Fitness Component |
example tests |
comments |
Aerobic Fitness |
- The shuttle run (beep) test would usually be the most appropriate test for testing a basketball
team. There are many others which are also suitable: you can find information on many other aerobic tests here.
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Aerobic fitness is a very important component of fitness
for netball. The test should be performed indoor on the same
surface that the game is played on. |
Flexibility |
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Flexibility is important in terms of being injury free and
being able to move freely around the court. Flexibility tests
of other body areas that used in the game would also be suitable. |
Strength and Power |
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Vertical jump ability is very critical for netball. Strength
and power tests should also be done to determine strength
levels and to monitor strength changes in conjunction with
training programs. |
Speed |
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Acceleration is very important in basketball. Most of the
fast running in netball is conducted over a short distance. |
Body Fat |
- Body fat can be measured using the skinfold
method. If this is not available, monitoring body
weight changes would give an indication of body fat changes,
assuming no change in muscle mass.
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Excess body fat would affect the netball player's ability
to jump vertically, move freely around the court, and the
extra weight will increase fatigue during the game. |
Body Size |
- Body size measurements such as height
and arm span are important for success in basketball.
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With junior athletes, these measures can be used for talent
identification |
Agility |
- The 505 agility test measures
the ability to change direction 180 degrees. A 90 degree turn
test would also be suitable for netball.
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The ability to quickly change direction is very important
for netball. In addition to a simple agility test, you could also incorporate
a ball into the testing, with the player having the change
direction in response to a pass. Such additions to a test
will decrease reliability but may increase validity. |
