Learn about all aspects of testing, and how it gives us a vital insight into a squad’s strengths and areas to improve.
Nearly all teams will use physical tests throughout the year, whether in pre-season, competition-season, or off-season, as it is essential to collect baseline, and incremental measurements, when players are involved in any type of training programme. Testing is done as a means of profiling, player monitoring, and determining whether a player’s performance is increasing or decreasing, and therefore whether their training is being effective and having the desired outcomes. Testing is also done so that staff and coaches can set targets for players, and provide the players with these targets to create buy-in and motivate players.
The tests that will be included in any testing battery will depend upon what the staff and coaches are interested in monitoring, what they are interested in improving, and what they deem to be relevant performance indicators. Coaches and support staff should carefully consider this when planning a testing battery for their players, as testing data is only meaningful when it is appropriate and relevant to the coaches and staff.
The gold-standard of physiological testing usually occurs within a laboratory, where tests can be standardised, external influences minimised, and more robust data collected. However, this is not always possible or practical in soccer, especially when testing a whole squad, or if a team is on a low-budget or doesn’t have specialist facilities. Often, on-field tests are adaptations of lab-based tests, that are more suited to being used in a practical setting with entire squads. Therefore, we will discuss both laboratory and gym and on-pitch testing, as it helps us get a better understanding of why we do the tests we do, and the physiology that underpins them.
Science of Soccer 