Shuttle Run (SRun)

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1. Test objective

To assess general aerobic endurance by determining Vo2max and anaerobic threshold.

The shuttle run test is a shuttle run between two parallel lines 20 m apart. It consists of a series of steps, each lasting one minute. To start, all athletes take their places at the starting line and start on the acoustic signal of the test leader. The athletes then run back and forth between the two outer lines, with the running speed dictated by the intervals between the beeps. The speed of the 20 m Shuttle Run is determined by signal tones via a tape or CD.  The athlete must touch the respective line with at least one foot. With each step, the required speed increases until the participant has failed to reach the 20-meter line in time three times in succession.

Starting from the center, tape one line on each side of the field at 10 meter intervals. These are the "20 m lines", between which you run back and forth during the test. Turning is done at the height of these lines.

The highest speed at which the 20 m were completely run through is measured.

What is measured?

The shuttle run test is a multi-stage fitness test. A normalized number of run distances (shuttles) results in a next higher level (stage) each time. The number of minutes run (=stages) is measured with an accuracy of half minutes, rounded down in each case.

Standard values
Age- and sex-specific norm values are available. Normal values from 8 to 19 years were published by Léger and colleagues (1988). Further norm values are published by Beck and Bös (1995).

The object of this test is to maintain a set and increasing pace for as long as possible. You start at the first beep at a relaxed pace (8 km/h) at the start line and must be at the other line by the next beep. So you have 9 seconds for the twenty meters. If you arrive at the line before the beep, you must wait until the next beep before running back. After every one minute, the speed increases by 0.5 km/h, so the interval between the beeps becomes shorter. The speed must then be maintained for one minute. The current speed is announced in the audio file. The test is over if you fail to get to the line in time three times in a row.

A powerful audio system (preferably with CD player) is required to perform the test. The system must ensure the transmission of clear audio signals (consider the size of the hall if necessary).
If the available handball field is not 20 m wide (plus sufficient safety zones), the test setup is carried out with analog dimensions to the right and left of the center line.

Sources of error
The test participants already turn before the line.
The test participants do not wait until the signal before they start running again.

Beck, J. & Bös, K. (1995). Normwerte motorischer Leistungsfähigkeit. Köln: Sport und Buch Strauss.

Léger, L., Mercier, D., Gadoury, C. & Lambert, J. (1988). The multistage 20 metre shuttle run test for aerobic fitness. Der mehrstufige 20-m-Pendellauf-Test zur Bestimmung der aeroben Leistungsfähigkeit. Journal of Sports Sciences, 6 (2), 93–101.

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