Reliability of the 505 Change-of-Direction Test in Netball Players

Purpose: determine the reliability of the 505 change-of-direction (COD) test performed with both a stationary and a flying start. Methods: Fifty-two female netball players (age 23.9 +/- 5.4 y, height 169.9 +/- 3.3 cm, body mass 65.2 +/- 4.6 kg) performed 6 trials of the 505 COD test, 3 with a flying start and 3 with a stationary start, once per week over a 4-wk period to determine within- and between-sessions reliability. Results: Testing revealed high within-session reliability for the stationary start (ICC = .96.97) and for the flying start (ICC = .90.97). Similarly, both the stationary start (ICC = .965) and the flying start (ICC = .951) demonstrated high reliability between sessions, although repeated-measures analysis of variance (P < .001) revealed learning effects between sessions for both tests. Performances stabilized on day 2 for the static start and on day 3 for the flying start. Conclusions: The 505 COD test is a reliable test in female netball players, with either a stationary or flying start. Smallest detectable differences of 3.91% and 3.97% for the stationary start and the flying start, respectively, allow practitioners to interpret whether changes in time taken to complete the 505 COD test reflect genuine improvements in performance or are measurement errors. It is suggested that 1 d of familiarization testing be performed for the stationary start and 2 d of familiarization for the flying start, to minimize learning effects.