Testing for Athletes
A key part of athletic development is being able to monitor progression. So what is the importance and justification behind objective and subjective testing for athletic populations?
Monitoring programs is important due to the multifaceted requirements of an elite athlete. When looking to improve athletic performance there are four main subdivisions that must be considered, tactical, technical, psychological and physiological (Bangsbo et al., 2006). Therefore strength and conditioning coaches should use testing in order to deliver programs that can create specific adaptations targeted towards the athlete’s outcome goals. Although monitoring programs are key in tracking program effectiveness related to physiological adaptation, they also play a crucial role in psychological well-being as well. Specifically monitoring the athlete’s health and well-being gives insight into motivational levels, emotional levels, fatigue and overtraining. These are all factors that need to be addressed in order for the athlete to maintain high levels of performance (Barker & Armstrong, 2011).
Barker and Armstrong (2011) identified specific rationale for employing a monitoring program within athletic development. Ongoing assessment is key in providing feedback to coaches, identifying strengths and weaknesses of the athlete, aiding in talent identification and assessing the effectiveness of the program (Barker & Armstrong, 2011). Furthermore it provides motivation through measureable goals for the athlete and it encourages a depth of knowledge related to the sport (Barker & Armstrong, 2011). Monitoring is crucial for short and long term goal setting through macro-cycling, meso-cycling and micro-cycling. This relates to both competition planning as well as return to sport rehabilitation both physically and psychologically. Monitoring with objective and subjective testing can set guidelines for when an athlete is ready to compete or ready to return to full training (Bangsbo et al., 2006).
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References:
Bansgbo, J., Mohr, M., Poulsen, A., Perez-Gomez, J., & Krustrup, P. (2006). Training and testing the elite athlete. Journal of Exercise Science, 4(1), 1-14.
Barker, A. R. & Armstrong, N. (2011). Exercise testing elite young athletes. Medicine Sport Science, 56, 106-125.