Scheduled for Measurement Free Communications, Saturday, April 3, 2004, 11:45 AM - 12:45 PM, Convention Center: 208


Concurrent Validity of the Beep Test in Male College Soccer Players

Kevin H. Kendrick, Larry W. Titlow and Nick Sherwood, University of Central Arkansas, Conway, AR

A coach must be able to assess players’ cardiorespiratory fitness levels in order to determine their physical capabilities. Some of the most practical field tests include the Cooper 12-min run and the 20-m shuttle run (Beep Test). The Beep Test is a 20-m progressive, multistage shuttle run that uses an audiotape with a series of beeps that get progressively faster each minute. The participant must run a series of shuttle runs between two lines that are 20 m apart. The purpose of this study was to determine the concurrent validity of the Beep Test in predicting VO2 max of college soccer players. Participants were 29 male volunteer varsity soccer players who were randomly assigned to a treadmill group or beep group for counterbalanced testing. Each participant completed a maximal treadmill test to determine VO2 max and the Beep Test to estimate VO2 max. Each test took place at least 7-14 days at a similar time of day. Following a 3-minute warm-up of walking at a brisk pace, the treadmill protocol began at a comfortable running speed of 7 mph with no elevation. Once testing began, the elevation was increased 1% every 90 sec until volitional exhaustion. The Beep Test was performed on a basketball court. The time between beeps for the first stage was 9 sec. A triple beep sounded at the end of each minute to indicate the beginning of a new stage and an increase in the speed needed to cover the 20 m. The test ceased when the participant failed to complete the 20-m distance within the allotted time two consecutive times. VO2 max for the Beep Test was predicted using a regression equation based on the stage and level completed before the second failure. Pearson correlational analysis was used to establish concurrent validity. SPSS Windows was used for all statistical analyses. A correlation of r = .35 was found between the predicted VO2 max scores from the Beep Test and the VO2 max scores measured during the treadmill test. This correlation was not significant (p > 0.05). The results indicated that the Beep Test is a poor predictor of VO2 max in male soccer players that did not adequately predict VO2 max, thus the evidence does not support using the Beep Test to predict VO2 max in male college soccer players.
Keyword(s): athletics/sports, coaching, measurement/evaluation

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