Story from Iron Man Magazine January 2019
Each year, professional and collegiate sports pull a large group of talented athletes together to test their athletic abilities. These tests will help the organizations choose who of the group will be recruited. Brett is the man that these organizations turn to, to administer these tests. The events where these tests take place are called “combines”. These combine tests are watched by scouts, university coaches and professional team owners from all over the world. We had the pleasure of interviewing the world’s leading authority on combine training, Brett Brungardt. Now let’s learn what metrics will help you see how you measure up against the best athletes in the world.
When asked how he became the man for combine testing, Brett said, “I’d like to call myself an old coach. I was a strength and conditioning coach for 25 years. My educational background is a master’s degree in Exercise Physiology. I coached 26 different sports as far as physical development and kind of niched myself into basketball in about the last ten years of my career coaching with the Dallas Mavericks and many other teams”.
Although there are many tests performed at combines to determine an athlete’s talent, Brett explains what he measures. “Generally, combines look at certain components that they could subjectively, and objectively measure. Combines have an objective measurement of physical components, or performance parameters. And they measure speed, agility, reaction, power ratios, in combination with a skill’s assessment.”
Gone are the days of stop watches at this level. Highly integrated technology is used to measure these athletes. If you don’t have to access all the equipment to see how you measure up, don’t fret. Keep reading because we have some simple things for you to use so you can test your own abilities, and the best numbers to compare against.
Even though the combine tests are a great tool, Brett reminds us that, “It’s not the end all, beat all. There’s so much that these talented scouts and owners see with their eyes, that sometimes an instrument will never measure. But they do rely highly on our data.” Brett tells the Iron Man readers to look at the combine tests like a job interview. “The teams come to evaluate potential employees.”
We’re not saying that getting close to these numbers will score you a college scholarship or pro signing bonus, but it will help you know where you rank with to the pros. In future issues, we will explain the ins and outs of how to improve your numbers while your working to build serious muscle for a balanced, functional body
