Principles of Test Selection and Administration

Principles of Test Selection and Administration chapter11 Principlesof Test Selectionand Administration Everett Harman, PhD, CSCS, NSCA-CPT

Key Point • Testing can be used to assess athletic talent, identify physical abilities and areas in need of improvement, set goals, and evaluate progress.

Evaluation of Test Quality • Validity • The degree to which a test or test item measures what it is supposed to measure • The most important characteristic of testing • Reliability • A measure of the degree of consistency or repeatability of a test

Evaluation of Test Quality • Reliability • Measurement error can arise from the following: • Intrasubject (within subjects) variability • Lack of interrater (between raters) reliability or agreement • Intrarater (within raters) variability • Failure of the test itself to provide consistent results

Key Terms • intrasubject variability: The lack of consistent performance by the person tested. • interrater reliability: The degree to which different raters agree; also referred to as objectivity or interrater agreement. • intrarater variability: The lack of consistent scores by a given tester.

Test Selection • Metabolic Energy System Specificity • Consider the energy demands (phosphagen, glyco-lytic, and oxidative) of the sport when choosing or designing tests. • Biomechanical Movement Pattern Specificity • The more similar the test is to an important move-ment in the sport, the better.

Key Point • Athletes’ experience, training status, age, and sex can affect test performance, so these factors should be considered in test selection. Environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and altitude can also influence test performance, so testers should try to standardize environmental conditions as much as possible.

Test Administration • Selection and Training of Testers • Provide testers with practice and training. Ensure consistency among testers. • Recording Forms • Prepare scoring forms ahead of time to increase efficiency and reduce recording errors. • Test Format • Consider whether athletes will be tested all at once or in groups. The same tester should administer a given test to all athletes if possible. Each tester should administer one test at a time.

Test Administration • Testing Batteries and Multiple Testing Trials • Duplicate test setups can be used for large groups. • Allow 2 to 3 minutes of rest between attempts that are not close to the athlete’s maximum, 3 to 5 minutes between attempts that are close to the maximum, and at least 5 minutes between test batteries.

Key Point • When multiple trials of a test or a batteryof tests are performed, allow complete recovery between trials.

Test Administration • Sequence of Tests • Nonfatiguing tests • Agility tests • Maximum power and strength tests • Sprint tests • Local muscular endurance tests • Fatiguing anaerobic capacity tests • Aerobic capacity tests

Test Administration • Preparing Athletes for Testing • Announce the date, time, and purpose of a test battery in advance. • Host a pretest practice session. • Provide clear and simple instructions. • Demonstrate proper test performance. • Organize a pretest warm-up. • Tell athletes their test scores after each trial. • Administer a supervised cool-down period.

Administration, Scoring, and Interpretation of Selected Tests chapter12 Administration, Scoring, andInterpretationof Selected Tests Everett Harman, PhD, CSCS, NSCA-CPTJohn Garhammer, PhD, CSCS, NSCA-CPT, FNSCA

Measuring Parametersof Athletic Performance • Maximum Muscular Strength (Low-Speed Strength) • Related to the force a muscle or muscle group can exert in one maximal effort • Anaerobic or Maximum Muscular Power (High-Speed Strength) • Related to the ability of muscle tissue to exert high force while contracting at a high speed (also called maximal anaerobic muscular power or anaerobic power)

Measuring Parametersof Athletic Performance • Anaerobic Capacity • Maximal rate of energy production by the combined phosphagen and lactic acid energy systems for moderate-duration activities • Local Muscular Endurance • Ability of certain muscles or muscle groups to per-form repeated contractions against a submaximal resistance

Measuring Parametersof Athletic Performance • Aerobic Capacity • Maximum rate at which an athlete can produce energy through oxidation of energy resources (carbohydrates, fats, and proteins) • Usually expressed as a volume of oxygen consumed per kilogram of body weight per minute (i.e., ml · kg–1 · min–1); also called aerobic power

Measuring Parametersof Athletic Performance • Agility • Ability to stop, start, and change the direction ofthe body or body parts rapidly and in a controlled manner • Speed • Movement distance per unit time, typically quantified as the time taken to cover a fixed distance • Flexibility • Range of motion about a body joint

Measuring Parametersof Athletic Performance • Body Composition • Relative proportions by weight of fat and lean tissue • Anthropometry • The science of measurement applied to the human body • Generally includes measurements of height, weight, and selected body girths

Margaria-Kalamen Test • Figure 12.2 (next slide) • The slide shows the setup for the Margaria-Kalamen stair sprint test. • The athlete sprints toward the stairs from a standing start 20 feet (6 m) from the base of the stairs and then up the staircase three steps at a time. • Power in watts is calculated as the athlete’s weight (w) in newtons times height (h) in meters from the third step to the ninth step divided by the measured time interval (t) in seconds; P (watts) = (w × h) / t.

Figure 12.2 Reprinted, by permission, from Fox, Bowers, and Foss, 1993.

300-Yard Shuttle • Figure 12.3 (next slide) • The slide shows the ground layout for the 300-yard (274 m) shuttle. • Pair off athletes of similar ability. • The athletes sprint to the line 25 yards (22.86 m) away, then immediately sprint back to the first line. Six such round trips are made as fast as possible without stopping. • The average of two trials is recorded to the nearest 1.0 second.

Figure 12.3 Adapted, by permission, from Gilliam, 1983.

T-Test • Figure 12.7 (next slide) • The slide shows the floor layout for the T-test. • The test begins with the athlete standing at point A. The athlete: • Sprints to point B and touches the base of the cone with the right hand. • Shuffles left and touches the base of cone C with the left hand. • Shuffles right and touches the base of cone D with the right hand. • Shuffles left and touches the base of cone B with the left hand. • Runs backward past point A.

Figure 12.7 Adapted, by permission, from Semenick, 1990.

Hexagon Test • Figure 12.8 (next slide) • The slide shows the floor layout for the hexagon test. • The athlete double-leg hops from the center of the hexagon over each side and back to the center, starting with the side directly in front of the athlete, in a continuous clockwise sequence until all six sides are covered three times (for a total of 18 jumps).

Figure 12.8 Adapted, by permission, from Pauole et al., 2000.

Pro Agility Test • Figure 12.9 (next slide) • The slide shows the layout for the pro agility test. • The athlete sprints 5 yards (4.6 m) to the line on the left, then changes direction and sprints 10 yards (9.1 m) to the line on the right, then again changes direction and sprints 5 yards (4.6 m) to the center line.

Figure 12.9

Statistical Evaluation of Test Data • Developing an Athletic Profile • Select tests that will measure the specific parameters most closely related to the characteristics of the sport or sports in question. • Choose valid and reliable tests to measure these parameters, and arrange the testing battery in an appropriate order with sufficient rest between tests to promote test reliability. • Administer the test battery to as many athletes as possible. • Calculate percentile ranks to present a visual profile. • Evaluate the athlete based on percentile rank within the group and against the individual’s best performances over previous years, if possible.

Principles of Test Selection and Administration