Manchev, A.: BEEP TEST MEASUREMENT OF THE...
APES 2 (2012) 2:210-212
BEEP TEST MEASUREMENT OF THE AEROBIC CAPACITY OF
FEMALE FIELD HOCKEY PLAYERS
UDC: 796.355.088.085.0154.574 (497.2)
(Preliminary communication)
Anton Manchev
South-West University Neofit Rilski of Blagoevgrad
Faculty of Social Health and Sports,
Department of Sports and Kinezitherapy, Ph.D. student, Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria
Abstract
The aim of the present research is to measure the input level of the aerobic capacity of the field
hockey team players at the South-West University Neofit Rilski, Blagoevgrad by employing the degree of
their training as a major criterion. The informants (n=10; 21.9±2.9 years of age; height=164.9±5.4 сm;
weight=59.07±8.9 кg; BMI=21.66±2.6 кg/m2,) were subject to an experimental research base on a 20 m.
shuttle run test (Beep test) to measure indirectly the VO2 max. Variation analysis with the PRIZM statistical
package (Ver. 3.02) was applied toward the output data. The value ( x ±SD) of VO2max received as a result
of the test is 32.07±1.7 ml/min/kg. This result leads to the following conclusions: 1) the aerobic capacity
measured in the test is too low for the grass hockey players; 2) it indicates a necessity for deliberation of
goal-oriented aerobic training; 3) it initiates a demand for designing of additional training programs toward
improving the aerobic activity and to increase the anaerobic threshold of the female field hockey players.
Key words: VO2max, aerobic activity, additional training programs, variation analysis, тfunctional condition
INTRODUCTION
Field hockey is the oldest popular sports played
with a ball and club which was practiced by ancient
civilizations. Assumingly, in its modern form it appeared
200 hundred years ago in England. In Bulgaria, the first
testimonials of the game occurred at the end of the
XIX and the beginning of the XX c. Today there are 37
field hockey clubs which are members of the Bulgarian
Federation of Grass Hockey (Антонов (Antonov)
& Dimitrova (Димитрова), 2009). Throughout its
long history, the grass hockey has undergone fast and
often radical transformations. The appearance of the
artificial surface, the change of the material from
which the playing field is made, as well as the growing
competition, established high standard requirements
for the technical skills and the functional condition of
players. The grass hockey is a sport which demands a
high level of the players’ aerobic capacity because of the
myriad of movements during the game (Montgomery,
2006.; Quinney, Dewart, Game, Snydmiller, Warburton,
& Bell, 2008.; Tarter, L. Kirisci, Tarter, S., Weatherbee,
Jamnik, McGuire, & Gledhill, 2009.). The aerobic
capacities of field hockey players have an important
role in modern hockey and seriously affect the players’
technical skills and their choice of tactics. During the
game it is often necessary to alternate walking, slow
running, dashing in diverse directions with or without a
ball. Commonly, after the attack, all the players have to
resume a defense position very quickly, which requires
that they should cover a large part of the field. For
this reason, good hockey players need a high level of
aerobic capacity (Elferink-Gemser, Visscher, van Duijn
& Lemmink, 2006., Hinrichs, Franke, Voss, Bloch,
Schänzer, & Platen, 2010.). The eclectic character of the
provision of energy in a game of field hockey motivates
the importance of the evaluation of the players’ aerobic
capacity and makes it as a very important indicator of
the player’s training level. The following factors plays
the crucial role of this evaluation (Lin & Chang, 2009.).
• It helps explore the effect of the training
process;
• It increases players’ motivation to train;
• It poses clear goals for the athlete during the
training process;
• It is informative with respect to the players’
physical fitness and technical skills;
• It gives ground for the designing of a plan for
short-term and long-term training programs.
• It helps determine a players’ condition in the
aftermath period of a trauma.
There is a great variety of field tests which measure
the physiological characteristics of field hockey players.
One of the well-known and widely used functional tests
for indirect evaluation of VO2max is the 20 m. shuttle run
test (Beep test).
The technology of its administration is according
to the frequent halts, the changes of the direction of
movement and the locomotive acceleration typical for
the field hockey. In fact, the Beep test not only offers the
athletes and coaches an opportunity to keep a track of the
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Manchev, A.: BEEP TEST MEASUREMENT OF THE...
APES 2 (2012) 2:210-212
Table 1. Experimental data
aerobic capacity of separate players, but, can serve as a
training technique, by it self.
METHODOLOGY
The research contingent was the female
field hockey team at the South-West University,
Blagoevgrad. The research experiment was conducted
at the university sports centre. The informants had
preliminary knowledge of the design and the goal of
the experiment and were asked to an informed consent
form in advance. The participants (n=10; 21.9±2.9
years of age; height=164.9±5.4 сm; weight=59.07±8.9
кg; BMI=21.66±2.6 кg/m2) were subjected to a 20 m.
shuttle run test (Beep test) for indirect evaluation of
VO2 max. The test was concurrently performed by all the
informants. The Beep test included a maximum of 20
m. dashes /running stages/, whose number was gradually
increased. Each running stage implies the overcoming
of the respective number of dashes for a limited period
of time which remained the same throughout the
experiment. The running speed for the onset level is 8,5
km. per hour and increases by 0.5 km. per hour for each
subsequent level. The prediction of VO2 max is based on
the maximum aerobic speed achieved as well as the age of
the informants /calculated in years/, while the evaluation
itself takes into account the highest level registered
during the test, the number of dashes overcome before
the moment when the athlete is unable to sustain the
tempo in accord with the sound signals, as well as Vmax
registered during the last running stage. The calculation
of VO2 max employs the following equation (Ahmaidi,
Collomp, Caillauce & Prefaut, 1992.):
VO2 max = 31,025 + 3,238*V - 3.248*А + 0.1536*А*V
VO2 max – relative maximum consumption of oxygen
(ml/min/kg)
Vmax – running speed during the running stage achieved
in the test (km/h)
A - age of the informant (in years)
The software package PRISZM 3.02 is used
for the processing of the data and a variety analysis is
employed to measure the mean values and the standard
deviation ( x ±SD).
№
Age,
years
Speed,
km/h
VO2max,
ml/min/
kg
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Average
24
20
28
22
24
21
19
19
19
23
21.9±2.9
12.5
12
10.5
11
11
11
10.5
10.5
11.1
11.5
11.20±0.7
39.6
41.7
19.2
32.3
29.2
33.9
33.9
33.9
40.1
34.1
33.8±6.4
Table 2. VO2 max (ml/min/kg) values for
untrained females
Age, years
VO2max,
ml/min/kg
10-19
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
60-69
70-79
38-46
33-42
30-38
26-35
24-33
22-30
20-27
their age range - 29.2 ml/min/kg for one of the subjects
and 19.2 ml/min/kg for the other. The second result is
very low and the respective player requires a special
attention and training.
These negative results are not unexpected in
that the players which are members of a newly-formed
sports team and have not conducted the goal-oriented
aerobic training sessions so far.
CONCLUSIONS
1. The results of the experiment demonstrates that the
aerobic capacity of the field hockey players subject
to testing (33.84±6.44ml/min/kg) borders with the
minimum values of the norm for untrained women (aged
20 – 29 - from 33 ml/min/kg to 42 ml/min/kg), which
leads to the conclusion that the contingent has a low
aerobic capacity and therefore, a low training level.
2. The data concerning the low aerobic capacity of the
athletes implies a demand for designing the additional
training programs aimed at:
• improving their aerobic activity;
• training their cardio-respiratory functions
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The experimental data received during the
research are presented in Table 1. Table 2 presents the
values of VO2 max for the untrained subjects (ml/min/kg),
available on the Internet (http://wтww.brianmac.co.uk/
vo2max.htm).
The results of the experiment demonstrates that
20% of the informants have VO2 max values of 41.7 ml/
min/kg and 40.1 ml/min/kg, while only one informant
shows 39.6 ml/min/kg, which indicates adequate training
of cardio-respiratory functions and thus predicates high
sports achievements. The aerobic capacity of 50% of
the informants borders on the minimum values of the
norm for untrained women aged 20 – 29 - from 33 ml/
min/kg to 42 ml/min/kg (viz. Table 2). VO2 max of two of
the players is below the minimum values of the norm for
REFERNECES
Антонов, A., & Димитрова, T. (2009). Анализ на
държавните първенства и турнири по хокей на
трева за подрастващи в Република България в
периода 2000-2009 [Analysis of state championchips
in the period 2000-2009. In Bulgarian].
Ahmaidi, S., Collomp, K., Caillauce, C., Prefaut, C. (1992).
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Manchev, A.: BEEP TEST MEASUREMENT OF THE...
APES 2 (2012) 2:210-212
effect in different periods in elite athletes. International
Journal of Sport and Exercise Science, 1(1): 15-22.
Montgomery, D.L. (2006). Physiological profile of professional
hockey players - a longitudinal comparison, Applied
Physiology Nutrition Metabolism. 31, 181-185
Quinney, M. H. A., Dewart, R., Game, A., Snydmiller,
G.,Warburton, D., & Bell, G. (2008). A 26 year
physiological description of a National Hockey League
team. Applied Physiology Nutrition Metabolism, 33,
753-760.
Tarter, C., Kirisci, L., Tarter, R. E., Weatherbee, S., Jamnik,V.,
McGuire, E. J., & Gledhill, N. (2009). Use of aggregate
fitness indicators to predict transition into the National
Hockey League. Journal of Strength Conditioning
Reshearch, 23, 1828-1832..
Maximal and functional aerobic capacity as assessed
by two graduated field methods in comparison to
laboratory exercise testing in moderately trained
subjects. International Journal of Sports Medicine
13(3):243-248.
Elferink-Gemser,T., Visscher, C., van Duijn, M.A., &
Lemmink. K. A (2006). Development of the interval
endurance capacity in elite and sub-elite youth field
hockey players. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 40,
340-345.
Hinrichs, T., Franke, J., Voss, S., Bloch, Schänzer, W., Platen,
P. (2010). Total hemoglobin mass, iron status, and
endurance capacity in elite field hockey players.
Journal of Strength Conditioning Research, 24, 629638.
Lin, Y., T., & Chang, C., K. (2009). Monitoring the training
ОЦЕНКА НА АЕРОБНИОТ КАПАЦИТЕТ КАЈ
НАТПРЕВАРУВАЧКИТЕ ПО ХОКЕЈ НА ТРЕВА СО
Беп тестот (Beep test)
УДК: 796.355.088.085.0154.574 (497.2)
(Prethodno soop{tenie)
Anton G. Man~ev
Jugozapaden univerzitet ,,Neofit Rilski” vo Blagoevgrad,
Fakultet za op{testveno zdravje sport,
Katedra ,,Sport i kineziterapija”, doktorant, Blagoevgrad, Bugarija
Apstrakt
Celta na istra`uvaweto be{e da se oceni aerobniot kapacitet kako kriterium
za nivnata treniranost kaj reprezentacijata za hokej na treva na Jugozapdniot unuverzitet ,,Neofit Rilski” – Blagoevgrad. Na primerokot na ispitanicite (n=10; 21.9±2.9 год.;
164.9±5.4 сm. телесна височина; 59.07±8.9 кg. телесна тежина; 21.66±2.6 кg/m2, BMI), беше примент
20 м. ,,летечкиот“ тест (Beep test) за индиректно определување на VO2max. Добиените резултати беа
анализирани со варијациона анализа на statisti~kiot paket Prizm (Ver. 3.02). Добиената вредноста ( x ±SD) на VO2max иzнесува 32.07±1.7 ml/min/kg. Од тој резултат може да се извлечат следните
заклучоци 1. aerobniot kapacitet e mo{ne nizok kaj natprevaruva~kite vo hokej na treva;
2. potrebeн neophoden celosen aeroben trening; 3. potrebna e zasnovanost za primena na
trena`ni programi за подобрување на аеробната работоспособност и зголемување на аеробниот
праг кај натпреварувачките во хокеј на трева.
Клучни зборови: VO2max, aerobna rabotna sposobnost, dopolnitelni trena`ni programi,
variaciona analiza, funkcionalna sposobnost
Correspondence:
Anton Manchev, Ph. D. student
South-West University Neofit Rilski
Faculty of Social Health and Sports
Department of Sports and Kinezitherapy
66 Ivan Mihaylov St., 2700 Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria
E-mail: [email protected]
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