ABSTRACT
The development of any new fitness testing protocol should reflect the physiological and technical demands of a sport. In order to enhance the sensitivity of the test, the results should be obtained from a situation which is as similar to competition as is practical. This may be especially important for a sport like badminton where the pattern of movement adopted during play is highly specific and cannot be simulated on any ergometer. The evidence which is available on the physiological demands of badminton play suggest that it is a predominantly intermittent aerobic activity with only a modest contribution from the anaerobic energy system (Mikkelsen, 1979; Hughes, 1993). Consequently, one of the important requirements for an appropriate programme of physiological monitoring is a valid test of endurance fitness whose results can be applied to the on-court situation. The benefits of such a test should be considerable, as it should monitor activity on the court as opposed to using other non-specific activities (e.g. running) which badminton players may undertake in their usual off-court endurance training. In this test, players work on the court, thus incorporating the typical movements for the sport which cannot be monitored in the laboratory.
