Neuromuscular and Ballistic Performance Profiling: Interpreting Tests and Guiding Training

Athletes can achieve similar jump heights or sprint times through different combinations of force production, movement velocity, and coordination. These differences matter when practitioners use performance tests to identify training priorities. Neuromuscular and ballistic profiling seeks to describe the capabilities underlying performance, but its usefulness depends on how tests are selected, how results are interpreted, and whether the information obtained can guide effective training.A central challenge is deciding what a profile actually tells us about an athlete. Isometric strength tests, loaded and unloaded jumps, sprint assessments, and ballistic throws capture related but distinct aspects of neuromuscular performance. Their outcomes also depend on task constraints and analytical choices. For example, a change in a force–time variable may reflect an altered movement strategy rather than an improvement in physical capacity. Likewise, an apparent weakness in a profile does not, by itself, establish which training intervention will be most effective.This Research Topic will examine how neuromuscular and ballistic profiles can be measured, interpreted, and used in sport and exercise. We are particularly interested in work that tests the assumptions behind commonly used profiling approaches and investigates their value for training prescription. Do profiles provide useful information beyond simpler performance measures? Can they distinguish persistent individual characteristics from temporary responses to fatigue or recent training? Does targeting a presumed deficit lead to better outcomes than other approaches to programme design?Contributions may address, but are not limited to, the following themes:Relationships between maximal strength, rapid force production, impulse, power, and performance in jumping, sprinting, or throwing.Interpretation of force–time characteristics, including eccentric braking, propulsion, and stretch–shortening cycle function.Force–velocity and load–velocity profiling, with attention to task specificity and the assumptions underlying derived parameters.Test reliability, measurement error, and sensitivity to changes that matter in practice.The use of profiles to prescribe and evaluate resistance, ballistic, and plyometric training.Monitoring fatigue, recovery, and adaptation across training periods or competitive seasons.Differences associated with sex, maturation, training background, and sporting demands.We welcome Original Research, Reviews, Mini Reviews, Brief Research Reports, and Methodological/Perspective articles that address these questions. Longitudinal and intervention studies are especially encouraged, as are studies reporting null findings or questioning established interpretations. Research conducted in applied settings should explain how assessment results inform decisions and acknowledge the constraints of routine testing. Through this collection, we aim to establish where profiling contributes to a better understanding of performance, where its practical value remains uncertain, and what evidence is needed to improve its use. Topic editors: Marcos A. Soriano, Ester Jiménez-Ormeño, Diego Alexandre Alonso-Aubin Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/86195/neuromuscular-and-ballistic-performance-profiling-interpreting-tests-and-guiding-training