Preparing for College Strength & Conditioning Tests.

WITH GRADUATION only months away and the high school athletes' choice of a college narrowing down or completed, it's time for them to begin preparing for the numerous strength and conditioning tests they will encounter in college football.

These tests will vary from one institution to another and may have a profound effect on their varsity or junior varsity status. They cannot take these tests lightly. Their transition to the college scene will be greatly enhanced by showing up in great shape rather than waiting until the last minute to start preparing. Their status on the initial college depth charts could depend on their readiness.

The coaches' impressions of them can be enhanced or diminished by their marks on the strength tests. These tests will enable the college coach to assess an athlete's ability, ranking, possible health risks, and specific weaknesses and strengths.

The tests may also serve the strength coach as a basis for developing individual exercise prescriptions and for enhancing the athletes' motivation and adherence to the program.

The summer strength workout book distributed by the college strength coach should offer the athletes a blueprint to success. High school coaches should encourage their athletes to take full advantage of its contents and to complete their assignments each workout day. Coaches should be held accountable for preparing their athletes for this experience. They may assist them as starters, time keepers, spotters, scorers, rule interpreters, and with test explanation and set up.

The athletic fitness parameter and common practical tests most widely used for football are described briefly in the following paragraphs.

Local muscular endurance: the ability to persist in physical activity or to resist fatigue. Examples of tests: the timed bent-knee sit-ups, timed push-ups, chin-ups, and parallel bar dips.

Aerobic power: the amount of work a person can perform, normally determined by the rate at which oxygen is utilized during exercise. Examples: the three-minute step test. 12-minute run, and two-mile run.

Anaerobic power: the ability to perform a brief maximal muscular activity of less than two minutes. Examples of upper body and lower body tests include the vertical jump, 300-yard shuttle run, 16 x 110-yard dash or 8 x 55-yard dash under set times by position, medicine-ball put, seated shot put, Wingate test, and basketball line drill.

Agility: the ability to stop, start, and change direction of body movements of less than 10 seconds in duration. Examples of agility tests are the T-test, Edgren side-step, and the Nebraska proagility run (5 yd. x 10 yd. x 5 yd].

Speed tests measure the body's displacement per unit of time. Examples: sprints of 10 meters up to 100 meters. The 10, 40, and 60-yard dashes are the most popular in football.

Body composition refers to the relative proportions by weight of body fat and lean mass. Skinfold measurements are the most valid and reliable measures ordinarily available to the strength coach.

Anthropometric measurements involve assessment of height, weight, and selected body girths. Usual girth measurements include neck, chest, biceps, forearm, waist, hip, thigh, and calf.

Flexibility: the range of motion of a joint. The sit and reach test, total body rotation, and shoulder-rotation tests are the most common.

Muscular strength: the force that a muscle or muscle group can exert against a resistance in one maximal effort. Examples include the 1 rep max for the back squat and bench press to measure this parameter of fitness. Speed strength can be measured by the power or hang clean.

To best prepare for these tests, make sure the athletes are familiar with the instructions for each test and understand the purpose. Be sure they are properly warmed up and take a trial run at a slower speed or lower weight.

After they complete the university's battery of tests, evaluate the results. Identify their strengths and weaknesses and determine how they rank in their specific position group: superior, excellent, good, or average. You can now set your parameters and prioritize your training.

Set obtainable goals for the winter and summer off-season period. Have them focus on their specific weaknesses and improve themselves for the upcoming football camp tests.

Remember, some tests will be controversial due to their limited application to football. Some athletes will be able to lift heavy weights, but not be able to play football.

Some athletes will be able to run fast on a straight track, but not be as effective as a slower athlete on the playing field.

Some athletes will have all the ingredients, but lack flexibility, which may make them vulnerable to injuries throughout their career. Make sure to test the correct energy system for your particular sport. Your test items should assess the physical characteristics it takes to succeed in football and the adaptations that occur in response to the prescribed conditioning program.

Athletic testing programs require a balance between the ideal and the practical.