Testing time
Testing is primarily used for help in designing the most appropriate athletic training program for shortterm, midterm and longterm benefits.
Fitness tests may include body composition, cardiovascular, flexibility, strength and endurance testing. Power, speed and agility evaluations may be provided for certain athletes. Fitness tests are designed to monitor progress and to assist in the development of your fitness.
Testing is primarily used for help in designing the most appropriate athletic training program for shortterm, midterm and longterm benefits.
Validity and reliability in fitness testing is vital. Fitness professionals should know and understand the dual concepts of validity and reliability. A reliable measure is measuring something consistently, while a valid measure is measuring what it is supposed to measure. Most of it is lost in translation and the essence of doing the testing is lost if both of these are not adhered to consistently.
Benefits of fitness testing Identify strengths and weaknesses:
One of the most important benefits of testing is to establish the strengths and weaknesses of the athlete on varied components of fitness specific to specific sports. This is done by comparing fitness test results to other athletes in the same sport or skill set.
By comparing normative testing data to see the areas that need improvement, the training programme can be modified accordingly. This way, specific training time can be used more prudently. However, beware that some athletes excel in their performance in their sport despite their nonadvantageous physiological attributes.
The initial testing session can give athletes an idea of where their fitness levels are at the start of a programme. Comparative analysis on testing results is valuable for future targets or goals. A baseline is especially important if you are about to embark on a new training phase. Fitness tests should be planned at regular intervals before the new phase of training. This is where a periodical regime comes into play for specific protocols.
By repeating tests at regular intervals,
Monitor progress and set targets:
you can get an idea of the effectiveness of the training programme designed. The timeframe between tests can depend on the availability of time/tournament/season/etc. Depending on these factors, the period between tests may range from two weeks to six months. It usually takes a minimum of threesix weeks to see a palpable change in many aspects of fitness.
The targets often help on focus and are a pathway to improve on certain test scores, as the athletes know that they will be tested again at a later date on parameters specific to their needs.
Although testing has been used in this way for talent identification at times, it has generally not been very reliable in predicting the future success of juniors (mainly due to varying growth patterns) and in sports that rely heavily on other factors such as technique, tactics, diet, psychological and other factors.
Provide targets:
Talent identification:
Most important factors for success in order of importance in cricket as a sport
1. Speed/quickness, coordination
2. Motivation and selfconfidence, skill
balance
and