Reactive Agility Test Research Articles

American Football Headgear Impairs Visuomotor Drill Performance in Division I NCAA Football Athletes.

Background/Objectives: Previous evidence has shown that American football headgear (e.g., facemasks, visors/eye shields) differentially impairs reaction time (RT) to visual stimuli, most notably in peripheral fields of view. However, this has only been established with stationary RT testing, which may not translate to gameplay situations that require gross motor skills. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to build upon previous findings to elucidate the effects of various American football headgear on gross motor visuomotor drill performance. Methods: Division 1 NCAA football players (n = 16) with normal/corrected-to-normal vision participated and completed two experiments (EXP), each with differing conditions: EXP1- Varying facemask reinforcement and EXP2- Varying visor/eye shield light transmittance. In EXP1, participants completed an agility test for the following conditions: baseline/no helmet (BL), helmet + light (HL), helmet + medium (HM), and helmet + heavy (HH) face mask reinforcement. In EXP2, participants completed an agility test for the following conditions: baseline/no helmet (BL), helmet + clear visor (HCV), helmet + smoke-tinted visor (HSV), and helmet + mirrored visor (HMV). For each condition in EXP1 and EXP2, participants completed a reactive agility task using a FITLIGHT trainer system where five poles were equipped with a total of ten LED sensors and were placed in a semi-circle 1 m around a center point. Participants were asked to step and reach with their hands to hit each ten lights individually as fast as possible upon illumination. Each reactive agility test was repeated for a total of three attempts. Results: Average reaction time was analyzed and compared between conditions and according to visual fields of interest (e.g., central vs. peripheral). Results from EXP1 showed that compared to BL, reactive agility was worsened by HL (p = 0.030), HM (p = 0.034), and HH (p = 0.003) conditions. No differences between facemask conditions existed for overall performance (p > 0.05). For EXP2, HCV (p < 0.001), HSV (p < 0.001), and HMV (p < 0.001) conditions resulted in worsened reactive agility performance compared to BL. No differences between visor conditions existed for overall performance (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Overall, these findings suggest that American football headgear impairs reactive agility, which could result in worsened game performance and safety. Future studies investigating training strategies to overcome impairments are warranted.

Validity of a motor-cognitive dual-task agility test in elite youth football players.

Agility, as the ability to react rapidly to unforeseen events, is an essential component of football performance. However, existing agility diagnostics often do not reflect the complex motor-cognitive interaction required on the field. Therefore, this study evaluates the criterion and ecological validity of a newly developed motor-cognitive dual-task agility approach in elite youth football players and compare it to a traditional reactive agility test. Twenty-one male youth elite football players (age:17.4±0.6; BMI:23.2±1.8) performed two agility tests (reactive agility, reactive agility with integrated multiple-object-tracking (Dual-Task Agility)) on the SKILLCOURT system. Performance was correlated to motor (sprint, jump), cognitive (executive functions, attention, reaction speed) and football specific tests (Loughborough soccer passing test (LSPT)) as well as indirect game metrics (coaches' rating, playing time). Reactive agility performance showed moderate correlations to attention and choice reaction times (r=0.48-0.63), as well as to the LSPT (r=0.51). The dual-task agility test revealed moderate relationships with attention and reaction speed (r=0.47-0.58), executive functions (r=0.45-0.63), as well as the game metrics (r=0.51-0.61). Finally, the dual-task agility test significantly differentiated players based on their coaches' rating and playing time using a median split (p<0.05; d=0.8-1.28). Motor-cognitive agility performance in elite youth football players seems to be primarily determined by cognitive functions. The integration of multiple object tracking into reactive agility testing seems to be an ecologically valid approach for performance diagnostics in youth football.

Cutting Technique Modification: A Way to Improve Movement Quality and Develop Agility in Youth?

Abstract Thieschäfer, L, Dos’Santos, T, and Büsch, D. Cutting technique modification: a way to improve movement quality and develop agility in youth? J Strength Cond Res 38(9): 1596–1606, 2024—High-quality cutting technique is essential for agility development and safer cuttings in adolescent athletes. Certain sidestep techniques and kinematics are characteristic of high movement quality and are associated with both, faster performance and lower knee joint loading (i.e., reduced anterior cruciate ligament injury risk). The aim of this study was to determine the effects of a 6-week, side step, technique modification training intervention targeting specific kinematics on agility performance and movement quality. Twenty-two adolescent American football players were recruited for a nonrandomized, controlled, intervention study. For 6 weeks, an intervention group (IG) of 11 players participated in 25-minute cutting technique training sessions integrated into team training twice a week, whereas a control group (CG) of 11 players continued their usual training routine. Agility performance was assessed based on percentage-based change of direction deficit (CODDp) obtained during reactive agility tests at 45° and 90° angles. The Cutting Movement Assessment Score (CMAS) qualitative screening tool was used to assess 2D high-speed videos of the cuts for movement quality. The significance level was set at α = 0.01. The intervention effectively altered players' sidestep technique irrespective of cutting angle with large time × group interaction effects observed for CMAS ( = 0.82). Statistical and practical significant improvements in CMAS pre-to-post intervention were evident in the IG (−2.30 ≤ g ≤ −1.75; 313.87 ≤ BF10 ≤ 2,342.00), whereas deteriorations were found in the CG for 90° (g = 1.38; BF10 = 64.21). However, in both groups, no statistically significant differences in CODDp were observed pre-to-post intervention (0.019 ≤ p ≤ 0.586; 0.34 ≤ BF10 ≤ 3.59). The cutting technique modification training meaningfully improved movement quality, without negatively affecting agility performance, and can be used by practitioners to foster a safe technical foundation for subsequent agility development in adolescent athletes.

The Validation of the Defensive Reactive Agility Test in Top-Level Volleyball Male Players: A New Approach to Evaluating Slide Speed Using Witty SEM

Aim: The aim of the study is to provide a new tool to measure the level of defensive agility objectively. Methods: The sample included 14 elite male volleyball players of the University of Nitra club (22.3 ± 5.7 years). Measurements consisted of body height (BH); body weight (BM); body mass index (BMI), and the defensive agility test (DRAT (test-retest)) with an interval of one week between the two tests using an electronic timer (Witty photocell) and Witty SEM lights (Microgate, ITA). The validation included assessing the equality of mean values in the test and retest (t-Student), effect sizes with Cohen’s d, analysis of variance (ANOVA), intraclass correlation coefficient determinations (ICC model), and random intercept correlation (Φ). Results: The results indicated no significant differences in both tests except for left movement (p = 0.0255). The ICC value of the test time was statistically significant (0.91); standard error of measurement (SEM = 0.02); repeatability coefficient (RC = 0.20); minimal difference (MD = 0.04). Effect sizes were trivial to small (d = ˂−0.05–0.17&gt;; right), medium (d = 0.35; backward) a large (d = −0.67; left). Conclusions: The DRAT test showed excellent reliability in total time (ICC = 0.91). Validation of the DRAT test’s consistency, reliability, accuracy and validity can help coaches make decisions about evaluating and monitoring defensive reactive agility performance in sports games.

Evaluating Agility in Pre-Adolescent Basketball: A Comparative Analysis of CODAT, IAT, and RAT

Background: In basketball, agility is essential, characterized by the ability to change direction swiftly and accelerate. Traditional tests like the Illinois Agility Test (IAT) and the Reactive Agility Test (RAT) may not fully capture the agility demands specific to basketball. Purpose: This study aimed to introduce the Change of Direction and Acceleration Test (CODAT), designed specifically for young basketball players. It evaluates CODAT’s effectiveness by comparing it with IAT and RAT through comprehensive analysis. Methods: We assessed 87 pre-adolescent male basketball players, aged 9 to 13 years, with an average biological age of 11.2 years and an average estimated Peak Height Velocity (PHV) of 12.5 ± 0.5 years, using CODAT, IAT, and RAT. We employed regression analysis and the Bland–Altman method to determine CODAT’s reliability and validity. Results: The findings indicate that CODAT offers superior reliability and validity in measuring basketball-specific agility. Consistent scores highlight its potential as an effective tool for agility assessment in basketball training and talent identification. Conclusions: CODAT represents a significant advancement in agility assessment for young basketball players, advocating for its integration into sports science practices to better address the specialized demands of basketball agility.

Table tennis reactive agility test, test-retest reliability

Reactive agility is an important ability every table tennis athlete should have. Reactive agility is needed in all sports because it can help the body move backward, sideway steps, and forward quickly during practice or competition. Therefore a particular test instrument is required. Valid and reliable test instruments are needed to determine a table tennis athlete’s level and level of reactive agility. The results of previous studies showed Aiken’s V coefficient value above 0.76, while Cronbach’s Alpha and ICC are 0.875. Based on previous research, it was found that the results of the reactive agility test have content validity with Aiken’s quite good. However, a Test-retest reliability test is needed to strengthen the instrument. This study aims to assess the reliability of the product moment instrument reactive test agility of table tennis. Test-retest is used as a source of research data. The subjects in the study were 20 table tennis athletes aged 13-18 years. The test was carried out 2 times using a table tennis agility reactive instrument on different days. The time recorded during the test is research data. The data is presented in a descriptive statistical format, then analyzed using SPPS and reliability results using Pearson product-moment. The results showed that the product-moment correlation value was 0.956. based on the norms of reliability coefficients, the reactive agility test instruments specifically for table tennis have high scores or excellent categories. So it can be concluded that it can be relied upon to measure the reactive agility ability of junior and senior table tennis athletes.

EFFECTS OF PHYSICAL AND COGNITIVE FACTORS ON REACTIVE AGILITY IN PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL PLAYERS

Amaç: Bu çalışmanın birincil amacı futbolcularda fiziksel ve kognitif faktörlerin reaktif çeviklik üzerine etkisini incelemek; ikincil amacı ise futbolda alt ekstremite yaralanma riski düşük olan ve yüksek olan futbolcularda reaktif çeviklik parametrelerini karşılaştırmaktır. Yöntem: Çalışmaya 30 profesyonel futbol oyuncusu dahil edildi. Tüm katılımcılara fiziksel ve kognitif değerlendirmeler uygulandı. Reaktif çeviklik değerlendirmesinde görsel uyaran ve fotoselli kapılar içeren Reaktif Çeviklik Testi (RÇT) kullanıldı. Tablet temelli sağ/sol diskriminasyonu, Dikey Sıçrama Testi, T Çeviklik Testi (T-Test), Y Denge Testi (Y-Denge), 20 m Sprint Testi ve Hamstring Eksentrik Kuvveti değerlendirildi. Yaralanma risk analizi için ise Tuck Jump Testi kullanıldı. Sonuçlar: Çalışmamızda RÇT hareket süresi parametresi ile Y-Denge testi komposit, posteromedial ve posterolateral uzanma skoru ve sağ/sol diskriminasyonu doğruluk oranı arasında negatif yönde; T-Test ile pozitif yönde bir ilişki vardı (p

Neuromuscular and perceptual-cognitive response to 4v4 small-sided game in youth soccer players.

The physical and psychological load of small-sided games (SSGs) can affect players' neuromuscular and cognitive functions. Yet, little is known about the acute performance changes after such a specific exercise in young soccer players and their association with exercise load applied. This study investigates i) the neuromuscular and perceptual-cognitive response to the SSG exercise load, and ii) the relationship between pre- and post-SSG changes in variables of performance and the respective exercise load in youth soccer players. Sixteen participants (13.6 ± 0.5years) underwent a 30-min SSG 4v4 + GK protocol. Prior to and after the SSG they performed countermovement jump (CMJ), planned and reactive Y-shaped agility tests (PA, RA), and go/no-go task (GNG). Their subjective perception of fatigue was evaluated by visual analog scale. Fatigue induced by SSG (perception of fatigue increased by 41.56%, p = .001, g = 4.15) increased PA time (4.04%, p = .002, g = .97), RA time (6.45%, p = .003, g = 1.16), and number of errors in the response inhibition task (87.1%, p = .023, rc = .57), whilst decreased CMJ height (-6.65%, p = .014, g = .56). These performance deteriorations were not significantly associated with neither internal nor external load variables. However, a less pronounced drop in performance was related to external load variables, i.e., ∆CMJ height and ∆RA time correlated with very high-speed running (rs = .66, p = .006; rs = -.50, p = .022; respectively) and maximal speed (r = .54, p = .032; r = -.52, p = .037; respectively), whilst ∆PA time was associated with high-intensity accelerations (rs = -.76, p = .002). These findings indicate that fatigue induced by SSG affects both planned and reactive agility, decision-making in response inhibition task, and explosive strength in youth soccer players regardless of significant contribution of any robust internal or external load variables. Nonetheless, high-intensity actions within SSG partially compensate for the decrements in their agility performance and explosive strength. The load variables encountered during SSG do not fully reflect youth players' neuromuscular and perceptual-cognitive responses to sport-specific exercise.

Reliability and validity of a reactive agility test with soccer goalkeeper-specific movements for adolescents.

There is a lack of objective measures and assessments of goalkeeping proficiency and performance in the literature. Furthermore, no reports have focused on adolescent goalkeepers (under the age of 15). The aim of this study was to determine the reliability and validity of the Goalkeeper Reactive Agility Test for Adolescents (GRATA). Content validity was assessed by seven experts and the Item-Content Validity Index (I-CVI) was calculated. We used similar settings to an agility test for college-aged goalkeepers, although the number of repetitions and running direction of the latter parts of the test were modified (number of repetitions: from 3 to 2; running direction: from forward to backward). Eighty-five adolescent male goalkeepers (age: 13.4 years) performed the test three times. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used for relative reliability and the standard error of measurement (SEM) and the smallest worthwhile change (SWC) for absolute reliability. The I-CVI was 0.86, above the acceptable level of 0.78. The mean running time of the GRATA was 11.98 s. The ICC value was 0.91 (P<0.01; 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 0.87-0.94), the SEM 0.26 s and the SWC 0.17 s. Our results demonstrate that the GRATA has sufficient reliability and content validity in adolescent GKs.

The plyometric treatment effects on change of direction speed and reactive agility in young tennis players: a randomized controlled trial.

Aim: The aim of this paper is to determine the effect of 6weeks of plyometric training on speed, explosive power, pre-planned agility, and reactive agility in young tennis players. Methods: The participants in this study included 35 male tennis players (age 12.14 ± 1.3years, height 157.35 ± 9.53cm and body mass 45.84 ± 8.43kg at the beginning of the experiment). The biological age was calculated and determined for all participants. 18 of the participants were randomly assigned to the control group, and 17 were assigned to the experimental group. Running speed (sprints at 5, 10, and 20m), change of direction speed (4 × 10, 20yards, t-test, TENCODS), reactive agility (TENRAG), and explosive power (long jump, single leg triple jump, countermovement jump, squat jump, and single leg countermovement jump) were all tested. The Mixed model (2 × 2) ANOVA was used to determine the interactions and influence of a training program on test results. Furthermore, Bonferroni post hoc test was performed on variables with significant time*group interactions. Results: The results of this research indicate that an experimental training program affected results in a set time period, i.e. 5 out of total 15 variables showed significant improvement after experimental protocol when final testing was conducted. The experimental group showed significantly improved results in the 5m sprint test in the final testing phase compared to the initial testing phase, this was also the case in comparison to the control group in both measurements. Furthermore, the experimental group showed significant improvement in the single leg countermovement jump in the final test, as well as in comparison to the control group in both measurements. The change of direction speed and reactive agility test also exhibited significant improvement in the final testing phase of the experimental group. Conclusion: The results of this research indicated that a 6-week program dominated by plyometric training can have a significant effect on the improvement of specific motor abilities within younger competitive categories. These results offer valuable insights for coaches in designing diverse tennis-specific scenarios to enhance overall performance, particularly focusing on the neuromuscular fitness of their players.

Performance in field-tests and dynamic knee valgus in soccer players psychologically ready and not ready to return to sports after ACL reconstruction

BackgroundThe objective was to compare the performance in field tests, dynamic knee valgus, knee function, and kinesiophobia of soccer players who were psychologically ready and not ready to return to unrestricted training or competitions after ACL reconstruction. MethodsThirty-five male soccer players who had undergone primary ACL reconstruction at least 6 months were divided based on the Anterior Cruciate Ligament Return to Sport after Injury (ACL-RSI) questionnaire score into ready (≥60) and not-ready (<60) groups. The modified Illinois change of direction test (MICODT) and reactive agility test (RAT) were used to impose the demand for directional change and reactive decision-making. We assessed the frontal plane knee projection angle (FPKPA) during a single-leg squat and distance in crossover hop test (CHD). In addition, we assessed kinesiophobia through the shortened version of the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK-11) and knee function using the International Knee Documentation Committee Subjective Knee Form (IKDC). Independent t-tests were used to compare the groups. ResultsThe not-ready group had lower performance on the MICODT (effect size (ES) = −1.2; p < 0.001) and RAT (ES = −1.1; p = 0.004) tests and higher FPKPA (ES = 1.5; p < 0.001). In addition, they presented lower IKDC (ES = 3.1; p < 0.001) and higher TSK-11 (ES = −3.3; p < 0.001) scores. ConclusionsPhysical and psychological deficits may persist in some individuals after rehabilitation. On-field tests and dynamic knee alignment evaluation should be included in the athlete evaluation before the decision-making about clearance to sports participation, especially in athletes who perceive themselves as psychologically not ready.

Determinants of Reactive Agility Performance in Table Tennis Players

BACKGROUND: Table tennis is considered as a reaction sport, in which reaction speed is the key factor of sports performance. However, in addition to the quality of sensory (or cognitive) functions, it also requires a rapid motor response. Reactive agility is one of the most important qualities of table tennis performance. It comprises both sensory and motor components. Therefore, the aim of this study was to find the relationship between reactive agility performance and reaction speed (sensory part), sprint and change of direction speed, and muscle strength parameters (motor part) and thus to identify determinants of reactive agility in table tennis players. METHODS: Fifteen male competitive table tennis players (26.3 ± 4.0 years, 179.4 ± 6.0 cm, 77.2 ± 6.4 kg) performed the Reactive Agility Test (RAT), three reaction time tests (simple and choice reaction, reaction to four visual stimuli), sprint for 5 m, 505 Agility test, countermovement and drop jumps. RESULTS: Pearson correlation coefficient revealed a significant relationship between RAT performance and reaction time to four visual stimuli (r = 0.801, p &lt; 0.001). Nonsignificant, but the medium correlation was found between RAT performance and choice reaction time (r = 0.404) and decision-making time, which was calculated as a difference between choice and simple reaction time (r = 0.410). These results showed that reactive agility is determined by the cognitive component (reflected by the reaction time) in table tennis players. CONCLUSION: It seems that fast reactions associated with hand movements are more important than explosive strength and speed abilities in table tennis performance. Therefore, the trainers should focus primarily on the development of reaction-speed abilities in their training program. Secondary, they should focus on more specific movements (e.g., lateral change of direction or speed of first steps) rather than linear sprint speed or changing of direction under angles higher than 90°. Additionally, it seems that explosive strength training has only supportive character in relationship to the sports performance.

Brain Endurance Training Improves Physical, Cognitive, and Multitasking Performance in Professional Football Players.

Brain endurance training (BET)-the combination of physical training with mentally fatiguing tasks-could help athletes adapt and increase their performance during sporting competitions. Here we tested whether BET completed after standard physical training improved physical and mental performance more than physical training alone during a preseason football training camp. The study employed a pretest/training/posttest design, with 22 professional football players randomly assigned to BET or a control group. Both groups completed 40 physical training sessions over 4weeks. At the end of a day of physical training, the BET group completed cognitive training, whereas the control group listened to neutral sounds. Players completed the 30-15 Intermittent Fitness Test, repeated sprint ability random test, soccer-specific reactive agility test, and Stroop and psychomotor vigilance tests pretraining and posttraining. Mixed analysis of variance was used to analyze the data. In the posttest (but not pretest) assessments, the BET group consistently outperformed the control group. Specifically, the BET group was faster (P = .02-.04) than the control group during the 30-15 Intermittent Fitness Test, the directional phase of the repeated sprint ability random test, and the soccer-specific reactive agility test. The BET group also made fewer errors (P = .02) during the soccer-specific reactive agility test than the control group. Finally, the BET group responded faster (P = .02) on the Stroop test and made fewer (P = .03) lapses on the psychomotor vigilance test than the control group. The inclusion of BET during the preseason seems more effective than standard physical training alone in improving the physical, cognitive, and multitasking performance of professional football players.

Evaluating the performance of non-reactive and reactive agility tests in elite and average soccer players under the age of 14

Evaluating the performance of non-reactive and reactive agility tests in elite and average soccer players under the age of 14

Reliability and Validity of a Novel Reactive Agility Test with Soccer Goalkeeper-Specific Movements.

The purpose of this study was to develop a reactive agility test with soccer goalkeeper (GK)-specific movements (G-RAT) and to examine the reliability and validity of college-aged GKs. We designed a five-branch star-shaped course with diving and ball-catching movements under reactive conditions. In the setup, a start−goal line was set on the top of a branch and 3.5 m away from the center of the star-shaped setting. Content validity was assessed by six experts, and the item-content validity index (I-CVI) was calculated. Thirty-three male GKs performed the test trial twice. One test trial of G-RAT consists of three shuttles from the start−goal line to diving and ball-catching. For the reactive condition, GKs were instructed on which ball directions should dive when their body trunk reached 1.5 m away from the start−goal line. GKs were classified into regular (R) or non-regular (NR) groups. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were used to assess the reliability and predictive power as convergent validity. The I-CVI was 0.83, which was greater than the acceptable level of 0.78. The ICC value was 0.94 (p < 0.01; 95% confidence interval (95%CI), 0.88−0.97). The GKs completed the test 14.3 ± 0.7 and 15.3 ± 1.0 s in the R and NR group (p < 0.01; Cohen’s d = 0.89), respectively. The area under the curves of G-RAT was 0.80 (95%CI, 0.64−0.96). These results show that a GK-specific agility test under reactive conditions would have sufficient reliability and both content and convergent validity in college-aged GKs.

Reliability, Validity and Sensitivity of Newly Developed Tennis-Specific Reactive Agility Tests

Agility is one of the motor skills on which success in tennis performance depends, and the aim of this research was the development and validation of a new test for assessing preplanned and reactive agility in young tennis players. The sample of respondents comprised 50 young competitors with an average age of 12.34 ± 1.22 years who were ranked up to 50th in the national tennis association ranking and up to 300th in the international Tennis Europe ranking. Agility variables were measured with newly constructed tests for the assessment of preplanned agility (CODS) and reactive agility (RAG), which were constructed in such a way that subjects imitated specific movements in tennis. It can be concluded that the newly constructed tests of preplanned agility (CODS) and reactive agility (RAG) have a high degree of reliability. Additionally, the assumption that the reliability will be slightly higher for preplanned agility tests (CA = 0.92 and 0.92; ICC = 0.86 and 0.82) than for reactive agility tests (CA = 0.90 and 0, 89; ICC = 0.74 and 0.72) was proven to be accurate. The results also showed that the tests have satisfactory validity. Thus, the results of both tests show a good correlation (p = 0.6 and p = 0.55) with the T-test of agility. It can be noted that all measurements, that is, all results, are normally distributed and that the values of skewness and kurtosis are within acceptable limits. We can confirm satisfactory sensitivity and their applicability to the sample of young tennis players. In conclusion, the results of this research confirmed the hypothesis and showed that the newly constructed agility tests have extremely good metric characteristics, especially the reactive agility test. Thus, this paper proposed a new procedure for the assessment of preplanned and reactive agility in young tennis players, which will significantly improve and advance the existing procedures, and make the results more reliable and precise.

Contributing Factors to Sensorimotor Adaptability in Reactive Agility Performance in Youth Athletes.

Sensorimotor adaptability facilitates adjusting behaviour for changing environmental stimuli to maintain appropriate goal-directed motor performance. Its effectiveness is associated with perceptual-cognitive modulation. As the factors affecting it are still not completely known, the aim of our study was therefore to analyse the association between selected variables (demographic, training, anthropometric, genetic) and sensorimotor adaptation in reactive agility tasks in youth team-sport athletes. The study group consisted of 85 youth athletes (aged 12.61 ± 0.98 years). Based on an initial evaluation, participants were divided into faster and slower agility groups. The resultant differences between change of direction speed tests and reactive agility tests provided the REAC-INDEX as a dependent variable. The independent variables were as follows: gender, calendar age, body mass, height, BMI, maturity offset, training status and the BDNF rs6265 polymorphism. Multiple linear regression showed that the maturity offset (ß = 0.269; p = 0.012) and calendar age (ß = -0.411; p < 0.001) significantly contributed to the REAC-INDEX of all participants (R2 = 0.13). In the slower group, the c.196G BDNF allele had a significant influence (ß = -0.140; p = 0.044) on the REAC-INDEX. The best predictive model comprised female gender (ß = 0.799; p < 0.001), maturity offset (ß = -0.586; p < 0.001) and training experience (ß = -0.225; p = 0.009), contributing to 49% of RA variance. Sensorimotor adaptability is mainly dependent on gender and age, and can be improved through systematic sports training. The BDNF rs6265 polymorphism may be considered a contributing factor to SA variability in the initial stages of training, although polymorphism-related differences blurred as the effect of participation in sports training increased.

Reactive-Agility in Touch Plays an Important Role in Elite Playing Level: Reliability and Validity of a Newly Developed Repeated Up-and-Down Agility Test.

Successful athletes are better at performing efficiently than the inferior in particular sports scenarios, while most existing performance tests in the field do not cover the sport-specific context fully. There were two purposes in this study: 1) to evaluate the reliability and validity of a novel Sector Reactive Agility Test (SRAT) which mimicked a reactive-agility defensive scenario in Touch, and 2) to determine the relationships between Touch players' agility and sprint performance. Twenty male Touch players from the elite division and another 20 from the amateur division were invited to participate in this study. They performed SRAT and a 20-m sprint test in two days. Excellent reliability and high precision were found in SRAT (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0.97) and 20-m sprint test (ICC = 0.91). The time of completion in SRAT of the elite Touch players (23.93 s) was 2.95 s significantly shorter than that of the amateur players with a large effect size. Elite Touch players also demonstrated moderately faster (0.11 s) than the amateur Touch players in the 20-m sprint test. SRAT demonstrated high test-retest reliability and accuracy in measuring reactive-agility performance in Touch. The minimal detectable changes in SRAT and 20-m sprint test were 1.04 s and 0.13 s respectively. Furthermore, the speed of the 20-m sprint test and playing experience were associated with the time of completion of SRAT, explaining 56% of its variance (p &lt; 0.001). Other factors, such as cognition and the ability to control own central gravity, are deemed possible to influence Touch players' agility. Therefore, SRAT should be adopted in Touch player selection and training monitoring.

A Review of Reactive and Non-reactive Agility Tests Concerning Neurologic Aspects

: Agility is an essential component of sport performance, especially in ball sports. It is also a significant indicator of sport skills under competitive conditions. Agility is one of the most critical factors in the sport performance of soccer players. Agility and coordination of the nervous-muscular system to produce maximum force, as an important factor of function and physical fitness, which is considered along with perception and decision making in unpredictable situations. Assessment tests for assessing agility are divided into two general areas called non-reactive agility as well as reactive agility test. Although non-reactive agility tests are superior to reactive agility tests in terms of reliability, reactive agility tests are more similar to the movement and skill pattern in soccer and can distinguish players from each other well. In reactive agility tests, the movement path of the experimenter is not predictable and not all changes in path are predetermined and exactly the movement pattern in the soccer game where the movement path of the player is not predictable and the movement path of the ball as well as the prevailing conditions in the game that determine and change of direction player at any moment. The results showed that non-reactive agility had a higher relative validity and reliability than reactive agility. This small difference was acknowledged by researchers related to the reactivity and complexity of reactive agility tests. finally a review of the above studies and findings confirms that the use of reactive agility tests is necessary to evaluate athletes

Design and Validation of a New Tennis-Specific Reactive Agility Test-A Pilot Study.

Agility is an important ability for tennis players, but there is an evident lack of studies focusing on the applicability of tennis-specific agility tests that capture a combination of the physical and cognitive agility performance. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to design and test measurement properties of the tennis-specific reactive agility test that would be feasible and practical for regular implementation. A total of 32 youth tennis players (21 males and 11 females; 10.85 ± 1.50 years) participated in this study. The measurement characteristics of the newly designed reactive agility tennis-specific (TS-RAN) test have been established by comparing it with two generic agility tests and with two tennis-specific pre-planned agility tests. The overall reliability of the new TS-RAN test can only be considered “moderate to good”, as although the results of participants showed good internal consistency, the within-subject reliability of the test proved to be unsatisfactory, since the participants showed a lack of performance consistency. This is not unexpected considering the very young age of the participants who performed the test for the very first time. The new TS-RAN test was highly projected (0.91) on the same single latent dimension, with the variance predominately explained by the tennis-specific agility tests. The test’s greatest strength is its high feasibility, since the test does not require any special set-up nor technical equipment, and that makes it practical for regular implementation in a practical setting. Further research studies are needed in order to confirm the test’s potential to be widely accepted and used.