Sparta Performance Science and the Colorado Rockies Join FORCES
The Colorado Rockies have partnered with Sparta Performance Science, located in the Silicon Valley, to install Sparta’s force plate technology and propriety software to help the organization continue its development and growth of its strength and conditioning program. The force plate measures an athlete’s force production into the ground, a primary determinant for human movement. The force plate technology is based off Newton’s 3rd law of motion, where for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Basically, in order to move forward, you have to push backwards. This approach has allowed Sparta to help hundreds of professional athletes. The Colorado Rockies are the first professional sports team to install the force plate technology and proprietary software.
After the force plate data is analyzed by specific software developed by Sparta, it is organized into individual profiles, called movement signaturesTM. This movement signatureTM identifies injury risk and serves as a guiding tool to increase aspects of performance, whether it is sprinting speed or rotation power from the pitching mound and batter’s box. The software also records and tracks specific regeneration programs such as nutrition, sleep and flexibility to complement the training aspects for a complete snapshot of each athlete.
“We are excited to begin a long term relationship with an organization that mirrors our cultural values and desires to be the best organization in its industry,” said Rockies Executive Vice President, Chief Baseball Officer and General Manager Dan O’Dowd. “This technology will be a tremendous asset in our efforts to further advance our performance development with all our programs and players.”
Sparta has been gathering data for over four years, examining only elite athletes under strict protocols. Following a collection of over 10,000 trials, this database has been independently reviewed by third parties from both Stanford University and the University of Paris to prove its reliability and efficacy. Through this data collection process, Sparta began to develop its own software to automate the gathering of data, player analysis and subsequent identification of the movement signatureTM. As a result, several other organizations are also incorporating this unique, efficient system.
Sparta Performance Science was founded by Dr. Phil Wagner, MD, a USC-training physician who has worked with world class athletes all over the world, ranging from Olympic track and field to professional rugby in Australia and New Zealand.
“We are excited for this opportunity to bring a system for players to take accountability for their own physical development and see the subsequent effects on the game of baseball,” Wagner said. “With this first step, the Rockies and Sparta can begin to set a new standard for efficiency and player development.”