The Fatigue and Fitness Test for Teams (FFITT): A practical option for monitoring athletes in a team as individuals.

We developed the ) to address the challenges of monitoring players in a team simultaneously. The test, which takes 8 min for the entire team, incorporates subjective measures of well-being (RTT-Q), and objective measures of the autonomic system (HRR) and neuromuscular function (SLJ). The aim of this study was to present the rationale for the FFITT as a novel athlete monitoring protocol and to measure the reliability of each component of the test. The internal consistency of the RTT-Q questions ranged from α = 0.69-0.92. All questions had an α > 0.83, with one exception of question ' which had an α = 0.69. The reliability of the HRR and SLJ was high (R = 0.92, and 0.91 respectively). The absolute typical error of measurement (TEM) of the SLJ was 8 cm and HRR was 3 beats. When expressed relatively the CV of HRR was 8.4% and SLJ was 3.0%. Based on the TEM the HRR and SLJ could detect and changes in fatigue and fitness. In absolute terms this equates to more than 5 bpm (HRR) and more than 13 cm (SLJ). The has the potential to satisfy both scientific principles and the coach's demands of a practical monitoring protocol for frequent use in a team.