Australian Rules Football
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Fitness Testing at the AFL Draft Camp
At the end of each year the AFL conducts a draft camp, at the Australian Institute of Sport, in which prospective AFL players are put through a battery of fitness, physical and psychomotor tests under the eye of clubs looking for the next champion player. The following table lists all the tests that are conducted under each of the three categories, with links to descriptions of many of these tests. There is also a summary of AFL Draft Camp Results over the previous years. There is a video of fitness testing at the AFL draft camp.
| Category |
Tests |
Comments |
| Fitness |
Endurance |
- Two tests of aerobic endurance are conducted at the draft camp, the shuttle
run (beep) test and the three kilometer time-trial. An average score on the beep test at the draft camp run is level 13.3. A very good level is 14-plus and reaching 15-plus is rare.
- Aerobic fitness is a very important component of fitness
for AFL, with some players (depending on the playing position) running over 10 km throughout the duration of a game.
|
| Vertical Jump |
- The vertical
jump test is performed to measure leg power. The test is performed from a standing position, and also a running vertical jump in which the player takes a few strides before leaping off one leg.
- Vertical jump ability is important for any leaping for marks, and particularly important for the rucks when contesting a bounce down.
|
| Speed |
- Sprint
time over 20 meters with a split times for the first 5 and
10 meters, with the best time recorded from three attempts.
- Acceleration (speed over 5 m) is important for breaking away from the opposition player, and a good top running speed is advantageous for longer sprints such as when making a lead.
|
| Repeat Speed / Sprint Recovery |
- an anaerobic sprint-recovery test, where players are required to run 30m six times, with 20-second time cycle. e.g. if the player runs 30 meters in 4.2 seconds, he then has 15.8 seconds to recover before starting his next 30 meter sprint.
|
| Agility |
- The AFL Agility Test is a specific slalom-type agility test has been developed for AFL, which involves running in and out and around obstacles over roughly 40 meters in total.
- The ability to quickly change direction is very important
for AFL to be able to get clear of an opponent.
|
| Physical |
Height |
- A player's height is measured with shoes off.
- Tall players are at an advantage, though there are many successful AFL players that are not tall.
|
| Weight |
- Body mass is measured
- Weight is compared to the height and skinfold measures, to look at how muscular a player is.
|
| Skinfolds |
- Body fat is estimated using the skinfold
method.
- Excess body fat would affect the AFL player's ability
to jump vertically, move freely around the ground, and the
extra weight will increase fatigue.
|
| Flexibility |
- The sit
and reach test is performed to measure lower back and hamstring
flexibility.
- Flexibility is important in terms of being injury free
and being able to move freely around the ground.
|
| Hand Span |
- The size of the hand is determined using the Hand Span Measurement
- The width of the hand outstretched may be related to the ability to grab opposition players and mark the ball.
|
| Arm Length |
- Arm length is measured.
- Longer arms may be an advantage for football players when taking a mark or tackling an opposition player.
|
| Psychomotor |
Kicking Efficiency |
- a kicking skill (efficiency) test was added in 2009, the test designed by former Collingwood great Nathan Buckley. The test is designed to provide analysis of technique, speed of delivery, trajectory and accuracy.
- In this test the players face away from the targets (two-metre wide circles on the ground), turn to receive a ball, turn and, at a moment's notice, aim for the target called out, hitting their teammate within an allocated time. The targets were short (20m), medium (30m) and long (40m) targets on their left and right sides. The players can achieve a score between 1-5 for each of their six kicks, with a possible top score of 30. The score is based on how far their target had to move to mark it. For example, if the receiver did not have to move to receive it, the kick scored five.
|
| Decision Making |
- Good decision making is an important skill for an AFL player.
|
| Reaction Time |
- Though not the one used at the draft camp, there are a couple of reaction time tests available on this site.
- Having a quick reaction time is an important skill for an AFL player.
|
| Peripheral Awareness |
- Peripheral awareness is the ability to be aware of and react to things that are going on around you.
- AFL players need to be able to be aware of what is going on around the field and to be able to react appropriately to what they see.
|
Other tests
These tests have either been suggested, used at one time or have been added to the above test battery:
- psychological test: ability to manage pressure, make sense of confusing situations
- psychological test: emotional intelligence
- psychological test: personal strength
Players have also undergone medical and visual screens, psychomotor tests to measure reaction time, decision making and peripheral awareness tests.
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