Impact of the Two-Handed Rugby Ball Carry on Change of Direction Speed and Reactive Agility: Implications for Sport Specific Testing

Abstract

The primary aim of this research was to determine if the two-handed ball carry impacted on time to completion of a change of direction speed (CODS) test and a reactive agility test (RAT). Fourteen males, registered in the local rugby league/union or touch football competitions, completed an L-Run (CODS) and a modified RAT while running either with (mean L-Run = 5.69 ±0.14; mean RAT stepping left = 3.50 ±0.18; stepping right = 3.46 ±0.14) or without (mean L-Run = 5.60 ±0.16; mean RAT stepping left = 3.43 ±0.15; stepping right = 3.44 ±0.16) a rugby ball to determine if the two-handed ball carry produced significant (p < 0.05) differences in test time. Statistical analysis showed that the two-handed ball carry produced significantly slower times in both the CODS test (p = < 0.002) and RAT (p = 0.022). It is suggested that sports, such as rugby league, rugby union, and touch football that require participants to run in possession of a ball while displaying different forms of agility, should consider implementing testing methods that incorporate the two-handed ball carry to more specifically reflect what transpires during play.