Athlete Assessment

Question 1

What is a good test?

Answer 1

• Valid (tests what its supposed to, measured using or against an established gold standard)
• Reliable (test-retest, inter/intra rater reliability)
• Sport/Movement Specific (different tests should be used in different situations)
• Practical
• Completed in controlled settings
• Repeated as regular pre-determined intervals
• Interpreted properly

Question 1

Why assess physical fitness in athletes?

Answer 1

• work rate
• concentration
• technical performance
• tactical judgement
• susceptibility to injury

Question 2

How can we use assessment results?

Answer 2

• athlete selection
• provide baseline data for training
• monitor effectiveness of training program
• motivate athlete for training and competition

Question 3

Before testing…

Answer 3

Determine the fitness components of the sport/activity & develop strategy on how to evaluate
- utilize knowledge/experience of coach
- scientific analysis

Question 4

Tools used in assessment

Answer 4

• HR monitors
• Fitness trackers/smartwatches
• respiration
• sleep
• GPS
• eTextiles
• triaxial accelerometers/pedometers

Question 5

What do physiological assessments tell us

Answer 5

• team training/match data
• physiological data tracking
• pre-post injury states
• training program efficacy

Question 6

Lab vs Field Based Assessments

Answer 6

Lab
- more controlled environment (less susceptible to external factors)

Field
- more accessible/lower cost
- may more closely resemble real scenarios
- easy to roll out in larger numbers

Question 7

Direct vs Indirect Assessments

Answer 7

Mechanism through which you are collecting data
- use of of technology/instrumentation
- cost
- training/skill of assessor

examples:
- team tracking
- video analysis
- time motion analysis
- e-textiles
- virtual reality

Question 8

Advantages of Virtual Reality

Answer 8

• focus is on mental performance
• visualization
• repetiton
• no phyiscal demands
• no injury risk

Question 9

When conducting athlete assessment?

Answer 9

Construct appropriate (sport-specific) battery of tests:
- laboratory tests
- laboratory- like tests
- field tests
Recognize practical limitations to testing:
- equipment/facilities
- support personnel
- number of athletes
- level of competition
- cost
- frequency of testing

Question 10

Interpretation & Feedback of Results

Answer 10

Results should be:
- easy to understand
- objectively measured
- evidence-informed interpretations based on appropriate comparative data