The 4 physical testing protocols chosen relate to hockey and have been drawn from the Hockey Canada testing battery. The 4 tests measure, upper and lower body power, cardiovascular endurance and speed.

Gathering physical testing data has a number of applications; first, the data can be used in the immediate selection process as participants can be ranked and compared. Second, the data can be compared year over year, showing improvements or regression in physical fitness. Third, the data gathered can lead training throughout the year to address deficiencies.

The 4 testing batteries are as follows;

1) Beep Test Shuttle Run

  • 20m of track is marked out for this test
  • Participants run the 20m distance reaching the 20m mark and turning around in time to the audio beeps
  • Participants will have be given 1 “miss” of 20m line in time with the beep, if they fail to reach the line the second time, they will receive the score of the previous completed level
  • Testers should be loud and vocal at this point, encouraging the athlete to catch up with the beep
  • The line must be touched with the foot, but not necessarily crossed

2) Seated Medicine Ball (MB) Throw

  • Athlete is instructed to sit on the ground with his/her legs straight out in front, and entire back in contact with the wall
  • The athlete will hold the MB against their chest for a 2 second period, before an audible command will be given by the tester
  • The athlete can be given 1 practice attempted, and coached on the height/trajectory of the throw
  • The better of 2 attempts should be recorded to the nearest tenth of a meter
  • A measuring tape should be set up right beside the athlete, with the 0 marker of the tape on the wall
  • The tape should be stretched out at least 10 meters
  • A medicine ball with a hard rubber coating will be used during testing. This ensures that none of the force produced by the athlete is lost in the compression of the ball

3) Standing Long Jump

  • There will be a starting line marked, with a tape measure starting from that point.
  • Athletes line up both feet at the starting line, without the toes touching the line
  • Keeping feet planted, athletes will jump with both feet as far as they can. The heel of the foot that landed shortest will be where the measurement is taken
  • Athletes must “stick” the landing, any falls forward or back will be a fault
  • Athletes will have 2 attempts

4) 30 Meter Sprint

  • A 30m course will be set up, with a start line, a 10m line and a 30m finish line
  • Times are recorded for 10m split, 30m distances
  • The athletes can be given 2 chances, with 2-3 min rest between attempts
  • The best 30m time should be kept, along with its associated splits