Sports Performance Tests for Amputee Football Players: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Background: This scoping review aims to identify sports performance tests for amputee football players and to critically analyze the methodological quality, validation data, reliability, and standardization of sport-specific tests to indicate the best-fitting tests. Methods: Electronic database searches were conducted between January 2019 and October 2021. Twelve articles met the inclusion criteria. Qualitative assessment of each study was conducted by STROBE checklist. Results: Twenty-nine sports performance tests were identified. No sports performance test fully met all three criteria associated with the qualitative assessment of tests. The critical appraisal of the articles demonstrates a gap in study design, settings, and main results description. Some inconsistencies were found in the methodological descriptions of tests assessing the same motor skill. A STROBE score of 13 points was considered a satisfactory score for the article (it was obtained by 8 of the 12 studies). The weakest point of the analyzed studies was the description of how the test group size was accessed and later obtained. Conclusions: No test was found that was simultaneously presented as valid, reliable, and standardized. The authors can recommend the use of the two-sports performance tests that are the closest to ideal: the L test and the YYIRT1.

Developing a Multicriteria Decision-Making Model Based on a Three-Layer Virtual Internet of Things Algorithm Model to Rank Players’ Value

“…Nowak et al [44] used 12 pieces of literature and compiled 29 evaluation criteria using the STROBE checklist to evaluate amputee football players' athletic performance. This research found that no test was simultaneously presented as valid, reliable, or standardized.…”

Editorial: New Training Strategies and Evaluation Methods for Improving Health and Physical Performance

“…Four papers investigated body composition in sports practice [17][18][19][20], while two articles evaluated new strategies aimed at improving and monitoring the recovery phase after the exercise [21,22]. New findings related to training strategies have been reported in three manuscripts [23][24][25] and evaluation procedures for amputee soccer players have been summarized in a scoping review [26].…”

“…Finally, the study of Nowak et al [26] presented a practical and detailed description of the sports performance tests for amputee soccer players, recommending the use of specific tests: the L test and the The Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 1 to assess agility and endurance, respectively. This research topic emphasizes important findings and recommendations that may be relevant for researchers and coaches in order to identify innovative training strategies and evaluation methods for improving health and sports performance.…”

The usefulness of balance test in preseason evaluation of injuries in amputee football players: a pilot prospective observational study

“…The unexplored domain pertains to investigating the relationship between balance proficiency and sports-related injuries in lower-limb amputees, with a specific focus on the realm of football, where over 80% of physical activities predominantly engage a single lower extremity ( DeLang et al, 2021 ). Importantly, the distinguishing attribute of lower-limb amputee players lies in its consistent dependence on the same limb for actions, thereby accentuating the distinct specificity inherent within this domain ( Nowak, Marszalek & Molik, 2022 ).…”