Ballistic Braking System

The Ballistic Braking System comprises an electromechanical brake which can be controlled manually or by a computer.  Braking force is infinitely variable from zero to approximately 100 kg of force.  The brake used is called a magnetic particle brake and it is very smooth and linear in operation.

The purpose of this brake is to reduce the impact forces experienced when landing from a jump squat or bench press throw.  However, the system can also be used to reduce the eccentric loading during traditional weight lifting. 

Research has shown that the Ballistic Braking System is effective in reducing vertical ground impact force (61%) and the impact impulse at landings (67%).
 

These results may indicate that by successfully reducing these impact parameters the likelihood of sustaining an injury from excessive impact forces has been decreased. Furthermore, the braking mechanism did not interfere with the ballistic concentric nature of the jumping action. The use of the braking device not only has the potential to reduce injury it can also be used in rehabilitation of athletes where ballistic closed kinetic chain movements, such as jump squats, can be performed without large impact forces. 

The effect of the Ballistic Braking System is clearly evident during these two counter movement jumps with and without the brake being used.

In addition, it is possible to mount a second brake system below the bar and thus provide braking resistance against the upwards bar movement.  One application of this configuration is during vertical jump training in which braking can be applied at the bottom of the athlete's dip, they push upwards against the resistance, it is released and they can now explode upwards.

The brake is manually controlled simply by turning a dial to adjust the tension anywhere from 0 to 100kg of resistance.  The system only requires mains electricity to operate and is very quiet in operation.  In combination with the Ballistic Measurement System the computer can provide very fine control over the brake switching it off or on at certain points in the movement.  For example, one option is to apply the brake only while the athlete is in the air following a jump, then release the brake when they land to provide the full eccentric load during the next jump but with the impact of landing greatly reduced.  Using such a system allows the strength coach to program very heavy jump squats (e.g. 100kg on the bar) with little risk of injury to the athlete.  This is a great stimulus to developing vertical jump performance. 

Utilizing the capacity of the Ballistic Measurement System the brake can also be controlled by the software to switch off and on at specific phases of the movement. This is termed eccentric loading control.

Further information is available from the manufacturer Fitness Technology.