Construction of Specific Physical Fitness Test for Cricket Players

INTRODUCTION

The general fitness is the pre-requisite for all the sports, which include Strength, Speed, Aerobic Capacity, Anaerobic Capacity, Endurance, Agility, Reaction Time, Flexibility, Balance and Cordination whereas specific fitness varies from sport to sport. In certain sports the strength component of fitness is a dominating factor whereas in other sports endurance, speed and agility may be required for achieving better results. However the physical Fitness is a very important aspect of cricket performance with physically prepared cricketers proven to perform better, more consistently and with fewer injuries. The physical attributes of strength, speed and endurance enables a cricketer to bat with power over long periods of time, bowl faster and with greater accuracy, and to field athletically. Every cricketer has a different role, position, action or technique and fitness training should recognize these differences and be programmed accordingly. A well-structured training program for a cricketer must consider the individuals training history, injury history, training age, positional requirements, technical execution and training objectives. The physical fitness may be classified as general physical fitness and specific physical fitness. The Study was delimited to 500 randomly selected state level male cricket players from central zone, who was participate in minimum state level tournament of central zone. The study was also being delimited to the construction of specific physical fitness test for male cricket players from central zone. The study was also being delimited to the only male cricket player‘s. Variations in performance due to climatic conditions, ground conditions, player‘s physical factors and psychological factors that might affect the study was considered as the limitation of this study. The purpose of the study is to construct specific physical fitness test for male cricket players from central zone.

500 (Five hundred) male cricket players from central zone were randomly selected for this study. The age group of the subject ranged between 15 to 19 years. The data on selected test items was collected from male cricket players from central zone. Before the testing programmed was organized, the research scholar assembled the entire cricket players together to brief them on the nature, the modalities and the objectives of the present investigation and demonstrating the various test so they could have a clear mental picture of the various test they were going to take part.

The various Specific Physical Fitness Test items was selected i.e. Strength, Speed, Endurance/Aerobic Capacity, Anaerobic Capacity, Flexibility, Agility, Reaction Time, Balance and Coordination, for this study.

The help of qualified coaches and experts of physical education took taken by the research scholar for administering the test on the subjects. The research scholar takes special care to explain the test and the testing procedures to the helpers and to the subjects. The subject was directed to come in proper playing kit during the performance of the test. Research scholar motivated the subjects to perform each test items enthusiastically with the spirit of competition and to know their standard of physical fitness. Factor analysis technique was used a tool to select test items out of 20 test items best suited to measure specific physical fitness of male state level cricket players at from central zone which was serve as a comprehensive specific physical fitness test. The Correlation Matrix of the inter-correlation between the 20 test items was obtained by applying Person‘s Product Movement method. The factor analysis technique was applied by using the principal component analysis (unrotated factor loading and varimax rotation). Final Solution so obtain was used to identify different factors. These factors were given an appropriate name depending upon the characteristics of the variables contained in it. Finally, a test battery was prepared by picking up variables having the highest loading from each other.

The factor analysis technique yielded ten specific physical fitness items as the factors. A test battery of 10 items developed by the scholar who has the ability to predict the specific physical fitness of male cricket players from central zone. 10 test items namely Pull ups (Arm-Strength), Standing Broad Jump (Explosive Strength of Legs), Bent knee Sit ups (Abdominal Strength), 30 mts Run (Speed), Cooper 12 min Run Walk Test (Endurance), Modified Sit and Reach Test (Flexibility), Dodging Run Test (Agility), Six Second Dash Test (Reaction Time Ability), Bass Stick Test (Balance & Coordination), Phosphate Recovery Test (Anaerobic Capacity) indicated a highly significant relationship with the performance of cricket players.

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Research Scholar, School of Physical Education, Davi Ahilya University, Indore chandrabhan.panwar@gmail.com