Are you curious about the physical tests used in the Australian Football League (AFL) to assess players’ abilities? This comprehensive guide breaks down the key performance measures, offering insights for fans, aspiring players, and sports enthusiasts alike. Turn to CAUHOI2025.UK.COM for more information on sports analytics and athlete development. Get ready to explore AFL talent identification and sports performance metrics.
1. Understanding Physical Testing in the Australian Football League
The Australian Football League (AFL) is a demanding sport that requires athletes to possess a unique blend of speed, agility, strength, and endurance. To identify and develop talented players, the AFL utilizes a variety of physical tests to assess their capabilities. These tests provide valuable insights into a player’s potential and help inform talent selection, recruitment, and fitness program design. However, the inconsistency in testing protocols across different levels of competition poses a challenge for researchers and the football community.
1.1. The Importance of Consistent Testing Protocols
One of the main issues in assessing physical performance in AFL players is the lack of standardized testing methods. A systematic review of physical test performance measures reported for AFL players revealed that many articles were excluded because testing protocols were inconsistent across multiple levels of the AFL local participation and talent pathways. This inconsistency makes it difficult to compare results across different studies and to track the physical development of players as they progress through the ranks.
1.2. Physical Testing for Talent Identification
Physical testing is particularly important for identifying talented AFL players. However, the inconsistency in test protocols creates a challenge for researchers and the football community in understanding the physical requirements of players as they transition from local to elite competition. Standardized testing protocols would provide a more accurate and reliable way to assess a player’s physical abilities and potential, leading to better talent identification and development.
2. Key Physical Performance Measures in AFL
Several key physical performance measures are used to assess AFL players, including sprint time, agility, vertical jump, and endurance. Each of these measures provides unique insights into a player’s physical capabilities and potential.
2.1. 20-Meter Sprint
The 20-meter sprint is a common measure of speed in AFL players. Elite AFL players typically have the fastest reported 20-meter sprint times.
The difference in sprint time between elite and national junior players is minimal. However, junior local-level players are consistently slower than junior national and elite AFL players. According to a study by Papaiakovou et al., more physically mature players between the ages of 14 and 18 years were faster than less mature athletes.
The 20-meter sprint time is purportedly a discriminating factor between drafted and non-drafted players when combined with their 20-meter multi-stage fitness test (MSFT) score. Additionally, 20-meter sprint performance is associated with match outcomes across junior state-level competitions and players’ subsequent selection into higher AF competitions.
2.2. AFL Agility Run Course
The AFL agility run course is 21.8 meters in length and includes one 180-degree turn and four 90-degree turns. This test assesses a player’s ability to change direction.
Junior and adult AF players’ agility scores were similar across the AFL participation pathway. The AFL planned agility test did not discriminate between drafted and non-drafted AF players, unless players also performed better in the 20-meter MSFT and 20-meter sprint. It has not been shown to be related to career success of players as a stand-alone measure.
Small- and medium-sized players were slightly faster than taller players or ruckmen. The ability of the AFL planned agility test to identify talented AF players within a positional group is questionable, but it should be useful in discriminating between different positional groups. Shoe surface friction may have influenced the variability in the AFL planned agility tests, with less friction possibly causing a player to slip during a change of direction (COD) test, decreasing their performance.
2.3. Vertical Jump (VJ)
The vertical jump (VJ) was the second most commonly assessed physical measure reported. Visually, there was greater spread in VJ results within the Elite and Senior State levels when compared across the AFL participation pathway.
VJ performance did not impact a player’s success within elite AFL competition. Lower jump scores were reported for players that were drafted to an AFL team, debuted in the elite competition, played more elite-level games, and had greater career potential and value. This data may support the variation in VJ performance in the Senior State group, as the training and development of adult AF players may be focused on other physical and skill attributes, and not on their jumping ability.
Inconsistency in VJ performance was also evident across the junior talent pathway, with the greatest disparity in VJ scores in National Draft Camp players and for State U16s players. This variability in results may be caused by differences in the physical maturity levels of the players tested, with ages ranging between 16 and 18 years. Jump performance increased with biological maturity in males.
2.4. 20-Meter Multi-Stage Fitness Test (MSFT)
The 20-meter multi-stage fitness test (MSFT) is considered a proxy test for measuring aerobic capacity of individuals.
A gradual increase in 20-meter MSFT scores occurred as players progressed along the AFL participation pathway. This increase in aerobic performance was also reported by two groups, who found a significant increase in 20-meter MSFT with player maturity. Large positive correlations were observed between the biological maturity of junior AF players and 20-meter MSFT score.
Substantial differences in 20-meter MSFT scores were not observed between National Championship, State Junior U18s, State Junior U16s, and Senior State players. Predicted maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) from the 20-meter MSFT had small associations with career progression of Elite AFL players. Elite AFL player’s VO2max range between 51 and 68 mL kg−1 min−1 when measured using a laboratory-based VO2max treadmill test, with these measures providing a guideline as to the estimated VO2max capacity of Elite AFL players.
2.5. Strength Testing
Lower body strength is an underlying physical characteristic that affects force generation, thus influencing both injury prevention and power production in team sport athletes. Unfortunately, only one group reported Elite AFL 1RM back squat and one reported Senior State 1RM front squat as measures of lower body strength. No 1RM strength measures in any lower body exercise were reported for junior and developing AF players.
Tackling and fending off opponents during AF game play require upper body strength; however, the upper body strength literature was also limited. A gradual increase in bench press and bench pull measures was noted as players progress through the AFL participation pathway. This trend is likely a result of long-term adaptations to specific resistance training, in combination with physical maturation of players.
2.6. Repeat Sprint Ability
Repeat sprint ability is considered to be one of the more critical aspects of AFL performance, as the game requires players to repeatedly chase defensively and sprint to create space offensively.
Comparisons of repeat sprint ability between AFL participation pathway levels are not possible given inconsistencies across test protocols. One group found repeat sprint ability using the 6 × 30 m sprints on 20 s protocol was a discriminating performance measure between selected and non-selected elite AF player. This protocol is currently used as a test in the annual AFL Draft Combine, yet no other studies have determined the relationship between performance in this test and a players’ likelihood of being drafted.
2.7. Movement Quality
Movement quality is an underpinning quality of sporting performance, with AF players requiring strong foundation movements such as squats, lunges, pushing, pulling, and bracing to be successful in competition. Three movement assessments (AAA, modified AAA, and FMS) were reported for AFL players within the Elite AFL, State Junior U18, State Junior U16, and Local U18 levels.
The AAA and modified AAA allowed movement comparisons across the abovementioned levels for the following exercises: overhead squat, double lunge, single-leg Romanian deadlift, and push-up. Furthermore, the AAA or modified AAA has been used as a talent identification tool across Elite AFL, State Junior U18, State Junior U16, and Local U18 levels, with junior talent players exhibiting lesser movement ability than Elite AFL. Players with observed asymmetrical movements were more likely to sustain an injury during an AF season.
3. Physical Testing at the AFL Draft Combine
The AFL Draft Combine is an annual event where prospective AFL players are put through a series of physical and skills tests. The results of these tests are used by AFL clubs to help them make informed decisions about which players to draft.
3.1. Common Tests at the AFL Draft Combine
The 20-meter sprint, VJ, and 6 × 30-meter repeated sprint tests were the only AFL Draft Combine tests reported for Elite AFL players. No elite-level data were noted for the AFL planned agility, reactive vertical jump (RVJ), or 20-meter MSFT, in spite of these physical performance measures forming the physical component of talent identification.
3.2. The Value of Physical Performance Measures
The limited number of studies reporting Elite AFL players may suggest that elite clubs place less value on physical performance measures as talent identification tools, or they do not release results of these tests to preserve any competitive advantage. Other studies reported that jump performance, 20-meter MSFT, and AFL planned agility time had small to trivial associations with career progression of Elite AFL players unless combined with performances in other physical tests. Furthermore, repeat sprint and strength tests were reported mainly for Elite AFL players, indicating that elite clubs place more value on developing these physical characteristics in players than on other qualities assessed through the AFL Draft Combine test battery.
4. Conclusion: The Importance of Comprehensive and Consistent Testing
Physical performance tests are not consistent across the entire AFL participation pathway; as such, a testing battery that can provide valuable insight into physical differences across the AFL participation pathway is required. By standardizing testing protocols and focusing on a comprehensive set of physical performance measures, the AFL can improve its ability to identify and develop talented players.
4.1. Future Directions for Research and Testing
Future research should focus on reporting repeated sprint measures using uniform protocols across the AFL participation pathway levels to allow for meaningful comparisons between groups. This is essential as repeated sprint testing is currently included in the annual AFL National Draft Combine physical testing battery to identify elite AF players.
4.2. Call to Action
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5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1: What is the AFL Draft Combine?
The AFL Draft Combine is an annual event where prospective AFL players undergo a series of physical and skills tests to assess their potential.
Q2: Why is consistent testing important in the AFL?
Consistent testing protocols allow for accurate comparisons of player performance across different levels and over time, aiding in talent identification and development.
Q3: What are the key physical tests used in the AFL?
Key tests include the 20-meter sprint, AFL agility run, vertical jump, 20-meter multi-stage fitness test, strength testing, repeat sprint ability, and movement quality assessments.
Q4: How does the 20-meter sprint time relate to player selection?
The 20-meter sprint time, when combined with the 20-meter MSFT score, is considered a discriminating factor between drafted and non-drafted players.
Q5: What does the AFL agility run course measure?
The AFL agility run course measures a player’s ability to change direction.
Q6: Does vertical jump performance impact a player’s success in the AFL?
Studies suggest that vertical jump performance does not directly impact a player’s success within elite AFL competition.
Q7: What is the 20-meter MSFT used for?
The 20-meter MSFT is used as a proxy test for measuring aerobic capacity.
Q8: Why is repeat sprint ability important in the AFL?
Repeat sprint ability is crucial because AFL players must repeatedly sprint and chase throughout a game.
Q9: What is movement quality and how is it assessed?
Movement quality refers to the ability to perform fundamental movements correctly, and it is assessed using movement assessments like the AAA, modified AAA, and FMS.
Q10: Where can I find more information about AFL physical testing?
Visit CauHoi2025.UK.COM for more in-depth articles, expert analysis, and the latest insights into sports performance and talent development in the AFL.
