The Pro-Agility Test, otherwise known as the 5-10-5 shuttle or the 20-yard shuttle test was first developed and administered using the protocol outlined by Harmann et al., (1). It is used as part of the performance testing battery for the US National Football League (NFL) and US National Hockey League (NHL) combine testing, and for the SPARQ rating for baseball, hockey, and American football.
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‘This is the Nike SPARQ version of the Yo-yo intermittent recovery test, level two.’For many players (thankfully, not myself), this one line of dialogue is enough to cause cold sweats, shivers, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting. It’s the kind of side effects that you usually only hear at the end of a pharmaceutical advertisement, when you think to yourself, why would anyone want to take that willingly. At its best, the beep test can scare players into running their asses off all summer. At its worst, it can do some real damage to your players, both physically and mentally. I know of players, friends of mine, who developed eating disorders, simply because they were so scared of failing their fitness tests.
If you ask me, there is no reason to run tests like these in preseason, or ever.Before all the fitness gurus lose their minds, please hear me out. I do believe that in the fitness world, max out aerobic tests have their place, when used in the right context. They can help measure a player’s aerobic capacity and VO2 max, and give their coach an idea as to where they stand fitness wise. I am also not suggesting eliminating the test because I myself was bad at fitness tests.
Far from it actually, I (almost) always crushed them:D. My highest Yo-yo level 1 score was 45, and I consistently run a sub 5:30 mile and sub 11:30 2 mile.On one team I played for, we opened day one of preseason with a timed mile or 2-mile test, 300-yard shuttle test and repeated full field sprint test. What could possibly go wrong with running a couple of max out tests on the first day of preseason? Well, let me tell you.First off, for those who don’t know, max-out aerobic tests are ‘go until exhaustion’ tests, so you are already risking injury with any type of high volume aerobic test. I can vividly remember the first day of preseason one year We had NINE players out for the afternoon session through a combination of injuries, ineligibilities, and not being allowed to play because they had failed one of the three tests. If you want to be able to train with your full team right from the start and through into the season, why risk serious injury right away? And if you decide to hold players out of training because they are deemed ‘unfit’ through test failure, how will they become ‘football fit’ without training?The second problem I have with max-out tests is this; any type of training following a test like this is compromised because of the fatigue.
This makes it nearly impossible to repeat the test in-season, (especially in a season like college or high school, when you’re only really competing between August and early November). So, after the initial test, there is no data to compare it to (unless you are willing to sacrifice a day of training to try and get an accurate reading, which most coaches aren’t, and shouldn’t). I also think it’s safe to say the majority of coaches don’t have a fitness background, and as a result they don’t know how to interpret the data they gather and how to properly implement it on a per player basis. It simply sits in an excel spreadsheet until the next preseason.And thirdly, many players will run themselves into the ground and not even dream about touching a ball in order to pass a fitness test. I have many friends who were so scared of failing their test that they couldn’t eat, sleep or function because of it.
I think on the women’s side this is a huge issue, and if you do coach women, you have to be especially sensitive about what this could do to their life. You could be setting them up to have major issues for the rest of high school/college and beyond.When you run these kinds of tests, you are saying that isolated fitness is of greater importance than the performance of the team.If, in spite of all my reasons, you still feel that you have to have a max-out aerobic fitness test during preseason, here are my suggestions on how to implement it as safely as possible. Don’t do it on day one.
Everyone is nervous, especially newer players, and the chances of a player trying to make a good first impression and ending up with a torn hamstring are much higher on the first day. Give it a week or 3-4 days. Run a test that is as similar to the sport as possible.
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So for football, while the 2-mile test sounds great in theory, it is really not a conducive test to football fitness at all. Run the Yo-yo test, or a variation of it where players have to run, rest, catch their breath, and repeat. No training session afterward, or a session that is strictly tactical or set pieces. The quality of the play in the training session will be terrible due to the fatigue of the players, unless you do something with very light intensity.
Understand that some players just don’t do well on fitness tests, regardless of how much they train for them. A benchmark number on a fitness test is nice, but in reality it is really just a number (usually one that you made up in your head because it sounded nice). Judge the player by how they do in an 11v11 matchwhich leads me to my suggestions if you decide to take my advice and NOT run a max out test. Train light on day one and play 11v11 on day two or three.
Let the assistant coach run the session while you watch and take notes on players fitness. Look for fitness in the context of the game, as in, see how long it takes before the speed of play slows. That will give you a pretty good indication of how fit your team really is. Obviously DO NOT play two 45 minute halves, because that would risk injury.
Aim for a block of 10 to 12 minutes with a 2 minute rest between sets. Running in isolation is nice in theory, but how long a team can maintain a specific playing style is the true definition of soccer fitness. Run a non-max out aerobic test + a repeatable test for lower body power, such as a standing long jump, interval run test, and body composition test, and monitor it every few weeks throughout the season. This is what do to gauge how fit and how fresh their players are. These tests are easily repeatable as they are not max out tests. If a player’s jump, body comp, or interval run score is dramatically falling below their preseason number, they could be over trained and at risk of injury.
Tell your players before they leave for break that they will be no fitness test, and that they will be judged on how they can perform in the team environment. Tell them exactly how you want them to train during the summer, and let them know that what matters most is what they can bring to the table to help the team win.Not only will you be saving Sarah the sophomore from a host of psychological struggles, but you will keep her love and passion for the game alive. She won’t develop an eating disorder thinking about the first week of preseason, and you’ll have a much better chance of training with your full squad all through preseason and not having to fill holes immediately because of soft tissue injuries that could have been avoided.Yes, there will always be those players who slack off during the summer because they think they can get away with it, but you will be able to spot that a mile away in an 11v11 game. You can explain to them in sport specific terms why they aren’t playing.
Don’t kill a player’s love for the game just to keep the lazy players moving. Let’s raise the bar and give players the experience that we would’ve wanted if we were in their boots.
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March 2023
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