Reliability - how accurate the test is for the individual. Factors to consider:
Practicality - is the test appropriate for the tester and the performer
Validity - is the test valid or suitable for a performer or the component of fitness being tested.
● flexibility: sit and reach test (usually measured in cm or inches)
Equipment: Sit and reach box
Advantages: Easily repeatable, requires little space, not affected by weather, minimal human error.
Disadvantages: Sit and reach box costs approximately £60, only measures flexibility in the hamstrings and lower back.
Video link to test: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpqxTqo0ho4&t=100s
● strength: grip test (usually measured in KgW)
Equipment: Grip dynamometer
Advantages: Easily repeatable, requires little space, not affected by weather, minimal human error.
Disadvantages: Grip dynamometer costs approximately £60, only measures strength in the wrist, forearm and upper arm.
Video link to test: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuitc8J_Df4&t=101s
● aerobic endurance: multi-stage fitness test, known as the bleep test (usually predicted in ml/kg/min)
Equipment: Audio equipment, tape measure and cones (to measure out 20m in distance)
Advantages: accurate measure of aerobic endurance.
Disadvantages: requires large amount of motivation, needs large space, can be expensive (needs audio equipment), can be affected by the weather if completed outside.
Video link to test: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lre_XqTmN0c
● aerobic endurance: forestry step test (usually predicted in ml/kg/min) definition of VO2 max (ml/kg/min): the maximum amount of oxygen uptake, usually measured in ml of oxygen per kg of body mass per minute. It is a measure of cardiorespiratory endurance.
Equipment: 40cm bench (males), 31cm bench (females), stopwatch, metronome (audio equipment) calibrated to 90bpm
Advantages: does not require large amounts of space.
Disadvantages: not sport specific, can be expensive (needs audio equipment), can be affected by human error (miscounting heart beat)
Video link to test: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tM0DadTbY1M
● speed: 35m sprint (usually measured in s)
Equipment: cones, tape measure, stopwatch and assistant.
Advantages: cheap to run, accurate measure of speed.
Disadvantages: can be affected by the weather, needs a large space, can be affected by human error (mistiming the stop watch)
Video link to test: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntuLeV9KbAQ
● speed and agility: Illinois agility run test (usually measured in s)
Equipment: cones, tape measure, stopwatch and assistant.
Advantages: cheap to run, accurate measure of agility.
Disadvantages: can be affected by the weather, needs a large space, can be affected by human error (mistiming the stop watch)
Video link to test: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEKfx0FHF-w
● anaerobic power: vertical jump test (usually measured in kgm/s)
Equipment: vertical jump board, assistant and chalk.
Advantages: easily repeatable, requires little space, not affected by weather.
Disadvantages: can be affected by human error (without chalk) by misreading the board, needs to be calibrated correctly to be accurate.
Video link to test: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJUHSv20Ayg
● muscular endurance: one-minute press-up, one-minute sit-up (usually measured in number of reps/minute)
Equipment: mat, stopwatch, assistant.
Advantages: cheap, requires little space, minimal human error.
Disadvantages: only measures endurance in specific muscles, requires athlete motivation.
Video link to test: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6Qa3Qg58UU
● body composition: Body Mass Index (BMI) (usually measured in kg/m²) - calculated by dividing weight in kg, by height x height (in metres)
Equipment: Scales, height measure, calculator
Advantages: quick and easy to do, not intrusive.
Disadvantages: does not measure body fat or percentage of muscle, therefore not a trustworthy measure of body composition
Video link to test: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6t7-bee20E
● body composition: Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA), used for prediction of percent body fat
Advantages: accurate, non intrusive
Disadvantages: requires specialist equipment, expensive.
Video link to test: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTcUS3qCLSU&t=2s
● body composition: skinfold testing via the Jackson-Pollock nomogram method for prediction of percent body fat (sites for males: chest, abdominal and thigh; sites for females: triceps, suprailiac and thigh)
Equipment: Callipers.
Advantages: cheap and easy to run. Measures percentage body fat.
Disadvantages: is intrusive, requires knowledge to carry out the test.
Often four mark questions are split into two parts, e.g. Explain the advantages and disadvantages of the Illinois Run for a rugby player (4 marks).
For this it is important to consider one advantage and one disadvantage, then adding in an impact to get the full marks.
E.g. An advantage of the illinois run is that it is sport specific for a rugby player. This means that it replicates the action a rugby player will use when running past the opposition defenders, making it a valid test. However a disadvantage is that there is an element of human error, when mistiming the stopwatch, this could lead to an unreliable result.