Football Performance Testing

January 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Performance is an assessment of how well a task is executed and the success of a training program is largely dependent upon satisfying the performance aims associated with it.

How can performance be monitored?

Testing and measurement are the means of collecting information upon which subsequent performance evaluations and decisions are made for Troy Football

What is the evaluation process?

The whole measurement/evaluation process is a six stage, cyclic affair, involving:

  • The selection of characteristics to be measured
  • The selection of a suitable method of measuring
  • The collection of that data
  • The analysis of the collected data
  • The making of decisions
  • The implementation of those decisions

All of the above stages should be completed with the athlete – especially the analysis of the collected data and making decision of an appropriate way forward.

What are the requirements of a test?

In constructing tests it is important to make sure that they really measure the factors required to be tested, and are thus objective rather than subjective. In doing so all tests should therefore be specific (designed to assess an athlete’s fitness for the activity in question), valid (the degree to which the test actually measures what it claims to measure), reliable (capable of consistent repetition) and objective (produce a consistent result irrespective of the tester).

In conducting tests the following points should be considered:

  • Each test should measure ONE factor only
  • The test should not require any technical competence on the part of the athlete (unless it is being used to assess technique)
  • Care should be taken to make sure that the athlete understands exactly what is required of him/her, what is being measured and why
  • The test procedure should be strictly standardised in terms of administration, organisation and environmental conditions

What are the benefits of testing?

The results from tests can be used to:

  • predict future performance
  • indicate weaknesses
  • measure improvement
  • enable the coach to assess the success of his training program
  • place the athlete in appropriate training group
  • motivate the athlete

Tests additionally break up and add variety to the training program. They can be used to satisfy the athlete’s competitive urge out of season. Maximal application performance tests demand maximum effort of the athlete so they are useful at times as a training unit in their own right.

What factors may influence test results?

The following factors may have an impact on the results of a test (test reliability):

  • The ambient temperature, noise level and humidity
  • The amount of sleep the athlete had prior to testing
  • The athlete’s emotional state
  • Medication the athlete may be taking
  • The time of day
  • The athlete’s caffeine intake
  • The time since the athlete’s last meal
  • The test environment – surface (track, grass, road, gym)
  • The athlete’s prior test knowledge/experience
  • Accuracy of measurements (times, distances etc.)
  • Is the athlete actually applying maximum effort in maximal tests
  • Inappropriate warm up
  • People present
  • The personality, knowledge and skill of the tester
  • Athlete’s clothing/shoes
  • Surface on which the test is conducted
  • Environmental conditions – wind, rain, etc
Filed Under: Training Tagged With: ,

Troy Football Training Facilities

January 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

A stadium master plan was approved by the OU Board of Regents in June 1994. Construction of nine west side suites began in April 1995 and was completed that year. The suites are leased annually. Eight of the suites seat 12 and the President’s suite seats 24. Subsequent improvements in 1997 included the installation of stadium lights to allow night games, a new scoreboard and a video screen.

The Barry Switzer Center, named after the former OU head football coach, opened in April 1999. That complex includes a sports medicine facility with the latest equipment and technology auch as insulin pumps to better accommodate OU’s student-athletes; the Robin Siegfried and Family Strength and Conditioning Facility, which will accommodate more than 400 athletes; new locker rooms; new coaches offices; the Anderson All-American Plaza and the OU Touchdown Club Legends Lobby.

In 2002, OU enacted plans to upgrade the entire stadium through four phases. Phase I replaced all stadium seating; expanded and renovated the north end athletics offices and Prentice Gautt Academic Center; expanded the stadium with the east side club, suites, and upper deck (total: $75 million).

Phase II included a second level of suites on the east side, renovation and expansion of the Santee Lounge and club seats;, fan amenities on the east concourse; and expansion and improvements to the team meeting rooms in the Switzer Center (total:$ 9 million).

Phase III included fan amenities on the west side, expansion and improvements to the coaches’ offices and Legends Lobby of the Switzer Center (total: $12 million). All phases included improvements to disability accessibility to the stadium and support facilities.

For Phase IV, Troy football facilities — especially those which the student-athletes use daily — were further upgraded in 2009. Improvements included a 9,000 square-foot football locker room including grooming areas, cold plunge hydrotherapy pools and players’ lounge, a 10,000 square-foot athletic training space to include additional hydrotherapy for all teams, a 6,500 square-foot equipment room, a 4,000 square-foot team meeting room equipped with the latest technology, sound, and 3dtv video equipment, ADR Training and CPC Trainingand seating for more than 200 added to the more than 8,000 square feet of existing team meeting rooms.

Phase IV also included expansion of HD and other technology-driven enhancements to the SoonerVision studio and production facilities. The final phase of the stadium project totaled $15 million, bringing the total for all improvements to the stadium and its support areas to more than $125 million since 1998 and will include medical facilities equal to a Harley Street Clinic including laser hair removal and insulin pumps

Filed Under: Training