Validation, Reliability, and Usefulness of the Functional Agility Square Test [FAST]

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Kinesiology
• Motor Control

Background:

• Agility in game sports demands integrated motor and cognitive skills for adaptive movement.
• Traditional agility tests often neglect cognitive and multidirectional elements and utilize stationary equipment.
• The Functional Agility Square Test (FAST) was developed as a novel, portable solution.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the validity, reliability, and usefulness of the Functional Agility Square Test (FAST).
• To assess the FAST's ability to differentiate between game sports and non-game sports athletes.
• To establish the test-retest reliability of FAST across multiple sessions.

Main Methods:

• Discriminant validity assessed using 22 game sports (GS) and 22 non-game sports (NGS) athletes.
• Test-retest reliability examined in 36 GS athletes over three sessions.
• Participants completed cognitive (FAST_COG), preplanned (FAST_MOT), and randomized (FAST_SAT) reactive change-of-direction tasks.

Main Results:

• Significantly lower response times (RTs) observed in GS athletes compared to NGS athletes (p < 0.05).
• Moderate relative reliability for mean RTs (ICC 0.50-0.74) and moderate to good reliability for median RTs (ICC 0.59-0.83).
• Usefulness demonstrated by the first session for FAST_MOT and the third session for FAST_SAT (based on median RTs).

Conclusions:

• The FAST is a valid, reliable, and sensitive measure for agility assessment in game sports.
• Its portable design facilitates ecologically valid field testing.
• Future research should explore increased task complexity to better mirror dynamic game environments.