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This version of NSU News has been archived as of February 28, 2019. To search through archived articles, visit nova.edu/search. To access the new version of NSU News, visit news.nova.edu.
This version of SharkBytes has been archived as of February 28, 2019. To search through archived articles, visit nova.edu/search. To access the new version of SharkBytes, visit sharkbytes.nova.edu.
Exercise Scientists at NSU Test NFL Combine Athletes
Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences
From left, graduate student, Anya Ellerbroek, EXSC student, Sunny Odogwu, and associate professor, Jose Antonio, taking a quick break during data collection for the NFL combine study.
Forty plus players hoping to take the next step in their football careers, took part in exercise and sports science (EXSC) studies led by NSU researchers Jose Antonio, Ph.D., FNSCA, FISSN, program director and associate professor, and Monique Mokha, Ph.D., LAT, ATC, CSCS, professor and athletic trainer. The players were undergoing a 6-week training camp to fine-tune their skills for the 2018 National Football League’s (NFL) draft. Many were invited to the NFL combine, a scouting event that brings together the very best college football players to perform physical and psychological tests for coaches and medical staff. It is an intense 4-day job interview.
Antonio and his team of a consisted of graduate and EXSC students, Anya Ellerbroek, Cassandra Carson, and Cara Axelrod, assessed lean body mass and fat mass in this group of elite athletes. Mokha colleague Corey Peacock, Ph.D., CSCS, CISSN, professor and EXSC students, Daniel Klahr, Chris Horn, and Ian McQuate, focused on aspects of running and jumping. They monitored reactivity during drop jumps, explosiveness and height during the vertical jump, and sprint mechanics. The instrumentation used and expertise required to operate the equipment are more advanced than what a training center would have, so this information is invaluable to the coach of the training camp.
Pete Bommarito, M.S., CSCS, owner and president of Bommarito Performance Systems and NSU adjunct instructor, organized this camp annually. He is well known in the country for improving the sprint speed in NFL draft hopefuls. Data from this study will be presented at the 2018 International Society of Sports Nutrition conference in Clearwater, Florida, and 2018 International Society of Sport Biomechanics conference in Auckland, New Zealand.
From left, exercise and sport science students, Ian McQuate, Daniel Klahr, and Chris Horn, testing jumping reactivity of an NFL hopeful.