Fitness testing in football: which tests, when and how to read them
A fitness test exists to answer a precise question: has the player improved? Are they ready to come back? Has the group lost its sharpness? Without the question, the test becomes a number in a spreadsheet nobody opens again. Here is how to choose the tests, when to run them and how to read them.
The four families of tests
| What you measure | Typical tests | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Explosiveness | CMJ (countermovement jump), Drop Jump, standing long jump | Reactive strength of the lower limbs, neuromuscular fatigue |
| Speed | 10 m and 30 m sprint, change-of-direction tests (505, T-test) | Acceleration and maximum speed |
| Strength | IMTP (isometric mid-thigh pull), 1RM or estimated maximums | Maximum strength, the base for explosiveness and prevention |
| Endurance | Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery, 30-15 IFT | Ability to repeat high-intensity efforts, useful for setting running targets |
You don’t need all of them. An amateur team with a part-time fitness coach does well with one jump, one sprint and one endurance test, always repeated the same way.
When to run them in the season
- Start of pre-season: the starting point. Without it, nothing else has anything to compare against.
- End of pre-season: to see what the summer work produced.
- Mid-season (winter break): to understand who has dropped off and who has held up.
- Before returning from injury: comparing the player with their own previous values, not with the team’s.
The CMJ, which takes two minutes per player, can also be done every week as a fatigue check: a clear drop from the usual value is a signal to look at together with everything else.
How to run them properly
- Same conditions every time: same time of day, same warm-up, same surface, same boots.
- Same protocol: the same drop height for the Drop Jump, the same load for strength. Write it next to the result, or in six months nobody will remember how it was done.
- Several attempts, keep the best (or the average, but always the same choice).
- Never after a hard session: you would be measuring fatigue, not quality.
Reading the results: each player against themselves
The team ranking is useful for organising training groups, but the number that matters is the individual change. A defender who goes from 38 to 41 cm on the CMJ has improved by 8%, even if they are still last in the ranking.
Every measurement has a margin of error: small changes (2–3% on a jump) may be just noise. Look at the trend over several tests, not the single value, and always ask what happened in between: loads, injuries, attendance.
How you do it in dropseet
In dropseet you create tests the way you want, with their own units of measurement, or start from ready-made templates such as CMJ, Drop Jump and IMTP. The test conditions (for example the drop height or the load) are saved next to the result. For each test session you see the team ranking and each player’s percentage change from the previous test; the player’s profile holds the history with a trend chart, next to loads and injuries.
Frequently asked questions
Which fitness tests should an amateur team run?
One jump (CMJ or standing long jump), a 10 or 30 metre sprint and an endurance test such as the Yo-Yo. A few tests, always repeated the same way, are worth more than a full battery done once.
Do you need expensive equipment?
No. For the jump, a camera app or a contact mat is enough; for the sprint, a stopwatch or timing gates; for the Yo-Yo, a pitch, cones and the audio track.
How often should tests be repeated?
The full battery at the start and end of pre-season and at mid-season. A quick jump like the CMJ can also be done every week to check fatigue.
Are fitness tests suitable for young players too?
Yes, choosing simple and safe tests (jumps, sprints, agility) and comparing each player with their own results: in young players, growth weighs more than training.