Assessing test-retest reliability of the portable Brower speed trap II testing system

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to assess the test-retest reliability of the Brower Speed Trap II running speed timing system. The test-retest reliability of the system was assessed by testing 52 physical education students aged (±SD) 21.4 (±8.9) years. All participants were tested on 30-m sprint with 10-m, 20-m and 30-m split times. All measurements were obtained on two subsequent days. The results from this investigation indicate that the variations in the students’ performance between test day one and test day two was small and the intra-class correlation indicates a high repeatability. In the examination of the system reliability, the system did not show any marked systematic bias (p<.05) assessed by the paired sample t-test. However, the systematic bias and the random variation found indicate that the Brower Speed Trap II running speed timing system was a reliable testing instrument to be used in testing physical education students, and a useful instrument for measuring running speed. However, in future studies it would be interesting to examine if the system were able to monitor the small changes in running speed that could result from increasing the training of an already elite athlete. Furthermore, we concluded that if comparison of overall values of running speed is intended, it is advisable to use the same testing system, because different systems give different results based on the errors associated with it.