Throw and Catch Suppleness Exercises Single Leg Balance (eyes closed) 5 Sec Explosive Agility Drill Work on splits both directions

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1 The following are tests of a particular component of fitness. They can also be used as exercise to train that component. A little imagination will enable you to devise your own exercises for training each component. By all means contact your head coach or me gcrouch49@gmail.com - if you need some help or advice. Exercises have been graded for age suitability. Doing exercises from a higher age bracket is not dangerous but the complexity and difficulty gradually increase. It is not a race to the top. There is little need to progress at a faster rate all the exercises are valuable. All this should be done alongside a general involvement in a variety of sporting activities. You should not focus solely on ski racing until you are 16 or more. Age 5-6 Age 7-8 Age 8-9 Age 9-11 Age Age Age Balance Walk Throw and Catch Suppleness Exercises Single Leg Balance (eyes closed) 5 Sec Explosive Agility Drill Work on splits both directions Single Leg Line Hops Fun 10 sec Sprints Agility Run (Z run) Fun Stretching Multi-Stage Fitness Test Agility Run (Z Run) 30 Second Hurdle Hops Multi-Stage Fitness Test Penta Jump (Right Leg, Left Leg) 45 Second Box Jump (20 cm box height) 30 sec Press-ups 30 sec Sit-ups Pull-up Max (palms facing participant) Agility Ball Cone, Small Triangle Multi-Stage Fitness Test Pull-up Max (Palms facing away from participant) Static Back Test Crunches Penta Jump (both legs together) Hexagonal Agility Test / Illinois Agility Tyest 60 Second Box Jump

2 Test Protocols Dynamic Balance Test Balance Walk Rationale: Balance skills are not particularly well developed and practising for this test will improve the balance of those who start from a low base. Protocol: Imagination may be used in choosing what to use for the task. A wall one brick wide would be fine but only if it is low enough: fear of the consequence of falling off will ruin the test. If you have a classic gym bench then turn it upside down and make sure it is stable. Balance walk for 3m. 2 attempts. Single Leg Balance With Eyes Closed Static Balance Rationale: The purpose of this assessment is to test the proprioceptive ability of the young athlete. This is done by challenging the act of single leg balancing with the eyes closed. Protocol: Have the athlete stand with feet shoulder width apart and hands placed on hips. Instruct the athlete to close their eyes and shift weight onto the right leg and try to balance with left foot off of the ground for 5 seconds. Repeat on left leg. Play many balancing games and then increase the challenge with eyes closed. 5 Second Explosive Agility Drill Agility This lateral line drill is an explosive fast feet drill. Have skiers keep their head over the line and with two feet bound as fast as possible laterally from side to side over the line for five seconds. Rest 1 minute and repeat 10 times. For variety have them bound in an X pattern. Work On The Splits. Both Directions Flexibility Rationale: Mobility in the joints, also known as suppleness is an important aspect of fitness. Good mobility can help prevent injuries and in ski racing enables a more effective skiing opposition in turning. Attempting the splits is a fun way to introduce the idea that we can be more flexible or less flexible. Protocol: Informal but it is an extreme exercise that needs to be done slowly and with help. Care must be taken and monitoring is important. Rationale: The purpose of this test is to measure the explosive power of the lower body. Equipment: Sargent Jump boards and other equipment are standard in most gyms. If there is not such available then the test can still be carried out by following the instructions below. Protocol: Have the athlete start facing sideways to a wall with a 3 metre tape attached to the wall. Standing erect with feet flat on floor, they reach as high as possible and touch the tape. This provides a baseline from which the vertical jump height will be measured. Now have the athlete place a piece of doubled over tape on their index finger. The athlete will perform a jump by quickly sinking down to 90 degrees knee angle and then jumping as high as possible and placing the tape on the wall at the greatest jump height. The distance between the baseline measure and the tape is recorded as the height of the jump. The greater of 2 attempts is recorded. Measure the jump height in centimetres (cm).

3 Dynamic Balance Single Leg and Double Leg Line Hops Rationale: The purpose of this assessment is to challenge balance and coordination while hopping vertically and horizontally down a straight line. Protocol: Have the athlete start at the end of a 15 m line (soccer field etc). First attempt should be hopping with both feet together for 5 consecutive hops while maintaining a fairly upright body position. Repeat this process on left and right legs only. If the athlete is able to repeat all 5 jumps without veering more than 6 inches to either side of the line then the test is successful. Fun 10 Sec Sprints Speed Rationale: Quickness is a key motor skill to attain in this window of trainability. Protocol: Design a format where the children sprint full out for 10 seconds. Allow them to fully recover for 1 minute and repeat 5 times. Do an easy activity for 5 minutes and then repeat the above. You can use variety as long as it is flat out speed for 10 seconds. Try a 7-a-side relay race, for example. Rationale: The purpose of this test is to assess explosive power in the horizontal direction. Protocol: Have the athlete start with both heels touching a box or bench. The athlete then jumps as far as possible using the arms and legs. Measure the distance from the box to the back of the heel closest to the start position. The athlete must land in a controlled position i.e. tuck position. Agility run (Z run) Agility Rationale: The purpose of this test is to assess coordination and agility (movements) in various directions and speed. Protocol: Use cones and or 3 inch hurdles. The skiers will side skip (click heels together) laterally between cones. They must bound over the cone and land on outside foot. (Not both feet). Then spring back over the cone and side skip laterally to next cone. Set 2 lines of cones or hurdles that create a Zig Zag pattern. 4-5m apart and at least 5 cones per side m offset. Multi-Stage Fitness Test (Bleep Test) (CD available from Amazon and other. Apps for Smartphones also available) Cardio- Vascular Fitness (VO 2 max) Rationale: The purpose of this test is to assess cardiovascular function and predict VO 2 max (maximal oxygen uptake). Protocol: Prepare the running surface by placing pylons or masking tape in 2 parallel lines 20 m apart. Follow the directions on the CD (test begins on track 3). Once the test commences, the athletes begin running from line to line in sync with the beeps on the CD. If the athlete loses pace with the CD, they are issued a warning to maintain the pace. If an athlete falls short of the line twice in a row, the test is terminated. The last stage completed is recorded for the athlete. The athlete should try to reach the highest possible stage as the predicted value is based on a maximal effort. The test is best conducted by having each athlete work with a partner (one runs, the other records the final stage number).

4 30 second hurdle hops Anaerobic Rationale: The purpose of this test is to assess the athlete s ability to move explosively in a lateral and vertical direction. Protocol: Place a stick across two volcano cones, so that the stick is approximately 2-3 inches above the ground. Have the athlete stand between the cones facing in a direction parallel to the stick. On the command Ready, Set, Go! the athlete should jump side to side over the stick attempting to perform as many jumps as possible in a 30 second time period. Record the total number of jumps achieved. Penta Jump (right leg/left leg) Rationale: The purpose of this test is to measure coordination and explosive power through a series of 5 consecutive jumps on a single leg. Protocol: Have the athlete start with both heels touching a bench or box. The athlete then jumps 5 consecutive times using the right leg with no pause or stopping between jumps. This process is then repeated using the left leg only. Distance is measured from the box or bench to the back of the heels at the finish (heel to heel). The better of two attempts is recorded as the final result with distance measured in meters (e.g m). 45 second box jump (20 cm box height) Anaerobic Rationale: The purpose of this test is to measure anaerobic power/capacity in an athlete through a series of consecutive lateral jumps. Protocol: The athlete will start standing sideways to the box (either on left or right side). On the command READY, SET, GO, the athlete jumps laterally up onto the box and then down off the other side. This is done continuously for 45 seconds. The timer starts the watch on the GO command. The timer will call out when 30 seconds have gone by and will give a verbal cue of STOP at 45 seconds. On the GO command, the counter will start counting each time 2 feet touch the top of the box. When the timer shouts out 30 seconds, the counter records the number of touches in the first 30seconds. At the 45 seconds the counter will record the total number of touches and calculate the number of touches performed in the last 15seconds. (i.e. 0-30sec = 34 contacts at 45sec = 49 therefore, 15 contacts made in the last 15 seconds) 30 sec Push-ups Strength/ Muscular Rationale: The purpose of this test is to assess the athlete s upper body strength and muscular endurance. Protocol: The athlete should lay face down with hands placed just outside of shoulder width. On the command READY, SET, GO the athlete performs as many push-ups as possible in 30 seconds. Every push-up must involve the chest touching the ground and full extension of the arms. Record the total number of successful push-ups in 30 seconds. NOTE: All push-ups should be done on toes for boys and girls.

5 Muscular 30 sec Sit-ups Rationale: The purpose of this test is to assess the athlete s abdominal strength and muscular endurance. Protocol: The athlete should lay on his/her back with legs bent at 90 degrees with feet flat on the floor. The hands should be placed over top of the ears. On the command READY, SET, GO the athlete performs as many sit-ups as possible in 30 seconds. Every sit-up must involve the elbows touching the top of the knees and the shoulder blades contacting the ground. Feet must remain on the ground at all times. Record the total number of successful sit-ups in 30 seconds. Chin up max Strength Rationale: The purpose of this test is to measure strength in the arms and back muscles. Protocol: Palms facing skier. Maximum repetitions until failure. Fully extended arms to chin over bar, no locking of joints. Straight body at all times. No swinging momentum. Count at top of rep. Penta Jump (5 continuous bounds) Rationale: The purpose of this test is to measure coordination and explosive power through a series of 5 consecutive jumps. Protocol: Have the athlete start with both heels touching a bench or box. The athlete then jumps 5 consecutive times using both legs with no pause or stopping between jumps. This process is then repeated using the left leg and right leg only. Distance is measured from the box or bench to the back of the heels at the finish (heel to heel). The better of two attempts is recorded as the final result with distance measured in meters (e.g m). Static Back test Rationale: To test the core strength of the back extensor muscles. Equipment: Padded vaulting horse. If not available then use a sturdy and steady table or box with sufficient padding for comfort. Protocol: Athlete should on the command raise the upper body to the horizontal and hold that static position for as long as possible. Time until max. Record the maximum time that the straight position can be held. Two warnings for less than 180 degrees may be given before the test is stopped. On a warning 2 seconds is allowed to return to position. Pelvis should be in neutral position at all times. Flexion point of hips should be at the edge of the box. Arms held with hands touching ears elbows level with shoulders. Legs held only behind knees. Crunches Rationale: To test the strength and muscular endurance of the abdominal muscles and hip flexor muscles. Equipment: Padded mat and a box. Protocol: Maximum repetitions until failure. Athlete should lie on his/her back on a padded mat with heels on a box with the ankle bone in line with the edge of the box. Hips and knees should be at a 90 degree angle (upper leg vertical, lower leg horizontal). Arms should be outstretched towards the box at all times. Shoulders should be off the ground throughout the test. Touch the top of the box with fingertips for each rep. Controlled smooth movement, no bouncing.

6 Hexagonal Agility Test The National tests use the hurdle agility test but, at present, we are using the hexagonal test because it is relatively easy to administer in a variety of places. Rationale: There are many agility tests but the hexagonal test does not rely upon running speed. Equipment: a hexagon with 66cm sides marked on the floor with tape or chalk: a stopwatch. Protocol: The athlete should warm up thoroughly before attempting the test. The athlete stands in the middle of the hexagon facing line A. On the word go he/she jumps over line B and back to the middle then line C and back to the middle and so on around the hexagon. After the athlete jumps over line A and back that is one circuit. The test consists of 3 circuits. The time is taken to complete 3 circuits. The athlete then rests for 5 minutes before repeating the test. The average time is used for the result of the test. If the athlete lands on any line or jumps the wrong line the test is stopped and needs to be completed again. 60 second box jump (20 cm box height) Rationale: The purpose of this test is to measure anaerobic power/capacity in an athlete through a series of consecutive lateral jumps. Protocol: The athlete will start standing sideways to the box (either on left or right side). On the command READY, SET, GO, the athlete jumps laterally up onto the box and then down off the other side. This is done continuously for 60 seconds. The timer starts the watch on the GO command. The timer will call out when 45 seconds have gone by and will give a verbal cue of STOP at 60 seconds. On the GO command, the counter will start counting each time 2 feet touch the top of the box. When the timer shouts out 45 seconds, the counter records the number of touches in the first 45 seconds. At the 60 seconds the counter will record the total number of touches and calculate the number of touches performed in the last 15seconds. (i.e sec = 50 contacts at 60sec = 65 therefore, 15 contacts made in the last 15 seconds).

7 Agility Run (Illinois) Rationale: The purpose of this test is to measure coordination, agility (movement) in various directions and speed. Protocol: The length of the course is 10 metres and the width (distance between the start and finish points) is 5 metres. On a running track you could use 5 lanes. 4 cones can be used to mark the start, finish and the two turning points. Each cone in the centre is spaced 3.3 metres apart. The athlete lies face down on the floor at the start point. On the assistant's command the athlete jumps to his/her feet and negotiates the course around the cones to the finish IMPORTANT the athlete must face the same direction for the entire duration of the course! The assistant records the total time taken from his command to the athlete completing the course. Two trials are conducted one from start-finish, two from finish-start. Athletic Capacity Test (SSE and BSS Squad Test) The tests above for year-olds were based upon the squad test that existed before It is no longer a squad test but the tests are valuable nonetheless. The Athletic Capacity Test is now the compulsory test for admission to the England and British Squads. It is taken after the skier has satisfied the selectors in the skiing tests. The ACE consists of: 1. Countermovement Jump (CMJ), Squat Jump (3 second pause) & Eccentric Utilisation Ratio 2. Unilateral 15cm Drop Jump test 3. Back Squat 4. Pull Up 5. Hexagon Jump test meter Decrement running Test. 7. Trunk A document on the updated ACE can be found on the website under SSE Documents in the Governance section. If you think you may need to take this test for squad selection, please consult your head coach.

BC Alpine Fitness Testing Field Protocols Revised June 2014

BC Alpine Fitness Testing Field Protocols Revised June 2014 The following tests are important markers of athleticism in young athletes and relevant to the development of fitness in alpine ski racers. These