Star drill with bear step

The Bear Crawl Star Drill is a test frequently used in the world of sports and training, very simple to perform and it only requires little equipment. This is a variant of the conventional Star drill in which the only difference is that the backwards run is replaced by a bear crawl. This test is useful to measure the subject’s acceleration and change of direction abilities, as well as how he/she is capable to displace by varying way the he/she moves. All these factors are considered determinant from a performance point of view in most sports.

• Required Material: A flat non-slip surface, 5 cones and marks to delimit the course of the circuit, a tape measure and a stopwatch.

• Procedure: Five cones are placed in an “M” shape, with the outer cones forming a square of 9 metres on each side and the fifth is placed right in the centre. The aim of the test is to complete the course (A-B-A-C-B-C-D-B-D-E-B-E-A) in the shortest possible time. As shown in the illustration, the subject follows the clockwise direction (A-C-D-E-A), always approaching the central cone (B) in a round trip before moving on to the next cone. The subject must go around the outside of the four outer cones and avoid making shortcuts. Any attempt in which he/she passes over a cone instead of skirting it on the outside will be considered void. 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 until completes it in the shortest possible time. During this test, the participant must alternate the type of displacement in such a way that he/she always follows the same pattern:
  • Front running: When the subject moves from any outer cone towards the central cone (B)
  • Bear crawl: When the subject returns from the central cone to the outer cone he/she has run from
  • Lateral running: When the subject moves to the next outer cone. 

The test finishes when the subject reaches the finish point (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.