Fitness Testing Notes

Fitness Testing

Year 9 HPE, Unit 2 - Exercise Physiology.

Learning Goal

  • To develop a fitness/skill test for a specific football position.
  • Outline key criteria for quality fitness tests.
  • Practice analyzing fitness test results.
  • Design your own fitness test for a specific football position.

Why do Fitness Testing?

  • Fitness tests measure a specific component of fitness relevant to a sport.
  • Testing can:
    • Identify strengths and weaknesses.
    • Provide feedback on the effectiveness of training.
    • Determine what exercises to perform.
    • Provide benchmarks for comparisons to future tests.

What Makes a Good Fitness Test?

There are several criteria for quality fitness tests:

  • Specificity: Does the test measure the required fitness component?
  • Feedback: Does the test provide results you can interpret?
  • Accuracy and Reliability: Will the test provide the same results under the same conditions?
  • Practicality: Is it practical to perform the test in the conditions available?

Fitness Tests for Aerobic Capacity

  • VO2 Max Test
  • Beep Test / Multi-Stage Fitness Test

Analysis of Aerobic Capacity Fitness Tests

Complete a table for each aerobic capacity fitness test (VO2 Max Test, Beep Test).
Consider responses in the tables. Why do schools only use the Beep Test?

Fitness Test Analysis

Fitness test analysis 1

An athlete has presented to you to trial as a forward/striker in your football team.

  • Complete the fitness component column for each test.
  • Analyze his fitness test results below to determine his suitability for that position.
  • Write a paragraph on the strengths and weaknesses of this athlete, justifying your response with data from the fitness tests.

Fitness test analysis 2

Your starting central defender has returned from off-season and recorded these results.

  • Analyze his fitness test results below to determine his current strengths and weaknesses.
  • What impact will these current results have on his performance during a game?
  • Outline a pre-season fitness training program for this athlete, justifying your response with data from the fitness tests.
  • What do they need to work on the most for their position?

Fitness test analysis 3

Two new students have attended pre-season training.

  • Neither have played competitive football before.
  • Both have good core football skills.
  • Your team desperately needs a midfielder.
  • Both completed fitness tests.
  • Which athlete will you choose to develop as a midfielder? Why?
  • Use information from the stimulus to justify your answer.

Design Your Own Fitness Test

Your task (in pairs) is to design your own fitness test relevant to a specific football position.

  • The test can incorporate an element of skill.
  • It must be specific, practical, accurate, reliable, and provide feedback (results) which can be measured against others. Results should indicate suitability for that position.
  • Use the data below (number of repeated types of effort in a game - Physical Demands of Different Positions in FA Premier League Soccer - PMC (nih.gov)) to help guide you towards the appropriate structure for your test.