Jan. 28, 2025- Today, Hawkin Dynamics, an innovative, venture-backed pioneer in the sports and physical rehabilitation technology sector, announced a partnership with Kansas University’s Jayhawk Performance youth strength and conditioning research program, housed within the Well-Fit Center and aligned with the Jayhawk Athletic Performance Laboratory, a member of the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance.
Educating with Fun, Form, and Function
To better understand athletic performance during perhaps the most critical stages of human development, the program collects data on youth ages 8-13. By utilizing strength and conditioning, the program works to develop local youth populations and prepare them for sporting success. Dr. Quincy Johnson who serves in many roles at the University of Kansas including; Assistant Professor within the Department of Health, Sport and Exercise Sciences, Assistant Director of the Jayhawk Athletic Performance Lab, Associate Director of the Well-Fit Center, and current Jayhawk Performance Program Coordinator, directed a similar program at the University of Nebraska-Kearney. Johnson aims to build on his experience and focus these programs on fun, form, and function while also implementing long-term athlete development approaches to training. By integrating sports performance research in the programs, the data collected from elementary to high school athletic populations will be used to monitor growth, development, maturation, and adaptation to resistance training. Training sessions typically kick off with a fun event or competition to warm up and then break into strength, power, and speed development groups. Johnson uses assessments such as the Isometric Mid-Thigh Pull (IMTP) and Countermovement Jump (CMJ) as staple tests and assessment protocols for the youth athlete population.
Shaping the Future
With younger athletes, exercise technique, motor ability or movement patterns, and sound training approaches are emphasized. This is critical because once a body learns a certain movement pattern it is more likely to stick with them into adulthood. Creating healthy habits that will help guide their athletic future and potential.
This is a unique program. Very few are doing this and fewer are doing it well. Hawkin Dynamics has donated two sets of their industry leading wireless force plates to the program to help ensure the data is accurate and reliable. The research and data gathered provides a unique opportunity to peek inside the critical stages of human developments and advance the sport science field.
In Summer 2025, the program will have 60 kids from ages 8-13 training, and data will be collected each week under IRB approval. Over the next academic year, the program aims to continue to increase the size of the programs and their reach, while continuing to create a positive impact. The end goal is to present and publish the program’s findings in peer-reviewed journals. The impact this data could have on strength and conditioning, sport science, applied strength and conditioning, sport science research is yet to be seen.
About Hawkin Dynamics
Hawkin Dynamics is a sport performance technology company specializing in force solutions, designing and building software and hardware for coaches, sport scientists, researchers, tactical professionals, and clinicians. Hawkin Dynamics continues to grow around their customers, taking pride in industry-leading support and training services. All their solutions are fully validated and designed for the real world.
Hawkin Dynamics an industry leader in wireless force plates and cloud software to help analyze human movement. With headquarters in Westbrook, Maine, and satellite offices in Australia and the UK, they build their solutions onsite and ship globally.
About Jayhawk Performance
Jayhawk Performance is a youth strength and conditioning and research program within the University of Kansas Well-Fit Center. Their programs focus on developing healthy, fit, strong, and resilient young athletes using the tenets of long-term athletic development. Jayhawk Performance also acts as an educational and research hub for students, coaches, parents, and others working with young athletes.
About the Well-Fit Center
The Well-Fit Center is based on the principle that youth should be provided knowledge and skills to improve physical wellness and fitness. Well-Fit provides online educational content and in-person programming to teach youth wellness, exercise, and sport-related skills. Furthermore, Well-Fit actively engages in conducting and dissemination of research.
About the Jayhawk Athletic Performance Laboratory
The Jayhawk Athletic Performance Laboratory provides sport science research and information support to KU and area sport teams, coaches, and athletes. The JAPL is a member of the Wu-Tsai Human Performance Alliance and focuses on optimizing high performance in athletic settings to create a sport performance-based research organization that goes beyond benefitting the department, KU student-athletes, coaches, and athletic programs.
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