ABSTRACT
Test-retest reliability determined at 08:00 hours for all components showed no significant (P>0.05)changes (CV=4.0-4.5%). Intra-aural Body temperature showed a significant time-of-day effect (see Table 1) with mean temperature at 16:00 (36.4°C) higher than at 08:00 hours (35.4°C) (P<0.001). There was no significant effect of chronotype on the temperature acrophase (P>0.05). The football chip test was significantly more accurate at 16:00 hours (mean error=0.75 m) than at 08:00 hours (mean error=1.01 m) (P<0.001). A significant time-of-day effect was also found for dribbling speed, the test performance being evident at 20:00 hours (P<0.001)
Significant diurnal rhythms were found for most other performance tests including sitand-reach (P<0.01), spinal hyper-extension (P<0.05), grip strength and jump tests (P<0.05). Peaks in the early evening between 16:00 and 20:00 hours were computed. The forward flexion test did not reveal a significant time-of-day effect (P>0.05). All
performance components conformed closely in phase to the temperature rhythm (see Table 2).
