Sports Science

Led by Dr. Beethe, our Lead Sport Scientist—who brings extensive experience evaluating performance and minimizing injury risks for elite athletes and military operators—Peak Performance bridges data analysis and actionable training. Dr. Beethe collaborates across all Peak Performance disciplines to gather, analyze, and deliver performance metrics directly to coaches and student-athletes, helping shape tailored team programming.

Our core philosophy is that all data is human-informed. No single dataset tells the whole story, and every member of our team brings a distinct perspective to contextualizing athletic metrics. From daily monitoring using tools like Hawkin Dynamics Force Plates to periodic combine evaluations and simple, protocol-driven assessments with everyday equipment, Peak Performance combines high-tech solutions with foundational testing to drive student-athlete development.

Technology

Hawkin Dynamic Force Plates – Prior to lifting sessions, and practices if requested by a head coach, student athletes complete two countermovement jumps on this force plates. To complete, student-athletes keep hands on their hips, squat down, and jump up as high as possible. From this test, Peak Performance tracks student-athlete fatigue, power, force, reactivity, and bilateral differences from two force plates. This information is used over time to help inform training programs, preparation for competitions, and even return from injury.

Tendo Units – Housed in the weight room, these units are attached to the weight bar, measuring speed through the course of a movement. Most commonly used during squats, bench press, and landmine press, these units can be manually recorded to track power development or be used as a tool to train a controlled speed of movement.

Lactate Threshold Testing – Lactate threshold testing utilizes sport-specific movement modalities—such as running, rowing, or cycling—to evaluate how an athlete's body responds to incremental physical demand. During a 5-stage progressive test, small blood samples are collected to measure lactate accumulation relative to heart rate and overall workload. This testing identifies approximate threshold where an athlete's body shifts from sustainable, oxygen-rich aerobic energy production to limited, fatigue-inducing anaerobic energy production. Armed with this benchmark, coaches and student-athletes can target specific training zones to push the threshold back—allowing athletes to operate at higher intensities for longer periods without hitting exhaustion.

FocusCalm – This is a system which houses a basic Electroencephalography (EEG) unit with a monitoring device, programmed with games and activities which are aim to increase focus and/or relaxation. Through this device, our Mental Performance Coach can read sensitive levels of arousal and help our student athletes gain coping mechanisms which are directly applicable in their practice and competition settings.

Virtual Reality – Another tool used by the Mental Performance Coach, we have downloaded apps which require use of quick reactions and other performance metrics, so to mimic key performance metrics used in competition. Through creation of this environment, the Mental Performance Coach can help talk the student-athletes through key mental mechanisms which improve overall performance.

Combines

Conducted at critical phases of the athletic year—such as entering pre-season or heading into main competition—Peak Performance combine testing provides coaches and student-athletes with comprehensive physical profiles. These sessions evaluate sport- and position-specific metrics to give a clear picture of athlete readiness and physical development.

Following each session, student-athletes receive individualized performance reports comparing their results to team and positional benchmarks. Using an intuitive visual layout, larger markers indicate standout physical strengths, while smaller markers spotlight targeted areas for improvement—giving both athletes and coaches a clear blueprint for subsequent training cycles. See Morty the Mule’s report. It shows he is pretty bad in jump height in comparison to other NESCAC mascots, he is pretty fast, agile, and overall the most stubborn.