This investigation revealed that the between subject variability within a session, and the test-retest reliability of the live reactive agility test-presenter, confounded the subject`s agility measure of total test time. ABSTRACT The utility of a reactive agility test using a live tester (LRAT) was investigated by assessing the variability and reliability of the tester`s movements. Of interest was how the tester`s actions influenced the agility measure of total test time (Ttt). Thirty-one (N=31) semi-elite Australian Rules football players were used to investigate the impact of tester time (TT) variability. A single subject was employed as the test presenter. The LRAT was presented to the playing group on two occasions (test 1 and test 2) separated by a period of 47 days. The impact of the TT on the subject`s agility was investigated for test 1 only. The TT displayed between subject variability within a session. The TT was initiated by the testers` forward movement and ceased the instant the tester planted his outside foot to change direction. This was represented by the coefficient of variation, and the range expressed as a percentage of the mean. These were 4.8% and 25.6%, respectively. To understand the impact of this, subjects were ranked from fastest to slowest for Ttt, before being re-ranked after the TT was removed. This resulted in 22 out of the 31 subjects changing rank. The test-retest for the TT revealed a very large and significant decrease in time (p = .0001). This was accompanied by an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of -0.04. Thus, the TT failed to provide a stable measure. Based on these findings it is recommended that measures such as agility time (AT), i.e. Ttt minus the TT, be used instead of Ttt. Further, isolating measures of perception and decision-making abilities (PDM) from the physical qualities is recommended to enhance agility inferences.
© Copyright 2019 Journal of Australian Strength and Conditioning. Australian Strength and Conditioning Association. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.