Abstract
The aims of the present study were to evaluate the validity and reliability of the two different change of direction ability (CODA) tests in elite football players with cerebral palsy (CP) and to analyse the differences in performance of this ability between current functional classes (FT) and controls. The sample consisted of 96 international cerebral palsy football players (FPCP) and 37 football players. Participants were divided into four different groups according to the International Federation of Cerebral Palsy Football (IFCPF) classes and a control group (CG): FT5 (n = 8); FT6 (n = 12); FT7 (n = 62); FT8 (n = 14); and CG (n = 37). The reproducibility of Modified Agility Test (MAT) and Illinois Agility Test (IAT) (ICC = 0.82–0.95, SEM = 2.5–5.8%) showed excellent to good values. In two CODA tests, CG performed faster scores compared with FPCP classes (p < 0.01, d = 1.76–3.26). In IAT, FT8 class comparisons regarding the other classes were: FT5 (p = 0.047, d = 1.05), FT6 (p = 0.055, d = 1.19), and FT7 (p = 0.396, d = 0.56). With regard to MAT, FT8 class was also compared with FT5 (p = 0.006, d = 1.30), FT6 (p = 0.061, d = 0.93), and FT7 (p = 0.033, d = 1.01). No significant differences have been found between FT5, FT6, and FT7 classes. According to these results, IAT and MAT could be useful and reliable and valid tests to analyse CODA in FPCP. Each test (IAT and MAT) could be applied considering the cut point that classifiers need to make a decision about the FT8 class and the other FT classes (FT5, FT6, and FT7).
Highlights
Football for people with cerebral palsy (CP) is a 7-a-side game with two 30 min halves (Kloyiam et al, 2011; Cámara et al, 2013)
The aims of the present study were, firstly, to evaluate the reliability of the change of direction ability (CODA) measured by modified agility test (MAT) and Illinois agility test (IAT) in international football players with cerebral palsy (FPCP); secondly, to evaluate the validity of both CODA tests to check activity limitation of cerebral palsy football players (FPCP) regarding controls; and thirdly, to analyse the differences in this ability between different current International Federation of Cerebral Palsy Football (IFCPF) functional classes
FPCP group showed a reliability in Modified Agility Test (MAT) of intra-class correlations (ICC) = 0.82 (0.75, 0.87) and Standard Error Measurement (SEM) = 5.84% (5.20, 6.68), while control group (CG) was ICC = 0.76 (0.61, 0.86) and SEM = 3.02% (2.53, 3.78)
Summary
Football for people with cerebral palsy (CP) is a 7-a-side game with two 30 min halves (Kloyiam et al, 2011; Cámara et al, 2013). This is one of the 23 sports included in the programme of the Paralympic Games in Rio 2016. Some of the changes include a smaller pitch and goal posts, no offside rule and players rolling the ball into play instead of a throw in (IFCPF, 2015a). This sport became independent on, under the umbrella of the IFCPF. Teams are made up of seven ambulant CP players
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