Common questions.

APX Athlete Lab is a sports science and performance testing facility in El Cajon, CA. We use the VALD system to measure force, speed, power, and movement quality, then show your athlete exactly what to work on, with a training plan if you want one. We work with athletes ages 8 and up across San Diego County.

Any athlete ages 8 and up whose family wants to know where they actually stand. We work with athletes in every sport, at every level, throughout San Diego County.

No. APX is built for athletes ages 8 and up at every level, from first-time youth players to varsity and adult athletes. Testing just shows where your athlete stands today and what to work on next. You do not need to be fast or strong to start.

No. Every test is a movement your athlete already does: squat, jump, sprint, and push against a padded sensor. Athletes under 12 run a shorter set, without the hops or single-leg tests, and a coach watches every landing. Their results are compared with their own last test first, not with other kids. At 8 the goal is good habits and a baseline to grow from, not a number to chase.

Yes. Every test is non-invasive and movement-based. Your athlete jumps, lands, pushes against a padded sensor, or runs through timing gates, with a coach supervising the whole session. Tests that land hard, like hops and single-leg jumps, start at age 12, and a coach watches the practice landing first; an athlete who can't land under control skips that test for the day.

Your athlete moves through four VALD systems that measure force, speed, power, and movement quality: force plates, motion capture, strength testing, and timing gates. They get a private report of their numbers and the specific areas to focus on once a coach has read it, and that report becomes the plan for training.

About 45 minutes, a little less for athletes under 12. Your athlete moves through the VALD systems with a coach, and the report follows.

Athletic clothes and training shoes, plus water. Everything else is on site.

Their own body and their own last session first. The report compares left with right and this test with the last one. For jump height, jump power, and sprint times, when the number held up across repeat tries and published youth data covers their age, the report also shows where it sits among kids the same age and sex, as a guide. There are no rankings: for a growing athlete, the average for their age only says so much about where they are.

You do. Every report is private to the athlete and their parent or guardian. On a school or club testing day, each athlete still gets their own private report, and there is no team ranking. Nothing goes to a school, league, or recruiter unless a parent chooses to share it.

Testing shows patterns training can work on, like a left-right strength difference that holds up across repeat tries or knees dropping inward in a squat, and the plan targets them. It is not a medical exam and not an injury prediction. APX does not diagnose, treat, or provide medical clearance.

Most gyms and trainers work from feel and experience. That is fine, but families rarely end up knowing what is actually working. APX tests force, speed, acceleration, and movement quality. You get real numbers, you can see what is improving, and your athlete trains toward specific targets instead of just putting in time.

Every sport. Force, speed, and movement quality matter whether your athlete plays soccer, softball, baseball, football, basketball, volleyball, lacrosse, or track. The Baseline is the same for everyone; a sport add-on adds tests for how your athlete plays.

Yes. Adults take the same Baseline Assessment and get the same report.

VALD is the performance testing platform used by more than 8,000 organizations across 130 countries, including teams in the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and Premier League, plus Olympic and national programs. More than 2 million athletes have been tested on VALD systems. At APX, we use VALD force plates, HumanTrak motion capture, ForceFrame strength testing, and timing gates to measure the same things those programs measure: force, speed, power, and movement quality.

165 Denny Way, El Cajon, CA 92020, open by appointment. We serve athletes throughout San Diego County.

Create a free family account, add your athlete, and pick a Baseline time. For athletes under 18, a parent or guardian creates the account. Questions? Call (858) 899-0098.

No sign-up fee and no long-term contract. Training plans run month to month until you cancel, and you can change plans at no charge. A Baseline Assessment or a retest is a one-time purchase with no plan required.

Yes. Every athlete starts with a $199 Baseline Assessment, report included, with no obligation to train with us. Retests are $149 whether or not you train with us.

A Baseline Assessment is $199. A retest is $149, and we recommend one every 6 weeks. A Season Pass covers three tests with sport add-ons for $449, paid up front. Training plans start at $299 a month with no sign-up fee. The full price list is on the pricing page.