MEASURE. VERIFY. CERTIFY. IMPROVE.
NLSA CHALLENGE™ gives athletes an opportunity to demonstrate their abilities through organized, standardized performance testing.
Athletes complete applicable testing stations designed to measure important areas of athletic performance. Results are recorded, reviewed and verified under NLSA USA procedures.
Athletes who meet applicable performance standards may earn an NLSA USA Athlete Performance Certification.
FIND A CHALLENGE
FIND A CHALLENGEHOW THE CHALLENGE WORKS.
HOW THE CHALLENGE WORKS.YOUR PERFORMANCE. YOUR NUMBERS. YOUR BENCHMARK.
NLSA CHALLENGE™ is an athlete performance testing and certification program developed by NLSA USA®.
It is designed to give athletes a structured way to measure physical and sport-related performance.
The Challenge provides a process to:
Test abilities
Establish measurable results
Receive verified performance information
Work toward certification
Identify areas for improvement
Retest when eligible
Build a performance history over time
TESTING IS NOT COMPETITION.
NLSA CHALLENGE™ is not a traditional game or tournament.
The Challenge measures individual athletic performance.
NLSA USA Tournaments provide organized competitive opportunities for teams and eligible participants.
NLSA CHALLENGE™
Individual Performance
Measure and verify individual athletic performance through standardized testing.
NLSA USA TOURNAMENTS
Organized Competition
Compete with eligible teams through organized NLSA USA tournament events.
An athlete may participate in the Challenge without belonging to an NLSA USA Affiliate Team.
REPUTATION IS AN OPINION. PERFORMANCE CAN BE MEASURED.
Athletes are often evaluated through game performance, coaching observations, reputation, statistics and personal judgment.
Those forms of evaluation remain important.
NLSA CHALLENGE™ adds another piece:
STANDARDIZED PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT.
The goal is not to replace coaches, scouts or professional judgment.
It is to give athletes another way to establish measurable information about what they can do.
THE STANDARD DOESN'T KNOW YOUR NAME.
IT MEASURES WHAT YOU DO.
MEASURE WHAT MATTERS.
Depending on the sport and event, testing may evaluate:
SPEED
How quickly an athlete can perform.
AGILITY
Movement, directional change and body control.
POWER
Explosive athletic performance.
STRENGTH
Applicable athletic strength.
ENDURANCE
Ability to sustain athletic performance.
SPORT-SPECIFIC SKILLS
Selected abilities directly related to the athlete's sport.
Testing stations, procedures and applicable standards may differ by sport, division and event.
BUILT FOR ATHLETES ACROSS SPORTS.
NLSA USA is developing its performance and competition ecosystem around:
BASKETBALL
FOOTBALL
BASEBALL
SOCCER
HOCKEY
Program and event availability may vary by sport, location and stage of development.
YOUR TEAM DOESN'T DEFINE YOUR OPPORTUNITY.
NLSA Challenge™ is designed around the individual athlete.
Eligible participants may include athletes from:
Schools
Club programs
Recreational programs
Independent teams
Community sports organizations
NLSA USA Affiliate Teams
Eligible athletes currently between teams
NO TEAM? YOU CAN STILL TAKE THE CHALLENGE.
Ages 14–17
Youth participation is subject to applicable registration requirements and parent or legal-guardian authorization.
Ages 18+
Open Division participation is available to eligible adult athletes.
HOW THE CHALLENGE WORKS
FROM REGISTRATION TO VERIFIED PERFORMANCE
1. REGISTER: Select an available Challenge event and complete registration.
2. CHECK IN: Arrive according to event instructions and complete applicable check-in procedures.
3. ORIENTATION: Receive testing, safety, rotation and conduct instructions.
4. TEST: Complete designated performance-testing stations.
5. RECORD: Authorized event personnel record measurements and results.
6. VERIFY: Results are reviewed before becoming official.
7. CERTIFY: Athletes meeting applicable standards may earn certification.
8. IMPROVE: Review performance, train and return for future testing when eligible.
REGISTER → TEST → VERIFY → CERTIFY → IMPROVE
NOT SELF-REPORTED. VERIFIED.
Applicable official results are recorded through NLSA USA testing procedures and reviewed before being recognized as verified results.
This helps give athletes, coaches and other appropriate users greater confidence in the origin of performance information.
PERFORM → MEASURE → VERIFY
WHO RECORDS THE RESULTS?
Depending on the event and testing station, NLSA USA may use appropriately assigned personnel such as:
NLSA Performance Evaluators
NLSA Testing Officials
NLSA Measurement Technicians
NLSA Event Operations Personnel
Responsibilities may include:
Administering stations
Measuring performance
Recording results
Maintaining testing flow
Supporting event procedures
PERFORMANCE CERTIFICATION
DON'T JUST RECORD YOUR PERFORMANCE. CERTIFY IT.
NLSA USA Athlete Performance Certification is designed to recognize athletes who satisfy applicable performance requirements.
Certification is based on verified performance — not reputation, popularity or personal connections.
CERTIFICATIONS ARE EARNED.
CERTIFICATION LEVELS
Current working structure:
✔︎ LEVEL 1: CERTIFIED ATHLETE
✔︎ LEVEL 2: ADVANCED ATHLETE
✔︎ LEVEL 3: ELITE ATHLETE
✔︎ LEVEL 4: NLSA ATHLETE
NLSA Athlete is currently a working title for Level 4, así que el diseño debe permitir cambiar ese nombre fácilmente.
No publicar numerical certification thresholds hasta que NLSA USA apruebe los technical standards para publicación.
YOU CANNOT BUY CERTIFICATION
YOU CAN PAY TO TAKE THE TEST.
YOU CANNOT PAY TO PASS IT.
Registration provides the opportunity to participate in applicable testing.
It does not purchase a passing result, certification level, ranking or guaranteed outcome.
Performance determines the result.
WHAT IF I DON'T CERTIFY?
An athlete who does not achieve a particular certification level can still gain a valuable BENCHMARK.
The athlete can:
Identify strengths
Identify areas for improvement
Continue training
Return for another applicable testing opportunity
The objective is not simply to pass once.
The system is designed to encourage measurable development.
RETESTING
YOUR FIRST RESULT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE YOUR FINAL RESULT.
When applicable retesting opportunities are available, athletes may return to measure their performance again.
TEST → TRAIN → IMPROVE → RETEST → BUILD YOUR HISTORY
Over time, this can create a record showing how an athlete's measurable performance has developed.
BUILD A RECORD OF WHAT YOU CAN DO.
Where supported by the NLSA USA performance platform, an athlete's record may include:
Testing dates
Verified measurements
Sport
Division
Certification status
Certification level
Retesting history
Performance improvement
The long-term objective is a meaningful record of measurable performance rather than reliance on a single testing moment
PERFORMANCE INTEGRITY
THE SAME STANDARD FOR EVERY ATHLETE.
Applicable standards may govern:
Testing equipment
Station setup
Participant instructions
Starting procedures
Measurement
Number of attempts
Result recording
Verification
Safety
Retesting
NLSA USA may review, correct, invalidate or require retesting of results that were not properly administered, recorded or verified.
PERFORMANCE FIRST.
NLSA USA's objective is to apply applicable standards consistently regardless of:
Popularity
Reputation
Team affiliation
Personal relationships
Outside attention
An athlete earns recognition through applicable verified performance.
PERFORMANCE MATTERS. SAFETY MATTERS TOO.
Participants are expected to follow:
Event instructions
Testing procedures
Facility rules
Directions from authorized event personnel
Testing may be stopped or modified when necessary because of:
Safety
Facility conditions
Equipment concerns
Other reasonable operational circumstances
Youth participation should include appropriate parent or legal-guardian authorization.
Specific requirements will be provided with applicable event registration information.
WHAT CERTIFICATION DOES NOT GUARANTEE
CERTIFICATION DOCUMENTS PERFORMANCE. IT DOES NOT PROMISE AN OUTSIDE OUTCOME.
Participation, results, ranking or certification do not guarantee:
Team selection
College recruitment
Scholarships
Employment
Professional contracts
Sponsorship
Media coverage
Advancement through another sports organization
NLSA USA provides a system for athletes to establish measurable performance.
What others decide to do with that information remains outside the certification itself.
FROM PERFORMANCE TO COMPETITION
EASURE YOURSELF. THEN COMPETE.
NLSA CHALLENGE™
Measure yourself.
NLSA USA TOURNAMENTS
Compete against others.
NLSA USA SPORTS NETWORK
Follow the athletes, teams and events.
Together they support: