Developing a field test that measures sport specific capacities is a difficult task, as the test has to measure the specific capacities needed to succeed in the sport in question. This was noted early on in sport science, as standardised fitness tests were not sufficient in predicting success in the given sport. I.e. an athlete could perform well on a standardised VO2 max test on a treadmill but were unable to repeat the sporting actions to the same degree as other players whom did not perform as well in the standardised test. For this reason, the authors attempted to formulate a field test that would replicate the dynamic actions of squash and compare the results against a standardised treadmill test.
Method – How the authors conducted the test.
Overall, 13 individuals participated in the study. Seven participants were male and six were female. All players belonged to the German junior squash team.
Prior to any testing taking place, a rank-order was established for the participants. This was done by the coach/trainer based on competitive results of the previous season and on a subjective estimate of the players squash fitness level. The rank-order was made without knowledge of the results and was independent of age and sex. From the rank order-list, fitness coefficients were derived and served as a basis for comparison between the results of laboratory and field tests.
“A coefficient measures a certain property or characteristic of a data set, phenomenon, or process, given specified conditions. The most common coefficient in statistics is the Pearson’s correlation coefficient which is demonstrated by an ‘r: A Pearson’s correlation coefficient tells us the degree of correlation between two variables. “r” values range from −1 to 1, one being a perfect positive correlation, 0 equates to no correlation, and -1 equates to a perfect negative correlation. Typically, values over 0.90 are considered acceptable.”
The first test that was conducted was the lab test which was performed on a treadmill. At the beginning of the test, the treadmill was set at 6km/hr and at a 5% incline. Every 3 minutes, the speed of the treadmill would increase by 2km/hr until exhaustion was reached.
The field test was conducted three days following the initial test. This set up of the field test can be seen in figure one. Note: no dimensions were given for the placement of the lamps and balloons as denoted in figure one. To complete this test, players ran from the “T” to the corresponding light bulb that was lit and struck the balloon. The pattern was a fixed sequence and was selected for the corresponding exercise intensity. Similar to the treadmill protocol, the test consisted of three minutes of exercise per level, starting with 12 light pulses a minute which equated to 36 movements for the first level. Intensity was increased by two pulses a minute (six pulses per level) until exhaustion was met. This was defined as a period in which a lamp was lit before the preceding balloon was touched by the player.
For both tests, lactate was taken from the ear lobe at rest, during a 45 second rest interval between periods of activity immediately after the activity. Lactate was also taken one and three minutes after the cessation of the test.
Results - what did the authors find.
The authors found a significant correlation between the rank order and the field test (r=0.90, p=0.005), whilst the correlation was not significant between rank-orders laboratory test and actual fitness (r=0.52, p>0.05). This can be seen in Figure 1 and Figure 2. Additional data tables have been uploaded and can be retrieved below.
Maximal blood lactate concentrations for the field test were significantly higher than the laboratory test; alternatively, the recovery rate was much faster following the field test than it was for the laboratory test. This can be attributed to the amount of muscular work needed to execute a squash motion (accelerate, negatively accelerate into a lunge position, strike the balloon, push off, run backwards to the “T”) compared to running on a treadmill. As it regards recovery, players may recover faster from the field test due to the specific training and thus specific adaptations caused from participating in squash.
The heart rate data showed that regardless of the test, the athletes were under maximal stress. It should be noted that although the mean heart rate max values were lower in the field test, the athletes were working at a high proportion of their heart rate maximum which can be supported by the fact that athletes surpassed their anaerobic threshold by the second intensity step of the field test. Again, the increase in lactate in the system may be due to the increased muscular work needed to perform the field test.
One may also note that the higher order-ranked athletes from coaches (starting from A), were typically the best performers in the field test, which could indicate that their squash fitness (defined as the ability to perform squash motions) and threshold intensity was much great than those ranked below.
The authors concluded that the field-test displayed reliable estimates of the squash players fitness and may be used in place or in addition to laboratory tests.
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Dominic Benacquista - Global Squash Coach
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Reference:
Steininger, K., & Wodick, R. E. (1987). Sports-specific fitness testing in squash. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 21(2), 23-26.