.
