チーム球技アスリートにおける運動認知反応型アジリティテストによる最大酸素摂取量の評価

Conventional laboratory and field tests often underestimate VO_2max and fail to reflect the reactive agility, multidirectional demands of team ball sports. This study examined whether a motor-cognitive Reactive Agility (RA) Test can elicit a true VO_2max response and serve as a sport-specific alternative for assessing VO_2max in team sport athletes.

Fifty-three team ball sports athletes performed an exhaustive incremental treadmill test and a motor-cognitive RA Test. The RA Test was performed on the SKILLCOURT and contained four all-out reactive agility runs of 150 m with an intermittent break of 30 s. VO_2max was determined in both tests using a portable gas analyzer. Dependent t-tests, Blant-Altman analysis, concordance correlation coefficient (CCC), intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and correlation analyses were performed.

The mean difference in VO_2max between the tests was 0.25 mL × kg^-1 × min^-1 (0.5%, p = 0.55) with upper and lower 95% limits of agreement at 6.02 (11%) and -5.53 (10%) mL × kg^-1 × min^-1, respectively. CCC (p _c = 0.94), ICC (0.943) and correlation analysis (r = 0.94) revealed a strong agreement and relation between VO_2max in the treadmill and RA Test.

The RA Test reliably elicits a true VO_2max response and offers a valid and more sport-specific option when compared to laboratory treadmill assessment for measuring VO_2max in team ball sport athletes.