Performance Evaluation Tests
Performance is an assessment of how well a task is executed and the success of a training program is largely dependent upon satisfying the performance aims associated with it.

How can performance be monitored?
Testing and measurement are the means of collecting information upon which subsequent performance evaluations and decisions are made.

What is the evaluation process?
The whole measurement/evaluation process is a six stage, cyclic affair, involving:

• The selection of characteristics to be measured
• The selection of a suitable method of measuring
• The collection of that data
• The analysis of the collected data
• The making of decisions
• The implementation of those decisions

All of the above stages should be completed with the athlete - especially the analysis of the collected data and making decision of appropriate way forward.

What are the benefits of testing?
The results from tests can be used to:

• predict future performance
• indicate weaknesses
• measure improvement
• enable the coach to assess the success of his training program
• place the athlete in appropriate training group
• motivate the athlete

Tests additionally break up, and add variety to, the training program. They can be used to satisfy the athlete's competitive urge out of season. Since they demand maximum effort of the athlete, they are useful at times as a training unit in their own right.

Interdependence Among The Biomotor Abilities
Strength, speed, and endurance are the important abilities for successful athletic performance. For instance, in hockey speed and endurance are the dominant biomotor abilities for peak performance, with strength/force as the lessor concentrated biomotor ability. However, traiing and testing for all three abilities are needed toward producing a successful hockey athlete.

As illustrated in figure 1.1, combining strength and endurance creates muscular endurance , the ability to perform many repetitions against a given resistance for a prolonged period. Power , the ability to perform an explosive movement in the shortest time possible, results from the integration of maximum strength and maximum speed. The combination of endurance and speed is called speed-endurance . Agility is a product of a complex combination of speed, coordination, flexibility and power as demonstrated in gymnastics, wrestling, American football, soccer, baseball, volleyball, boxing and hockey. Flexibility or the range of motion of a joint is very important in training. Different sports require varying degrees of flexibility to promote injury prevention and also optimal sports performance. When agility and flexibility combine the result is mobility , the ability to cover a playing area quickly and with good timing and coordination. Agility, the basis for all biomotor abilities, is improved through adaptations in maximum strength.

Figure 1.1

What factors may influence test results?
The following factors may have an impact on the results of a test (test reliability):

• The ambient temperature, noise level and humidity
• The amount of sleep the athlete had prior to testing
• The athlete's emotional state
• Medication the athlete may be taking
• The time of day
• The athlete's caffeine intake
• The time since the athlete's last meal
• The test environment - surface (track, grass, road, gym)
• The athlete's prior test knowledge/experience
• Accuracy of measurements (times, distances etc.)
• Is the athlete actually applying maximum effort in maximal tests
• Inappropriate warm up
• People present
• The personality, knowledge and skill of the tester

Why record information?
For the coach and athlete it is important to monitor the program of work, to maintain progression in terms of the volume of work and its intensity. Both coach and athlete must keep their own training records. A training diary can give an enormous amount of information about what has happened in the past and how training has gone in the past. When planning future training cycles, information of this kind is invaluable.

What should be recorded?
The information to be recorded falls into two broad categories: -

The day-to-day information from training

• State of the athlete (health, composure)
• Physiological data (body weight, resting heart rate, etc.)
• The training unit (speed, speed endurance, strength, technique)
• The training load (the number of miles, the number of sets and repetitions, the number of attempts)
• The training intensity (kilograms, percentage of maximum, percentage of VO2)
• The prevailing conditions (wet, windy, hot etc.)
• The response to training (the assignments completed, the resultant heart rate recovery, felt tired, etc.)

Information that measures status. This can take the form of a test. If the test is repeated throughout the program, it can then be used as a measure of progress within the training discipline. Examples of such tests are:

• Time trials - speed, speed endurance, endurance
• Muscular endurance - chins, push ups, dips
• Strength maximum - single repetitions, maximum repetitions
• Explosive strength - power bounding, vertical jump, overhead shot putt
• Mobility - objective measurements of the range of movement
• Event specific

Competition evaluation
Following competition, it is important that the coach and athlete get together as soon as possible in order to evaluate the athlete's performance. Elements to be considered are pre camp preparations, focus and performance plans and achievement of these plans. An evaluation form is useful to help the athlete and coach conduct this review.

NOTE: Children must wear the following hockey equipment: C.S.A approved hockey helmets are MANDATORY with a face mask; ski gloves and warm clothing are required. Bicycle and ski helmets are not acceptable. Sorry, failure to arrive with proper equipment will result in non-participation. Please wear warm clothing. Participants must be age 6 by the start date of the program.

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