Square drill

The Square Drill is a test frequently used in the world of sports and training, very simple to perform and it only requires little equipment. With this test, the subject’s acceleration capacity and his/her ability to make rapid changes of position and direction in an efficient manner can be measured. All these factors are considered determinant from a performance point of view in most sports.

• Required Material: A flat non-slip surface, four cones and marks to delimit the course of the circuit, a tape measure and a stopwatch.

• Procedure: Four cones are placed in a square, at a distance of 9 metres from each other as shown in the picture. The goal of the test is to complete the course (A-B-C-D-A) in the shortest possible time, skirting the cones on the outside and avoiding cuts. Any attempt in which the competitor passes over a cone instead of going around the outside shall be considered void. The subject starts the test with a foot behind the first cone in a sprint start position and at the signal of the evaluator he/she starts the run at maximum speed until completes the course in the shortest possible time. The test finishes when the subject reaches back the first cone (A) with any part of his/her body. There the stopwatch will be stopped and the elapsed time will be registered.

• Assessment: It is measured in seconds (sec) and the subject has a maximum of 3 attempts. In Fisicalcoach, the lowest time, as well as the mean and the median can be recorded.

• Remarks: Since in exercises that require changes of direction, performance depends on the angle and speed during execution, different tests should be considered and the most specific and appropriate one should be chosen in each case. Fisicalcoach has a large set of tests available to perform.