300m / 800m Sprint Test

The purpose of this test is to measure a client’s anaerobic capacity, which is important for performing short intense bursts of effort.

Equipment required: oval or running track, stopwatch, and marker cones placed around the course (optional).

Description / procedure: The aim of this test is to complete 300 meters in the quickest possible time.  Ensure that your client conducts a good warm up before the test, including a jog, dynamic stretches and some short sprints. To start, your client lines up behind the starting line. On the command ‘go,’ the clock will start, and they will begin running.

Scoring: The total time taken to run 300m is recorded, to the nearest tenth of a second. The table below lists ratings for the test for adult males.

Advantages: several participants can be tested at once, and it is a very cheap and simple test to perform.

Disadvantages: good pacing is required to maximize the performance, and also the test results can be affected greatly by a clients motivation.

Comments: The runners may finish very close to each other in this test. If you do not have enough assistants to record the times, you may wish to split the subjects up into smaller groups.

800m sprint variation

The purpose of this variation is to measure the client’s anaerobic endurance which is important for activities that require high intensity activity to be sustained for longer periods of time.

Equipment required: oval or running track, stopwatch and marker cones (optional).

Description / procedure: The aim of this test is to complete the 800 meter course in the quickest possible time. To start, all participants line up behind the starting line. On the command ‘go,’ the clock will start, and they will begin running at their own pace. Cheering or calling out the elapsed time is also permitted to encourage the participants.

Scoring: The total time taken to run 800m is recorded. Use the table below to get a rating from the test time for adults.

Advantages: large groups can be tested at once, and it is a very cheap and simple test to perform.

Disadvantages: practice and pacing is required to maximize the subject performance, and also the test results can be affected greatly by the clients motivation.