Field-based assessment of speed and power in junior badminton players

Badminton is a sport where fast, explosive movements and high levels of agility are essential for competitive success at the elite level. The assessment of fitness for badminton should therefore include tests which reflect these performance demands. Badminton England’s programme of fitness assessment for elite junior players was established in 2001 and has required players to perform field tests for speed, agility, power and aerobic fitness (Hughes, 2006). Although there are examples of aerobic field tests for Badminton players in the scientific literature (Chin et al., 1995; Hughes and Fullerton, 1995; Hughes et al., 2002; Wonisch et al., 2003) no such test procedures have been reported for power, agility or speed.