Testing Fitness

1. Testing Fitness

2. Testing and Evaluating Fitness • Every individual has a different level of fitness. It is possible to test to see what this level is. Athletes usually test their fitness often. • Reasons for testing. • Tests can give information on the levels of health and fitness to an individual. • Results can be used as a base line at the start of a fitness programme. • Results can be used to plan a fitness programme specific for an individual.. • By repeating tests you can see if you’ve made progress. • Results can be used to see what the fitness levels of an individual are that’s been unable to train because of illness or injury. • Individuals can compare their scores with other elite players.

3. Testing and Evaluating Fitness The first tests are those of body composition. This means :- Height, weight, percentage body fat, Body mass index (BMI)- which is your weight compared to your height. This isn’t always a good indication of health and fitness as top sportspersons usually have a high amount of muscle and so a high BMI

4. Testing Aerobic Fitness • Harvard Step test • Equipment – bench / chair 50cm in height • stopwatch • step onto the bench 30 times a minute for 5 minutes • rest for 2 minute then take your pulse for 15 seconds • calculate your fitness using the formula below. • Score = • length of exercise in seconds(5x60) x 100 5.5 x pulse • The higher the score the more fit you are

5. Testing Aerobic Fitness • Cooper Test • Equipment – running track measured out • Stopwatch and whistle • Warm up by jogging on the • When you hear the whistle begin running around the track as fast as you can counting the laps you make. • You will hear the whistle again after 12 minutes – stop running • The further you have run the more fit you

6. Testing Aerobic Fitness • Multistage Fitness Test (Blip) • This measures your maximum usage of oxygen - VO2max. • This is the most amount of oxygen you can use when exercising. The higher your score the fitter you are. • Equipment – distance of 20m marked out • Copy of the test and a tape recorder • Run backwards and forwards between the lines to each blip. • When the blip speeds up you must also speed up • Stop when you can no longer reach the line to the blip • You will have finished on a specific level and can calculate your VO2max from the table.

7. Testing Other Components of Fitness 1. Grip Strength The athlete using their dominant hand applies as much grip pressure as possible on the dynamometer The assistant records the maximum reading (kg) The athlete repeats the test 3 times The assistant uses the highest recorded value to assess the athlete’s performance

8. Testing Other Components of Fitness 2. Muscular Endurance – Abdominals • The Sit Ups Test is conducted as follows: • Lie on the mat with the knees bent, feet flat on the floor and the arms folded across the chest • Assistant can hold your feet on the ground • Start each sit up with back on the floor • Raise yourself to the 90 degree position and then return to the floor • The feet can be held by a partner • Record the number of sits up completed in 30 seconds

9. Testing Other Components of Fitness • 2. Muscular Endurance – Upper Body • The Press Up Test is conducted as follows: • Lie on the mat, hands shoulder width apart & fully extend the arms • Lower the body until the elbows reach 90° • Return to the starting position with the arms fully extended • The push up action is to be continuous with no rest • Complete as many push ups as possible in 30 seconds • Record the total number of full body push ups • Female athletes tend to have less relative strength in the upper body and therefore can use the modified press up position to assess their upper body strength.

10. Testing Other Components of Fitness 3. Flexibility - Sit and Reach Test • The Sit and Reach Test is conducted as follows: • The starting position is sitting on the floor with shoes removed, feet flat against the table, and legs straight • Reach forward and push the fingers along the table as far as possible • The distance from the finger tips to the edge of the table represents the score for that person • As the 'sit and reach' table has an overhang of 15 cm, a person who reaches 10 cm past their toes scores 25 cm • It is important to have several warm-up attempts first, and to record the best score

11. Testing Other Components of Fitness 4. Leg Power - Standing Long Jump Test The athlete stands behind a line marked on the ground with feet slightly apart. A two foot take-off and landing is used, with swinging of the arms and bending of the knees to provide forward drive. The subject attempts to jump as far as possible, landing on both feet without falling backwards. Three attempts are allowed.

12. Testing Other Components of Fitness 5. Leg Power - Sergeant Jump / Vertical Jump Test • The athlete: • chalks the end of his finger tips • stands side onto the wall, keeping both feet remaining on the ground, reaches up as high as possible with one hand and marks the wall with the tips of the fingers • from a static position jumps as high as possible and marks the wall with the chalk on his finger tips • The coach then measures the distance from mark1 to mark2. The test can be performed as many times as the athlete wishes. • Alternatively a specialised vertical jump board may be used.

13. Testing Other Components of Fitness 6. Agility – Illinois Agility Run • The length of the course is 10 metres and the width (distance between the start and finish points) is 5 metres. On an athletics track, you could use 5 lanes. • 4 cones can be used to mark the start, finish and the two turning points. Each cone in the centre is spaced 3.3 metres apart. • The Illinois Agility Run Test is conducted as follows: • The athlete lies face down on the floor at the start point • On the assistant's command the athlete jumps to his/her feet and negotiates the course around the cones to the finish • The assistant records the total time taken from their command to the athlete completing the course

14. Testing Other Components of Fitness 7. Balance - Standing Stork Test • Stand comfortable on both feet • Hands on your hip • Lift one leg and place the toes of that foot against the knee of the other leg • On command from the coach: • Raise the heel and stand on your toes • Coach starts the stop watch • Balance for as long as possible without letting either the heel touch the ground or the other foot move away from the knee • Coach records the time you were able to maintain the balance • Repeat the test for the other leg

15. Testing Other Components of Fitness 8. Reaction Time - Ruler Drop Test The ruler is held by the assistant between the outstretched index finger and thumb of the athlete's dominant hand, so that the top of the athlete's thumb is level with the zero centimetre line on the ruler. The assistant instructs the athlete to catch the ruler as soon as possible after it has been released. The assistant is to record distance between the bottom of the ruler and the top of the athlete's thumb where the ruler has been caught.

16. Testing Other Components of Fitness 9. Speed - 30 metre Acceleration Test The objective of this test is to monitor the development of the athlete's ability to effectively and efficiently build up acceleration, from a standing start or from starting blocks, to maximum speed. The test comprises of 3 × 30 metre runs from a standing start or from starting blocks and with a full recovery between each run. The assistant should record the time for the athlete to complete the 30 metres.

17. Testing Other Components of Fitness 10. Hand Eye Coordination Test • The objective of the test is to monitor the athlete's Hand Eye coordination skill. • The Hand Eye coordination test is conducted as follows: • Stand two metres away from a smooth wall • Throw a tennis ball with your right hand against the wall and catch it with the left hand • Throw the ball with your left hand against the wall and catch it with the right hand • Repeat for 30 seconds counting the catches