Reliability, Validity and Usefulness of 30-15 Intermittent Fitness Test in Female Soccer Players

• Published in: Frontiers in physiology 2016-11, Vol.7, p.510-510
• Main Authors: Čović, Nedim, Jelešković, Eldin, Alić, Haris, Rađo, Izet, Kafedžić, Erduan, Sporiš, Goran, McMaster, Daniel T, Milanović, Zoran
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 30-15 intermittent fitness test; cardiorespiratory fitness; Change of direction; Football; HIIT; Intermittent activity; Physiology
• ISSN: 1664-042X; 1664-042X
• DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2016.00510

The aim of this study was to examine the reliability, validity and usefulness of the 30-15 in competitive female soccer players. Seventeen elite female soccer players participated in the study. A within subject test-retest study design was utilized to assess the reliability of the 30-15 intermittent fitness test (IFT). Seven days prior to 30-15 , subjects performed a continuous aerobic running test (CT) under laboratory conditions to assess the criterion validity of the 30-15 . End running velocity (V and V ), peak heart rate (HRpeak) and maximal oxygen consumption (VO ) were collected and/or estimated for both tests. V (ICC = 0.91; CV = 1.8%), HRpeak (ICC = 0.94; CV = 1.2%), and VO (ICC = 0.94; CV = 1.6%) obtained from the 30-15 were all deemed highly reliable ( > 0.05). Pearson product moment correlations between the CT and 30-15 for VO , HRpeak and end running velocity were large ( = 0.67, = 0.013), very large ( = 0.77, = 0.02) and large ( = 0.57, = 0.042), respectively. Current findings suggest that the 30-15 is a valid and reliable intermittent aerobic fitness test of elite female soccer players. The findings have also provided practitioners with evidence to support the accurate detection of meaningful individual changes in V of 0.5 km/h (1 stage) and HRpeak of 2 bpm. This information may assist coaches in monitoring "real" aerobic fitness changes to better inform training of female intermittent team sport athletes. Lastly, coaches could use the 30-15 as a practical alternative to laboratory based assessments to assess and monitor intermittent aerobic fitness changes in their athletes.