Reliability and sensitivity of jumping, linear sprinting and change of direction ability tests in adolescent female football players

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the reliability, sensitivity and performance changes across the season of jumping, linear sprinting and change of direction ability (CODA) tests in adolescent female football players. Materials and methods: A total of 60 female football players (U-16 and U-18) performed bilateral and unilateral countermovement jump tests, a single leg hop test, a 40-m linear speed test, and two CODA tests on two occasions separated by 5–7 days to assess test-retest reliability. Furthermore, test sensitivity was also calculated. Finally, 52 players performed each test three times throughout the season to analyse those performance changes. Results: Reliability scores showed a priori acceptable values in U-16 (ICC = 0.76–0.94; CV = 1.0–4.8%) and U-18 (ICC = 0.75–0.99; CV = 1.0–3.6%) in all tests. All tests were sensitive to detect large changes at both short- and mid-term with the exception of the V-cut test (only at short-tem) in both groups. Seasonal changes were mainly produced between baseline and Test 3 in linear sprinting and jumping measurements in U-16 and U-18, respectively. Conclusions: Jumping, linear sprinting and CODA tests are reliable and can detect moderate to large performance changes and they could be used to monitor their performance in U-16 and U-18 female football players.