Reliability characteristics and applicability of a repeated sprint ability test in male young soccer players

Castagna, C, Lorenzo, F, Krustrup, P, Fernandes-da-Silva, J, Po ́ voas, SCA, Bernardini, A, and D’Ottavio, S. Reliability charac- teristics and applicability of a repeated sprint ability test in male young soccer players. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000–000, 2017—The aim of this study was to examine the usefulness and reliability characteristics of a repeated sprint ability test consider- ing 5 line sprints of 30 m interspersed with 30 seconds of active recovery in nonelite, outfield, young, male soccer players. Twenty- six (age, 14.9 6 1.2 years; height, 1.72 6 0.12 cm; body mass, 62.2 6 5.1 kg) players were tested 48 hours and 7 days apart for 5 3 30-m performance over 5 trials (T1–T5). Short-term (T1–T2) and long-term (T1–T3–T4–T5) reliabilities were assessed with intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and with typical error for measurement (TEM). Short- and long-term reliability ICCs and TEMs for total sprint time and best sprint performance were nearly perfect and satisfactory, respectively. Usefulness (as smallest worthwhile change and TEM ratio) resulted acceptable (i.e., = 1) and good (i.e., .1) for total sprint time and best sprint perfor- mance, respectively. The present study revealed that the 5 3 30-m sprint test is a reliable field test in short and long terms when the sum of sprint times and the best sprint performance are considered as outcome variables. Sprint performance decre- ments variables showed large variability across trials.