Testing in Intermittent Sports—Importance for Training and Performance Optimization in Adult Athletes

Performance in intermittent sports relies on the interplay between multiple physiological systems determining the capacity
to perform short explosive efforts as well as repeated intense actions with limited recovery over the course of an entire game. Testing
should reflect these demands to allow for sport- and position-specific capacity analyses that eventually may translate into optimized training
and improved performance. This may include individual loadmanagement and optimized training prescription, intensity targeting for specific
positions or individual athletes, as well as benchmarking for monitoring of training progression and enhanced engagement of athletes. This
review provides an overview of available tests in different exercise domains identified as relevant (fromassessment of single explosive actions
to intermittent endurance capacity), forming the basis for recommendations on how to compose a comprehensive yet feasible test battery that may
be integrated into the seasonal competition and training plan. The test procedures should cover the performance spectrum of relevance for the
individual athlete—also in team sports to account for positional differences.We emphasize the benefits of sport-specific tests, highlight parameters
of importance for test standardization, and discuss how the applied test battery may be supplemented with secondary tests directed toward specific
energy systems to allow formore in-depth analyses when required (e.g., in terms of an underperforming athlete). The synergy between testing and
tracking of match performance (utilizing time-motion or global positioning systems) is highlighted, and although tracking cannot substitute for
testing, combining the tools may provide a comprehensive overview of the physiological demands and performance during competition contextualized
to the athletes’ maximal exercise capacity.