BACKGROUND: This study investigated the applicability of a sport-specific test, the Shuttle Swim Test, in young water polo players to measure RSA. The aims were: to assess the reliability and to measure the responsiveness of the SST in young water polo athletes, and to provide age-related values of SST. METHODS: Three hundred thirty-three elite athletes (18.3±5.1 years) were involved in the study. Of these, 99 were young people under 13 (13.1±0.5 years) who also underwent measurements for reliability and responsiveness of the SST The following six measures was used to assess anthropometric characteristics of the sample: height, weight, chest circumference, hip circumference, waist circumference, and arm span. Two performance measures were performed on dry land: push up and chin up. RESULTS: Reliability and responsiveness were measured by comparing the average speed of two trials: SST1 was 1.48±0.13 m/s and SST2 1.47±.12 m/s. The SST showed good reliability in younger athletes (r=0.96). The Minimal Detectable Change is 0.06 m/s (6 seconds of the total time) which corresponds to 3.6% of the average value measured, confirming the good responsiveness of the test. CONCLUSIONS: Coaches and researchers can use this value in the interpretation of the SST test results: changes below these values could be related to a measurement error. The various age-related values reported may help technicians to better interpret the performance of their athletes during competition.
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