Intra-day And Inter-day Reliability Of A Combined Pre-planned And Reactive Agility Protocol: 3190 Board #59 June 2 8 00 AM - 9 30 AM

PURPOSE: To evaluate the reliability of a novel agility protocol using a wireless light system, consisting of pre-planned and reactive agility components. METHODS: Seventeen male athletes (19 ± 1 yrs; 85.1 ± 9.4 kg) completed 3 sessions, each separated by 3-7 days. Each session consisted of a standardized warm-up followed by 5 trials of the protocol, assessing time to complete each trial. Subjects reported to the laboratory at the same time of day for all 3 sessions to avoid differences in circadian rhythm. Pre-trial urine specific gravity measurements, 24-h dietary recalls (to assess macronutrient intake), and visual analogue ratings (to assess physical and mental fatigue) were measured, and results suggested no baseline differences between sessions (p>0.05, ANOVA). A two-way (day x trial) repeated measures ANOVA was used to assess differences in completion times, followed by Tukey’s post hoc test where main effects were found. Reliability was determined using coefficient of variation (CV). RESULTS: Main effects were evident for day (p<0.0001) and trial (p<0.0001), yet no interactions were present. Post-hoc results revealed significantly slower completion times during day 1 (27.76 ± 1.33 sec), but no significant difference between day 2 (27.17 ± 1.38 sec) and day 3 (27.13 ± 1.18 sec). Completion times (intra-day) were significantly slower during trial 1 (28.07 ± 1.26 sec) and trial 2 (27.49 ± 1.37 sec), but no differences existed between trials 3, 4, and 5 (27.25 ± 1.30 sec, 26.91 ± 1.27 sec, and 27.04 ± 1.16 sec, respectively). The reliability analyses suggested a high consistency (for mean of trials 3-5) within each day (CV = 2.2%, 2.2%, and 1.3% for days 1, 2, and 3, respectively) as well as between days 1-3 (CV = 1.8%). CONCLUSIONS: The evaluated protocol is a reliable tool that may be used for future research investigating agility performance. An initial familiarization session is warranted, followed by a minimum of two familiarizations (or warm-up trials) prior to performing an initial test trial in each successive visit. This study was funded by the Gatorade Sports Science Institute. The authors are employed by the Gatorade Sports Science Institute, a division of PepsiCo, Inc. The views expressed in this abstract are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of PepsiCo, Inc.