Ultimate Athlete Test

[Marlin]

This intrigued me on the show last night.

I was hoping Ray Kelly could give us a bit more of a run down of how it worked, particularly how the scores were worked out.

[Brute]

I saw no point in it.

[Marlin]

The point was to promote Ray Kell and his fitness testing :P

[RayKelly]

The point was to promote Ray Kell and his fitness testing :P

haha, it was from my perspective!

I guess whether testing an athlete is worthwhile depends on what the athlete wants to achieve. If they are happy doing the same thing with each fight prep and hope shear guts and determination get them through then there is no need, but if they want to find and improve on weaknesses then testing is a must. In a setting such as this where we have a group of guys of the same weight then it's an awesome opportunity for the boys to measure themselves.

Of course it doesn't mean the winner is the best fight, no one has stated that, but it may show areas where the athlete can improve. In the end, the guy who is fit, skillful, and has a good chin will always do well. But it that any reason to not try continually improve on what he's got?

[Marlin]

Thanks mate, any chance of a run down on how the scores were worked out?

[unleash06]

i thought it was very interesting myself, having first seen the SPARQ test on Contender USA. I suppose to the average joe it comes over as not important but with us guys who work with athletes, some not quite elite as others, measuring is always a great way to improve.

[RayKelly]

This intrigued me on the show last night.

I was hoping Ray Kelly could give us a bit more of a run down of how it worked, particularly how the scores were worked out.

The scoring was done specifically for the show. We needed to come up with a way to really show a spread across the guys who were consistantly competitive across all tests, and those who were not.

The guys were given a score for each test based on their ranking:
1st place: 20
2nd place: 18.3
3rd place: 16.6
4th place: 15
and so on.

So the scores don't show how close some of the athletes might have been, just how they ranked across the board on all tests. I'm pretty sure Daniel got in the top 3 places for all 5 tests which is why he was so far at the top.

[unleash06]

also, great article in this month's FIST magazine on boxing fitness too, Ray.

[Marlin]

Ahh... fair enough, I didn't realise it was quite as arbitrary as that, no wonder there were such vast differences...

[Marlin]

What sort of tests could the average joe do and how would you recommend he sets his goals to improve?

[RayKelly]

i thought it was very interesting myself, having first seen the SPARQ test on Contender USA. I suppose to the average joe it comes over as not important but with us guys who work with athletes, some not quite elite as others, measuring is always a great way to improve.

Mate, you're spot on. When an athlete has spent a number of years in the sport, it really is what I like to call the 1%er's that get them to the next level. It may a subtle change in technique, it may be and increase in how they train their energy systems, or even just improving their ability to react faster. In a sport such as boxing there are so many variables and there is always something to work on. If you don't measure, you really don't know what to work on, or whether your methods are truly working.

[RayKelly]

Yeah Marlin, it really had to be that way. Unlike what many might think, it isn't scripted or rigged, and we needed to make sure there was a definitive individual and team winner.

For the average person, i like the Beep Test (Progressive Shuttle Run, for running fitness), Vertical Jump (Leg Power), and Clover Run (Agility).

I also quite like getting the guys to do a timed run on a about a 5-6km course.

The idea is to work out what you need to test, choose or design the test, then keep record of all the people you test and soon enough you'll have some good comparisons.

[Marlin]

Thanks for your posts mate, they are much appreciated

[RayKelly]

how would you recommend he sets his goals to improve?

Sorry I didn't read your full post before writing my previous one.

The goals he sets would depend on where he is starting from, and the skill being assessed. Basically though, I test to see where he is now, work out where he needs to be and work back from there. The trick is to do it steadily but progressively. There could also be a range of skills that could be worked on to get to the goal. If we use running as an example, the guy may want to be able to run 5km in 20 minutes. Obviously you'd have him doing some 5km runs and try to reduce his time, you'd do some long sprints as well. But you may also look at improving his flexibility, or his running technique to make him more efficient. If you look closely you may even find getting him better running shoes, or orthotics, may even help.

[RayKelly]

Thanks for your posts mate, they are much appreciated

Cheers mate. I do get on here regularly but don't post much because there are too many 'fans' that do nothing more than hang shit on everyone and everything, so i just couldn't be bothered posting.

On the show though it really was a heap of fun. I designed their meal plan and decked out the kitchen, as well as did fitness training. Met some great people

[Marlin]

makes me wish I was an athlete D

[Marlin]

Thanks for your posts mate, they are much appreciated

Cheers mate. I do get on here regularly but don't post much because there are too many 'fans' that do nothing more than hang poop on everyone and everything, so i just couldn't be bothered posting.

On the show though it really was a heap of fun. I designed their meal plan and decked out the kitchen, as well as did fitness training. Met some great people

Good stuff. The experience sounds great and a bit of publicity never hurts. Will you be featured much more during the show?

Are you also the bloke who did some work with The Biggest Loser?

[unleash06]

you are an athlete big fish.......

[RayKelly]

Good stuff. The experience sounds great and a bit of publicity never hurts. Will you be featured much more during the show?

Are you also the bloke who did some work with The Biggest Loser?

I'm not sure what they will use from the filming but I was always knocking about there. Yes, did The Biggest Loser thing too. Didn't really enjoy that, but loved this one.

[Marlin]

Can you really bulk bill training sessions!?! That means it is effectively free, right?

[colin russell]

It worked out well for the boxer Daniel the kiwi got the highest score and he chose the boxer from the other (blue ) team with the lowest score smart move. Sonny must have not wanted to fight as much as he thought when told he could fight Victor another smart move from Briggs. Im loveing this contender great for boxing.