S drill

The S 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, 7 cones and marks to delimit the course of the circuit, a tape measure and a stopwatch.

• Procedure: Seven cones are placed as shown in the illustration, spaced 9 metres apart in length and 3 metres apart in width to mark the course. The goal of the test is to complete the course (A-B-C-D-E-F-G) in the shortest possible time. The subject starts the test with a foot behind the starting cone (A) in a sprint start position and at the signal of the evaluator he/she starts the run at maximum speed up to cone G. As shown in the illustration, the subject must go around each cone by entering at the farthest part and leaving at the part closest to the starting point, so as to intertwine all the cones in the course. The test finishes when the subject reaches the finish point (cone G) 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 to each side. 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.