Australian Rules Football
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Fitness Testing for AFL
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.
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 run.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 |
- an anaerobic sprint test, where players are required to run 30m six times, with a 20-second break each time.
|
Agility |
- A specific agility test has been developed for AFL, which involves running in and out and around obstacles.
- 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.
|
Skinolds |
- 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 football skills.
|
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
|
Decision Making |
- Good decision making is an important skill for an AFL player.
|
Reaction Time |
- Though not 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:
- psycholgical test: ability to manage pressure, make sense of confusing situations
- psycholgical test: emotional intelligence
- psycholgical 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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