Validity, Reliability and Sensitivity of Measures of Sporting Performance

Author： Currell Kevin Jeukendrup Asker E.

ISSN： 0112-1642

Source： Sports Medicine, Vol.38, Iss.4, 2008-01, pp. : 297-316

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Abstract

Performance testing is one of the most common and important measures used in sports science and physiology. Performance tests allow for a controlled simulation of sports and exercise performance for research or applied science purposes. There are three factors that contribute to a good performance test: (i) validity; (ii) reliability; and (iii) sensitivity. A valid protocol is one that resembles the performance that is being simulated as closely as possible. When investigating race-type events, the two most common protocols are time to exhaustion and time trials. Time trials have greater validity than time to exhaustion because they provide a good physiological simulation of actual performance and correlate with actual performance. Sports such as soccer are more difficult to simulate. While shuttle-running protocols such as the Loughborough Intermittent Shuttle Test may simulate physiology of soccer using time to exhaustion or distance covered, it is not a valid measure of soccer performance. There is a need to include measures of skill in such protocols. Reliability is the variation of a protocol. Research has shown that time-to-exhaustion protocols have a coefficient of variation (CV) of >10%, whereas time trials are more reliable as they have been shown to have a CV of <5%. a="" sensitive="" protocol="" is="" one="" that="" is="" able="" to="" detect="" small,="" but="" important,="" changes="" in="" performance.="" the="" difference="" between="" finishing="" first="" and="" second="" in="" a="" sporting="" event="" is=""><1%. therefore,="" it="" is="" important="" to="" be="" able="" to="" detect="" small="" changes="" with="" performance="" protocols.="" a="" quantitative="" value="" of="" sensitivity="" may="" be="" accomplished="" through="" the="">: noise ratio, where the signal is the percentage improvement in performance and the noise is the CV.