Ashley made a good point there that is often overlooked – the testing is on Saturday!
– Often by wanting to look at figures in the gym we miss the point that the real test that is most important to pass is the game.
– I agree with the strength test, if you watch the players progress or training numbers you know whether they are going up or staying the same. To properly test you need to go push to a max single in a controlled manner and this can be incredibly draining on the CNS.
– If you wanted to avoid Speed testing you could look at a vertical jump test which are closely correlated, but again from the game day you’ll know whether they need to work on it – or which aspect to work on.
– One of the things I found most useful and maybe too simplistic is asking the player! They are in the thick of the game and they sometimes know better than you which area they need to improve on – HOW they improve (speed/power/strength) or the method used should be the coaches shout. Also by asking them they ‘buy in’, ‘control’ their own training and become more responsible for their performances.
– One of the most interesting things about testing is like Clyde Hart said about Micheal Johnsons running style – the smartest thing he did was to do nothing! Sometimes when we test we attempt to make everyone into a clone, and while there should be some standards it’s always important to look to Saturday as the big test!
– I’m currently looking at a whole range of tests and methods of mointoring – but finding one or two that are fast, reliable, repeatable and useful is tricky.