Quick feet test

The quick feet test provides information on the presence of fast-twitch muscle fibre in the muscles involved in sprinting and indicates your potential to execute quick movements. Hereditary factors such as limb length, muscle attachments, and proportion of fast-twitch fibres do place a limit on one’s maximum potential, but we can improve our speed and quickness with proper training.

Required resources

To undertake this test you will require:

• Flat surface
• 20 two-foot long sticks or a 20-rung rope ladder
• Stop watch
• Assistant.

How to conduct the test

• Place 20 two-foot long sticks 18 inches apart or a 20-rung stride rope ladder on grass or athletics track.
• Athletes should pump their arms vigorously in a sprint-arm motion and use very little knee lift while running down the ladder without touching the sticks/rungs.
• The coach starts the stopwatch when the athlete’s foot first touches the ground between the first and second stick/rung and stops the watch when contact is first made with the ground beyond the last stick/rung.
• Record the better of two trials.

Analysis

Analysis of the result is by comparing it with the results of previous tests. It is expected that, with appropriate training between each test, the analysis would indicate an improvement in the athletes foot speed.

Speed through a ladder can indicate much about an athlete’s quickness. A time of less than 2.8 seconds for males and 3.4 seconds for females for running the length of a 20 lung ladder, one foot in each rung at a time, is considered as excellent for college athletes.

Nominative data for the hexagonal obstacle test

Males	Females	Males	Females
Jnr High School	< 3.8 seconds	Jnr High School	< 4.2 seconds
Snr High School	< 3.3 seconds	Snr High School	< 3.8 seconds
College	< 2.8 seconds	College	< 3.4 seconds

Target group

This test is suitable for active athletes but not for individuals where the test would be contraindicated.

Reliability

Reliability would depend upon how strict the test is conducted and the individual’s level of motivation to perform the test.

Validity

There are published tables to relate results to a potential level of fitness and the correlation is high.