Health checks in football
For professional players, fitness tests and pre-season medical assessments are very important parts of the football season. From the amateur to the semi-professional and even the young player, you might wonder why these tests are valuable and what you might expect.
Fitness testing
Obviously, competitive games offer the best possible environment to test technical, tactical, physical and psychological skills of players. However, it remains difficult to compare match performance between players as no two matches are the same. There are several important reasons to test a player's fitness:
From a player's perspective, fitness testing: evaluates your readiness for match performance
- motivates you to further improve your fitness
- provides you with objective feedback about your weaknesses and strengths
- determines if you have returned to your original form after an injury.
- motivates you to further improve your fitness
- provides you with objective feedback about your weaknesses and strengths
- determines if you have returned to your original form after an injury.
From a coach's perspective, there are several good reasons for testing, such as to:
- increase the player's awareness of the aims of fitness training and assessment
- examine the effects of a specific training
- plan and assess the player's response to macro- and micro training cycles on a year-round basis
To obtain meaningful results from a fitness test, there are two major requirements. The first one deals with the validity of a test: Does the test really test the truly important football skills and abilities? For example, a continuous run without change in direction or speed is of minor relevance in football: A player changes the speed and direction of his movement about every four to six seconds.
The second requirement refers to test reliability. If the test is given twice, do we get the same results? If two different people give the test, do we get the same results? If the answer to both is yes, then the test is considered to be reliable. Your coach needs to take a few key factors into consideration before conducting the test:
1. As a player, you need to know the aim of the test and be given clear instructions on how to perform the test.
2. You should have performed the test on at least one previous occasion, so that you are familiar with the test procedure.
3. You should be well rested, but sufficiently warmed up prior to the test.
4. The test equipment should be fully operational and the test area clearly marked.
5. The test conditions have to be consistent from one instance to the next.
4. The test equipment should be fully operational and the test area clearly marked.
5. The test conditions have to be consistent from one instance to the next.
Pre-season health checks
A pre-season health examination is, at its most basic level, a general physical examination focusing on a player's injury history that attempts to identify deficiencies that could place the player at risk for injury or unveil risks of potentially catastrophic conditions. As a young player, this could be the only time you see a physician or other health care professional. You may benefit from advice on potentially risky or unhealthy behaviors.
A pre-season health examination is, at its most basic level, a general physical examination focusing on a player's injury history that attempts to identify deficiencies that could place the player at risk for injury or unveil risks of potentially catastrophic conditions. As a young player, this could be the only time you see a physician or other health care professional. You may benefit from advice on potentially risky or unhealthy behaviors.
Your personal physician usually conducts the pre-season medical assessment, but it might be conducted in a group setting where your entire team is examined in a time and outcome efficient manner. Ideally, this should take place about 6 weeks prior to training to allow for additional studies to be conducted and to allow for any physical deficiencies to be corrected.
You will be questioned about your medical history and this alone might detect a number of important issues:
- Medical issues, medications, immunizations and allergies
- Prior sports-related injuries
- History of heat illnesses
- Eating habits
- Psychosocial issues
- Menstrual history in women
- Past surgeries
The physical examination will address the following:
- Cardiovascular and respiratory systems
- Skin
- Head, ear, eye, nose, throat and past any head injuries
- Musculoskeletal system: contour, joint range of motion, stability and symmetry of the upper extremity, spine, hip, head and neck, knee, lower leg, ankle and foot.
- Your doctor will pay special attention when you have a history of concussion injury, heart murmurs, enlarged organs or a single, paired organ.
- Cardiovascular and respiratory systems
- Skin
- Head, ear, eye, nose, throat and past any head injuries
- Musculoskeletal system: contour, joint range of motion, stability and symmetry of the upper extremity, spine, hip, head and neck, knee, lower leg, ankle and foot.
- Your doctor will pay special attention when you have a history of concussion injury, heart murmurs, enlarged organs or a single, paired organ.
After the examination, you may be cleared for play without limitations or cleared pending further tests/therapy. If there are severe medical objections, you may receive only a limited clearance or may even be denied it in order to protect your health.
