How a Professional Skier Uses Force Plates in Her Training

Professional skier for Team Birkie, Alayna Sonnesyn came into the Human Powered Health Performance Lab to do some baseline testing before the winter skiing season.
She used force plates as a part of her benchmarking. Here's how they work ⬇
Force plates measure ground reaction force throughout various movements.
Force plate metrics can show maximal lower body power (Jump Height) produced by an athlete, as well as how well they absorb force (Braking Force).
Since athletes jump on two force plates, one for each leg, at the same time, we can identify any skeletal or muscular imbalances right to left which can help in injury prevention and return to play in the event that an injury occurs.
For Alayna, force plates are extremely important for identifying any discrepancies in strength between her legs. Luckily she has almost identical legs in terms of strength.
If one leg was stronger than the other she would need to focus on unilateral movements to create a muscular balance. This would allow her to maximize her performance output while minimizing her risk of injury in training or competition.
Follow us to see how Alayna's performance benchmarks change as she begins her journey towards the 2026 Winter Olympics.