Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Oct 4;13(10):351.
doi: 10.3390/sports13100351.

Run-Based Tests Performed on an Indoor and Outdoor Surface Are Comparable in Adolescent Rugby League Players

Michael A Carron  1   2 , Vincent J Dalbo  1   2
Affiliations

Run-Based Tests Performed on an Indoor and Outdoor Surface Are Comparable in Adolescent Rugby League Players

Michael A Carron et al. Sports (Basel). .

Abstract

At non-professional levels of rugby league, run-based tests are commonly performed on outdoor turfed fields and on indoor multipurpose sport surfaces, and results are monitored to gauge player performance and progression. However, test-retest reliability has not been conducted on indoor surfaces in adolescent rugby league players, and no research has examined if results obtained on outdoor and indoor surfaces are comparable for practitioners. Adolescent, male, rugby league players (N = 15; age = 17.1 ± 0.7 years) completed a 20 m linear sprint test (10- and 20 m splits), 505-Agility Test, and Multistage Fitness Test (MSFT) weekly for three consecutive weeks. Absolute (coefficient of variation (CV)) and relative (intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC)) reliability of each run-based test performed on the indoor surface was quantified. Dependent t-tests, Hedges g, and 95% confidence intervals were used to examine if differences in performance occurred between indoor and outdoor surfaces. Effect size magnitudes were determined as Trivial: <0.20, Small: 0.20-0.49, Medium: 0.50-0.79, and Large: ≥0.80. All tests were considered reliable on the indoor surface (CV < 5.0%; ICCs = moderate-good) except for the 505-Agility Test (CV = 4.6-5.1%; ICCs = poor). Non-significant (p > 0.05), trivial differences were revealed between surface types for 10 (g = 0.15, 95% CI = -0.41 to 0.70) and 20 m (g = 0.06, 95% CI = -0.49 to 0.61) sprint tests, the 505-Agility Test (Right: g = -0.53, 95% CI = -1.12 to 0.06; Left: g = -0.40, 95% CI = -0.97 to 0.17), and the MSFT (g = 0.25, 95% CI = -0.31 to 0.81). The 10 and 20 m linear sprint test and MSFT have acceptable test-retest reliability on an indoor multipurpose sport surface, and practitioners may compare results of run-based tests obtained on an outdoor and indoor surface.

Keywords: exercise; performance; strength and conditioning; test–retest reliability; youth.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors report there are no competing interests to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic of the study design.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Gabbett T.J., Kelly J.N., Sheppard J.M. Speed, change of direction speed, and reactive agility of rugby league players. J. Strength Cond. Res. 2008;22:174–181. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e31815ef700. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Carron M.A., Scanlan A.T., Doering T.M. Quantifying the training loads and corresponding changes in physical qualities among adolescent, schoolboy rugby league players. Sports. 2024;12:251. doi: 10.3390/sports12090251. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hughes D.C., Ellefsen S., Baar K. Adaptations to endurance and strength training. Cold Spring Harb. Perspect. Med. 2018;8:a029769. doi: 10.1101/cshperspect.a029769. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Carron M.A., Scanlan A.T., Power C.J., Doering T.M. What tests are used to assess the physical qualities of male, adolescent rugby league players? A systematic review of testing protocols and reported data across adilescent age groups. Sports Med. Open. 2023;9:106. doi: 10.1186/s40798-023-00650-z. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Verkhonshansky Y., Siff M. Supertraining. 6th ed. Paidotribo; Badalona, Spain: 2009.

LinkOut - more resources