Fitness Testing

Fitness Testing > Tests > Aerobic Endurance > Water Polo Shuttle

Water Polo Intermittent Shuttle Test (WIST)

This Water Polo Intermittent Shuttle Test (WIST) assesses a player's ability to perform repeated high-intensity efforts interspersed with brief periods of active recovery, set to mimic the demands of the sport of water polo. See also the 10 meter Multistage Shuttle Swim Test designed for water polo players.

• purpose: To assess the ability to perform repeated high-intensity swimming efforts.
• equipment required: swimming pool, test cd, cd player.
• procedure: This test is a variation on the established testing protocol for the running shuttle test, but specific for water polo players and carried out in a pool. It is not continuous like the shuttle run — players swim, then rest, then swim, which replicates what would happen during a water polo game.

• scoring: The athlete's score is the level and number of shuttles reached before they were unable to keep up with the recording.
• target population: This is a test of fitness for competitive water polo players. The test is suitable for all players (male and female) ranging from school/club standard through to international level.
• advantages: The test allows a whole team to have their aerobic fitness effectively assessed using minimal time and pool space.
• disadvantages: As with the running beep test, practice and motivation levels can influence the score attained, and the scoring can be subjective.
• references:
  • Mujika, I., McFadden, G., Hubbard, G., Royal, K., & Hahn, A. (2006). The water-polo intermittent shuttle test: a match-fitness test for water-polo players. Int J Sports Phys Perform., 1: 27-39.
  • Frankie H.Y. Tan, Ted Polglaze, Brian Dawson, Comparison of Progressive Maximal Swimming Tests in Elite Female Water Polo Players, IJSPP, 4(2), June 2009
    
• comments:
  • This protocol is similar to the running yo-yo intermittent test, which has rest periods of 5 or 10 seconds between running bouts.
  • You can create your own intermittent shuttle swim test using the team beeptest software, if you know the timings for each shuttle and the number of shuttles per level.

Related Pages

• See also the 10 meter Multistage Shuttle Swim Test designed for water polo players and another Swimming Beep Test.
• read about Swimming Fitness Testing and Water Polo Fitness Testing
• about Testing for Intermittent Sports
• The complete guide to the beep test for links to more information.

Related Products

• Team BeepTest software for creating your own beep type test