CIV Fitness/S&C Steven Tikkanen – F129 1 Sutherland College Health & Recreation Semester Version 1

PRINCIPLES OF TESTING CHAPTER 14 ESSENTIALS OF STRENGTH TRAINING AND CONDITIONING Second Edition – Baechle and Earle

TESTING Reasons for testing Testing helps athletes and coaches asses athletic talent and identify physical abilities and areas in need of improvement. Test scores can be used in goal setting. Help track the athlete’s progress in reaching those goals.

TESTING Assessment of athletic talent It is important for a coach to determine whether an individual has the physical potential to play a sport at the competitive level of the team. Field tests serve as a tool for such assessment.

TESTING Setting realistic goals Setting goals gives purpose and direction to the training program and promotes athletes intrinsic motivation, self confidence, and sense of responsibility.

TESTING Establishing goals for the athlete. 1.The coach must be aware of the basic physical abilities required for performance at the competitive level of the team. 2.The coach must have enough knowledge about exercise science to have a good idea of what a training program can achieve for each individual.

TESTING 3.Goals should be realistic and organised into short-range, midrange, long-range, and career goals. 4.The coach should encourage athletes to internalise the goals to promote the physical, mental, and emotional commitment necessary to work towards the goals.

TESTING 5.Athletes should regularly review and update their goals with the help of their coach. 6.At the end of the competitive season, the coach should assist each athlete in establishing training goals for the off-season and help develop the training programs needed to achieve those goals.

TESTING Testing terminology Test – a procedure for assessing ability in a particular endeavour. Field test – a test used to assess ability that is performed away from the laboratory and does not require extensive training or expensive equipment.

TESTING Measurement – the process of collecting test data. Evaluation – the process of analysing test results for the purpose of making decisions. Pre-test – a test administered before training begins to determine the athlete’s initial basic ability levels.

TESTING Midtest – a test administered one or more times during the training period to assess progress and modify the program as needed to maximise benefit. Post-test – test administered after the training period to determine the success of the training program in achieving the training objectives.

TESTING Validity Is the degree to which a test or test item measures what it is supposed to measure; this is the most important characteristic of testing.

TESTING Reliability Is a measure of the degree of consistency or repeatability of a test. A test must be reliable to be valid, because highly variable results have little meaning.

TESTING Test selection When evaluating tests for high levels of validity and reliability, the strength and conditioning professional must rely on their knowledge base and practical experience in the sport. Such as the following;

TESTING Metabolic specificity – a valid test must emulate the energy requirements of the sport for which ability is being assessed. Sport specificity – all else being equal, the more similar the test is to an important movement in the sport, the better.

TESTING Experience and training status – for a well-trained, experienced athlete, a technique-intensive test may be appropriate because it can be very sport specific, and poor technique can be assumed not to impair performance of the test. However, this assumption cannot be made for an athlete just learning or trying out for a sport. Testers must also consider the training status of the athlete being tested. It would not be fair, for example to do a strength test using free-weight equipment for an athlete who has been training exclusively with isokinetic equipment.

TESTING Age and sex Both age and sex can affect the validity and reliability of a test. Environmental factors Such as temperature, humidity, and altitude can also influence test performance, so testers should try to standardise environmental conditions as much as possible.

TESTING Test administration Health and safety considerations. Selection and training of testers. Recording forms. Test format. Testing batteries and multiple testing trials

TESTING Test administration (cont) Sequence of tests; Non fatiguing tests Agility tests Maximum power and strength tests Sprint tests Local muscular endurance tests Fatiguing anaerobic capacity tests Aerobic capacity tests

TESTING  Preparing athletes for testing The date, time, and purpose of a test battery should be announced in advance to allow athletes to prepare physically and mentally. To maximise test reliability, athletes should be familiar with test content and procedures. The clarity and simplicity of instructions have a direct bearing on the reliability and objectivity of a test.