Quadrathlon Power Test
The Quadrathlon (or Quad test) is a series of four power tests, originally devised in 1982 by Max Jones, a throwing event coach for England's track and field team, to test for explosive power improvement of the national throws squad (javelin, shot-put, discus, hammer throwers). The four events of the quadrathlon are the standing long jump, 3-hop test, 30m sprint and the overhead shot throw. This series of tests were developed to measure the athlete's level of speed, strength, explosiveness, and power.
The Four Tests of the Quadrathlon
- Standing long jump — jump off two legs into a sand pit for maximal distance.
- 3-hop test — three consecutive horizontal double-leg jumps, taking off both legs at once.
- 30m sprint — running speed test over 30 meters.
- Overhead shot throw — start facing away from the throwing direction. Bend legs, then drive upwards to throw the shot back over the head to achieve maximum horizontal distance. Use a 16lbs. (male) or 12 lbs. (female) shot put.
Scoring the Quadrathlon Test
The athlete gets three attempts at each test, with the greatest distance or fastest time recorded for each used in the scoring procedure. Points are allocated from the Quadrathlon points table depending on the distance or time achieved for each activity. You can also use these equations to determine the points for each test, where D and T are the distance and time result for the tests:
- Standing Long Jump Points = -36.14048 + (D × 37.268536) + (D2 × -0.128057)
- Three Hop Test Points = -36.36996 + (D × 12.478922) + (D2 × -0.007423)
- 30-Metre Sprint Points = 209.70039 + (T × -36.94427)+ (T2 × 0.165766)
- Overhead Shot Throw Points = -22.32216 + (D × 5.8318756) + (D2 × -0.000334)
Some Top Scores
Here are a few top scores in the quadrathlon, which were collected by Bill Webb and posted online.
- Tom Pappas - 369 points: overhead 20.20m (95pts), long jump 3.40m (86pts), 3-hop 10.31m (88pts), sprint 3.21sec (100pts).
- Trey Hardee 359 points: overhead 18.89m (84pts), long jump 3.33m (82pts), 3-hop 10.60m (93pts), sprint 3.20sec (100pts).
- Bryan Clay - 346 points: overhead 17.40 m (71pts), long jump 3.34m (83pts), 3-hop 10.54m (92pts), sprint 3.21sec (100pts).
- Justin Gatlin - 333 points: overhead 16.49 m (64pts), long jump 3.36m (84pts), 3-hop 10.12m (85pts), sprint 3.14sec (100pts).
- Linford Christie - 315 points: overhead 16.92 m (67pts), long jump 3.13m (72pts), 3-hop 9.58m (76pts), sprint 3.18sec (100pts).
- Daley Thompson - 308 points: overhead 17.36 m (71pts), long jump 3.07m (69pts), 3-hop 9.51m (75pts), sprint 3.40sec (91pts).
References
- Dunn, G.D., and McGill, K. (2003) The Throws Manual, Third Edition. Mountain View, CA: Track and Field News Press
- Stauffer, K., Nagle, E., Goss, F., Robertson, R. (2010) Assessment of anaerobic power in female division 1 collegiate basketball players. Journal of Exercise Physiology Online 13(1):1-9
- Stauffer, K. A., Nagle-Stilley, E., Goss, F., Robertson, R., Irrgang, J. Comparison of the Max Jones Quadrathlon with the Vertical Jump and Wingate Cycle Ergometer Tests. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: May 2007 - Volume 39 - Issue 5 - p S345
- Stauffer, Kory Allen (2005) THE COMPARISON OF THE MAX JONES QUADRATHLON WITH THE VERTICAL JUMP AND WINGATE CYCLE TESTS AS A METHOD TO ASSESS ANAEROBIC POWER IN FEMALE DIVISION I COLLEGE BASKETBALL PLAYERS. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.
Related Pages
- Quadrathlon points table
- The Jumps Decathlon — 10 events for assessing speed and power
- See the list of anaerobic tests for other fitness tests of power.
- Not the same: there is a sport called the Quadrathlon
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