During and immediately after World War I, the focus on physical education and physical training in schools increased, with a shift toward fitness for war. One prominent test, the Playground Association of America Athletic Badge Test, was introduced for boys in 1913 and girls in 1916. Prior to World War I, tests of “motor ability” that included tests of jumping, climbing, lifting, vaulting, and running were popular. Fitness testing evolved from a focus on athletic performance to a focus on health in the early 1900s as researchers such as McCurdy and McKenzie studied blood pressure fatigue (McCurdy, 1901 McKenzie, 1913), and Storey studied pulse rate (Storey, 1903). He published the books Health, Strength and Power (Sargent, 1904) and Universal Test for Strength, Speed and Endurance of the Human Body (Sargent, 1902).īy the late 1800s and early 1900s, the purpose of fitness testing had expanded beyond anthropometric measurements with the introduction of the concept of “physical efficiency,” characterized as efficient functioning of body systems, such as the circulatory, respiratory, muscular, and nervous systems (Park, 1989). Dudley Sargent, one of the pioneers of physical testing, developed the vertical jump test that is still used today and is commonly referred to as the “Sargent jump.” It is generally believed that Sargent thought of the vertical jump as a general measure of fitness and health.

During the last half of the 19th century, national physical education organizations emerged (e.g., the American Association for the Advancement of Physical Education ), and the leaders who founded the organizations continued with a measurement focus (e.g., strength and lung capacity assessments). Park (1989) notes that early leaders in physical education, many of whom were medical doctors and YMCA leaders, focused the outcomes of instruction on anthropometric measurements. (2006).ĮARLY HISTORY OF PHYSICAL FITNESS TESTING 2Īlthough organized youth fitness testing did not begin until the mid–20th century, the foundation of national youth fitness testing began to be established a century earlier. 1 The final section includes a table that lists the various batteries of fitness tests currently in use worldwide.ġFor more information about the history of youth fitness testing in the United States, the reader is referred to Corbin (2012), Mood et al. It then describes more recent historical events related specifically to measuring physical fitness among U.S. This chapter begins with a brief early history of physical fitness testing. The research needs identified in Chapter 10 therefore include a comprehensive reevaluation of the past and current approaches to fitness testing in youth. Although efforts have been ongoing to standardize and validate the constructs for fitness testing, the range of fitness test batteries currently in use, as detailed in this chapter, reveals that consensus on these issues remains elusive. While the components of fitness have remained virtually the same, moreover, the tests and protocols used to measure it have evolved as more data have accumulated on their validity and reliability and their relationship to desired outcomes. In particular, an early emphasis on performance outcomes-particularly military performance-has given way to a focus on health outcomes as a result of concerns about the health of the nation’s youth. Over the years, social and political circumstances have dictated the emphasis, progress, and use of fitness testing in the United States. Fitness testing for youth emerged from the field of physical education, which has a long-standing history of fitness testing.

Shuttle run test measures