fitness assessments and gathering data Flashcards
Why do we need to assess our fitness levels?
It is important to gather information on your level of fitness for the activity that you participate in order to identify your strengths and weaknesses this will allow you to develop your performance. Fitness assessment in relation to performance development has the following key purposes:
• Provides objective, accurate and reliable information about the performer in relation to the specific performance demands of the activity
• Identifies areas of individual strengths and weaknesses
• Provides a clear focus for planning a programme to improve performance related fitness
• Provides a baseline or start point
• Allows a process of monitoring and recording fitness development through comparison of the results of subsequent tests
The process of fitness assessment allows the individual to progress by maximising strengths and addressing and therefore minimising weaknesses.
The 2 main ways of assessing fitness
There are 2 main ways of assessing fitness the first is assessing fitness directly within the activity and the second is out with the activity through standardised fitness tests.
What are the following should be considered before you begin to collect and record data about your fitness.
- What information is needed?
- What methods will be used to collect data?
- What will the data actually measure?
- How will the data be recorded?
- How will the data be used?
In order for the data collected to be useful it must be ?
- Accurate; a true reflection of the performers ability
- Relevant; to the performer and the activity
- Valid; it actually measures what it sets out to
- Reliable; the assessment can be repeated consistently (test-retest method)
- Objective; it is non biased
- Contributes to informed decision making, and leads to action capable of improving performance
- Enables comparison, by measuring initial baseline data with subsequent assessment
The 2 types of data that can be collected ?
There are 2 types of data that can be collected quantitative which is data that can be specifically measured e.g. objective data like the number of press ups in 30 seconds and qualitative which is data gathered form personal judgements, opinions and reflections e.g. subjective data like a coaches opinion of your performance.
Gathering data within an activity
This involves the fitness level of a performer being assessed while they participate within the activity. Thus the methods that are used have to be carried out as the activity takes place without influencing or intruding on the actual activity. If the method did it would effect the validity of the data and may change the outcome of the activity. It would be ridiculous to stop a game of hockey and carry out a speed test, as this would interfere with the game and we would not be gathering the data within the context of the activity. Gathering data within the activity provides a lot of general information, which then leads to the identification of specific fitness weaknesses, which can then be assessed in greater depth out with the activity through standardised fitness tests.
Methods of gathering information
- Training diary (Thoughts and feelings)
- Coach’s feedback
- Video analysis
- Whole match analysis or observation sheet
- Heart rate monitor
Training diary
The simplest method of gathering data within the activity is through the performers thoughts, feelings and reflections. This is useful as a starting point and can indicate where weaknesses may lie. It is particularly useful for assessing the mental aspects. However it is not totally reliable as it could be biased and is an opinion of the performer not necessarily an actual fact. To gather quality data more scientific procedures need to be adopted.
Coach feedback
This tends to be more accurate as the coach has an expert opinion, which tends to be objective. The coach is comparing your performance to his/her criteria of a good performance drawn from their own experience. Yet again this is an opinion and not a fact and it is governed by the coaches level of experience but can be a good starting point from which to gather more in depth data.
Video analysis
this is a particularly good method of gathering data in any activity but is especially good for team games or fast moving games where something could be missed. Video is particularly useful in these situations as it can be paused or played in slow motion or rewound and replayed as often as the viewer requires. This allows a very accurate and detailed observation to be carried out. Video provides the performer with visual evidence of their performance. Video is also a permanent record that can be compared to a later video to see if there are any changes to the performance after a fitness training programme of improvement has been carried out. However video assessment is only as effective as the criteria that are used to assess it, simply filming your performance and watching it will be of limited value. The most common and easiest way is to analyse the video in relation to criteria on an observation schedule or comparing to a video of a model performance.
whole match analysis or Observation Sheet
This is a sheet, which is made up before participation in the activity. It can take various formats from a simple tally sheet e.g. recording how many breaths that a swimmer takes per length to a complex grid that requires judgements on the effectiveness of a specific aspect of fitness at a specific time in a game. An observation schedule can be tailored to meet the requirements of the activity and the data to be collected. It can gather a lot of general data or much more focussed specific data depending on the criteria used. In order for an observation schedule to be effective there needs to be some time spent considering its design and research to ensure that the criteria it contains are relevant and actually measure what it is intended to. The Schedule is only as effective as the person who completes it. This means that to complete a schedule the observer requires an understanding of the activity. The more complex and detailed the data required the more expertise the observer should have. For simple observation schedules it would be appropriate to use a classmate but for more in depth analysis a teacher or coach would be better. The observation schedule can be completed whilst watching the activity or afterwards from a video of the activity. An observation schedule is an appropriate method as it provides a permanent record, it can identify strengths and weaknesses, it has specific criteria to compare your performance to, it can be made specific to your needs, it is simple to use, can allow a before and after training comparison to check for improvements.
Heart rate monitor
Wearing a heart rate monitor whilst participating in the activity can allow you to measure your heart rate a set times in the game. This can indicate how hard you are working and how your body is coping with the demands of the activity. More detailed analysis can be carried out by interfacing with a computer this can allow you to identify the number of short explosive bursts or longer extended runs, recovery rate and work rate. This is an appropriate method as it can gather very specific and accurate information. The computer data can provide a permanent record and can be used for before and after comparison and you can set training heart rates and monitor these using the watch. However it does not indicate the effectiveness of the work so it is probably best used in conjunction with an observation schedule or video.
