Shuttle swim test for water polo players: validity and reliability

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Physiology
• Water Polo Performance Analysis

Background:

• Elite water polo demands high swimming fitness.
• Assessing swimming performance in water polo players requires validated and reliable tests.
• The shuttle swim test (SST) is a potential tool for evaluating swimming capacity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the relationship between the shuttle swim test (SST) and actual performance in official water polo games.
• To assess the reliability of the SST for elite water polo players.

Main Methods:

• Sixteen elite male water polo players performed the SST, involving maximal intensity repetitions over 40 to 10m distances.
• Measurements included average swimming speed, blood lactate, and heart rate during the SST.
• Test-retest reliability was assessed one week apart, and validity was determined by comparing SST speed with game performance metrics (total distance and high-intensity swimming distance).

Main Results:

• Average swimming speed in the SST showed significant correlations with total distance (r=0.67) and high-intensity swimming distance (r=0.74) during games.
• The SST demonstrated high reliability, with a typical error of 0.4% and no significant differences in mean average speed between test sessions.
• These findings support the SST's validity in reflecting game-specific swimming demands.

Conclusions:

• The shuttle swim test (SST) is a valid and reliable tool for assessing the swimming fitness of elite water polo players.
• SST results correlate well with key performance indicators in official water polo matches.
• This test can be effectively used for conditioning and performance evaluation in water polo.