Guides · Measuring · 9 November 2026 · Thomas Schüller
Running field tests properly
Same conditions, two trials, honest measurement error: how jump, sprint and endurance tests become meaningful in a club.
A field test is only as good as the way it is run. Testing on artificial turf in autumn and indoors in spring mainly measures the difference in conditions. Same place, same time of day, same warm-up and same instructions therefore matter more than the most precise device.
Two trials
With two trials and the better or the mean value the result becomes more stable. The difference between trials shows how large a change must be to be more than chance.
Devices and apps
Validated apps exist for jumps; Balsalobre-Fernández and colleagues found good agreement between a jump app and a force plate. For endurance in team sports the Yo-Yo test described by Bangsbo and colleagues is widespread. What matters is always using the same procedure for a person.
With the test sheet
The test sheet guides through the tests with two trials, forms group means, shows the measurement error and compares the trend over the season.
Key point: Same conditions and two trials make a field test meaningful; a change counts only when it is larger than the measurement error.
References
- Bangsbo, J.; Iaia, F. M.; Krustrup, P. (2008): The Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test: a useful tool for evaluation of physical performance in intermittent sports. Sports Medicine 38(1), 37-51.
- Balsalobre-Fernandez, C.; Glaister, M.; Lockey, R. A. (2015): The validity and reliability of an iPhone app for measuring vertical jump performance. Journal of Sports Sciences 33(15), 1574-1579.
- O'Donoghue, P. (2007): Reliability issues in performance analysis. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport 7(1), 35-48.