Reliability and validity of a novel intermittent peak running speed test for Australian football
- Authors: Mooney, Mitchell , Hunter, Jayden , O'Brien, Brendan , Berry, Jason , Young, Warren
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research Vol. 25, no. 4 (2011), p. 973-979
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Mooney, MG, Hunter, JR, O'Brien, BJ, Berry, JT, and Young, WB. Reliability and validity of a novel intermittent peak running speed test for Australian football. J Strength Cond Res. 25(4): 973-979, 2011-Australian football requires frequent intermittent sprinting close to peak running speed. However, tests assessing the capability to maintain intermittent peak running speed are not reported in scientific literature. Therefore, our objective is to report the reliability and validity of a novel intermittent peak running speed test. The intermittent peak running speed test required footballers to perform 10 repetitions on 25-second intervals. Each repetition required 15-m jogging, 20-m acceleration to peak speed, 10 m to sustain peak speed, 20-m deceleration, and finally a 15-m jog. Intermittent peak running speed was determined by portable global positioning system. To assess reliability, 26 footballers performed the intermittent peak running speed test on 2 occasions 3-5 days apart. Our results revealed that average peak speed had a coefficient of variation of 2.2% and an intraclass correlation of 0.91. To assess construct validity, average peak speed was compared between elite, sub-elite, and regional footballers. The average peak speed of the elite footballers (28.6 ± 1.7 km-h-1) was higher than that of the sub-elite (27.4 6 1.7 km-h -1) and regional (27 6 1.9 km-h-1) competitors (p < 0.05). Our study revealed that the intermittent peak running speed test possesses acceptable reliability and distinguishes between elite and sub-elite footballers. © 2011 National Strength and Conditioning Association.
Repeated sprint training improves intermittent peak running speed in team-sport athletes
- Authors: Hunter, Jayden , O'Brien, Brendan , Mooney, Mitchell , Berry, Jason , Young, Warren , Down, Neville
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research Vol. 25, no. 5 (2011), p. 1318-1325
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Repeated sprint training improves intermittent peak running speed in team-sport athletes. J Strength Cond Res 25(5): 1318-1325, 2011-The aim of this study was to compare the effect of 2 repeated sprint training interventions on an intermittent peak running speed (IPRS) test designed for Australian Rules football. The test required participants to perform 10 3 10-m maximal efforts on an 80-m course every 25 seconds, for each of which the mean peak speed (kilometers per hour) was recorded to determine IPRS. The training interventions were performed twice weekly for 4 weeks immediately before regular football training. In the constant volume intervention (CVol), sprint repetition number remained at 10 (n = 9), and in the linear increase in volume (LIVol) intervention, repetition number increased linearly each week by 2 repetitions (n = 12). Intermittent peak running speed, 300-m shuttle test performance, and peak running speed were assessed before and upon completion of training. All measures were compared to a control group (CON; n = 8) in which players completed regular football training exclusively. Intermittent peak running speed performance in CVol and LIVol improved significantly (p < 0.01) by 5.2 and 3.8%, respectively, with no change in IPRS for CON. There were no differences in IPRS changes between CVol and LIVol. Additionally, peak running speed improved significantly (p < 0.01) by 5.1% for CVol, whereas 300-m shuttle performance improved significantly (p < 0.01) by 2.6% for LIVol only. Intermittent peak running speed, 300-m shuttle performance and peak running speed were improved after 4 weeks of training; however, progressively increasing sprint repetition number had no greater advantage on IPRS adaptation. Additionally, exclusive regular football training over a 4-week period is unlikely to improve IPRS, peak running speed, or 300-m shuttle performance.