Performance Testing – Why take biomechanics out of the lab? Because the pitch is where the real game happens. Lab simulations often fail to capture the unique friction between football boots and natural grass, nor can they replicate the authentic behavioral reactions, cognitive demands and physiological fatigue experienced during play. Time is of the essence in elite sports. Decisions about performance readiness, injury risk and return-to-play must be accurate, sport-specific and immediately applicable. This workshop offers a great opportunity to bridge the gap between theory and real-world application by bringing biomechanical assessment directly onto the field.

Brain injuries and return to play – Sport-related brain injuries demand practical and reliable tools to guide safe return-to-play decisions. One of them is the dual-task test, which evaluates an athlete’s ability to simultaneously perform a cognitive task (e.g., counting) and a motor task (e.g., balance or walking), a function commonly impaired following brain injury. This workshop will showcase an instrumentalised and fully automated version of the dual-task test, delivered through an app and designed to be simple, standardised and immediately deployable by medical staff in the field. In 10 minutes, the assistant test provides objective metrics, enabling meaningful comparisons over time and supporting more confident, evidence-based return-to-play decisions.

Participants will witness and actively engage in live demonstrations across four specialised testing stations, each designed to provide actionable insights into performance and injury evaluation:

• Counter Movement Jump (performance testing)
• Change of Direction (performance testing)
• Drop Jump (performance testing)
• Dual Task Test (Brain injuries and Return to play)

Programme:

www.optizone.ch
https://bearmind.tech/

Minimum participation requires 10 people and it is limited to 40 people. A registration link will be provided soon!

Date: Monday, 6 July
Time: 10:30 – 12:00
Location: UNIL Campus, Centre Sportif Universitaire de Dorigny 
We will be on the football pitch of the Sports and Health Center UNIL, situated directly on the shores of Lac Léman. In case of rain, the session will move to the indoor gym.

          Bus and metro stops:

• M1 metro from EPFL to UNIL Sorge, followed by 800-metre walk
• Bus line 1 from Ecublens VD, EPFL/Colladon to Ecublens VD, Blévallaire, followed by 300-metre walk
• Bus line 701 or 705 from Ecublens VD, Campus des médias to Ecublens VD, Blévallaire, followed by 300-metre walk
• A pleasant 15-minute walk from the STCC

Contact:

Dr Mina Baniasad
EPFL
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