The Ref Stop

New fitness test

Big Cat said:
Yes, I've practised the L3 test, but only in a crude manner. I'd reserve judgement on their test until such time that I run it properly on a running track. I'm mindful that it's significantly more difficult, although I suspect I'd still find it easier than the Cooper
Like I say, maybe 2.6K has always been slightly too challenging for Level 4. With a shortage of Refs, the last thing the FA could do, is set the bar too high for L4s under the new format. Perhaps they'll tweak it next year. I reckon many of us could've done another 40 reps yesterday back-to-back... I may even try that in pre-season just out of interest; not a lot different from running a 10K in equivalent overall time (52 mins)?
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I think there is a lot about personal physiology at play here. I could do the 2.7k Cooper easily - I'd have a good 200-300m extra in the locker without busting a gut. In contrast, I've had to work hard to get ready for the new L3 test & although I was never in danger of not getting to the end yesterday, it definitely hurt !

I also know at least 3 level 3s who stepped down last season because they could do the Cooper, but not the new test. As you say though, there may well be people for whom it works the other way around.
 
The Ref Stop
There's no way the FA were going to make the L4 test too difficult. They can afford to do so for L3s as they can replace them if necessary, the same doesn't apply to L4s.
 
Quarryref said:
I think there is a lot about personal physiology at play here. I could do the 2.7k Cooper easily - I'd have a good 200-300m extra in the locker without busting a gut. In contrast, I've had to work hard to get ready for the new L3 test & although I was never in danger of not getting to the end yesterday, it definitely hurt !

I also know at least 3 level 3s who stepped down last season because they could do the Cooper, but not the new test. As you say though, there may well be people for whom it works the other way around.
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Exactly. I really struggle with the Cooper - the stop-start nature of refereeing is one of the reason I like it and it physically suits me, and I don't think the Cooper test reflects that at all.

I suspect it comes from growing up playing racquet sports, which obviously consist of short bursts of fairly intense running and concentration with defined rest periods between points and games.
 
I think the cooper test is just physically harder. It's certainly mentally harder.

In the new test you spend more time resting (slow walking) than running. And the run isn't exactly a sprint.

It's simply easier.
 
I practiced the new test at the weekend at the park in preparation for my test this weekend. On the whole quite straight forward once you get your head around it but a few things to catch you out.

The first observation is that you need to know how ground you can/need to cover on the 1st beep (10 seconds) and 2nd beep (5 seconds). I found my natural pace to be in the walking zone with at least 2 seconds to spare so was able to ease up on the 2nd beep. I'd suggest people go a bit quicker than they would expect to for the first lap until you get comfortable with the pace required allowing you to then tweak the pace based upon where you need to be for the beeps.

A lot of people have mentioned having the momentum to push yourself off on the whistle when coming out of the walking zone, but I was surprised just how much time you have in the walking zone and how small a distance 25m actually is. I found that I was waiting at the end of the walking zone and it was very difficult to time the walk so you are moving rather than being stationary when you hear the whistle.

Finally I wonder how easy it will be to hear the beeps/whistles? I had to carry my phone and a bluetooth speaker in my hands (my son tried some of it with me) so I could hear the beeps and the speaker was in range constantly with my phone.
 
Mada said:
I practiced the new test at the weekend at the park in preparation for my test this weekend. On the whole quite straight forward once you get your head around it but a few things to catch you out.

The first observation is that you need to know how ground you can/need to cover on the 1st beep (10 seconds) and 2nd beep (5 seconds). I found my natural pace to be in the walking zone with at least 2 seconds to spare so was able to ease up on the 2nd beep. I'd suggest people go a bit quicker than they would expect to for the first lap until you get comfortable with the pace required allowing you to then tweak the pace based upon where you need to be for the beeps.

A lot of people have mentioned having the momentum to push yourself off on the whistle when coming out of the walking zone, but I was surprised just how much time you have in the walking zone and how small a distance 25m actually is. I found that I was waiting at the end of the walking zone and it was very difficult to time the walk so you are moving rather than being stationary when you hear the whistle.

Finally I wonder how easy it will be to hear the beeps/whistles? I had to carry my phone and a bluetooth speaker in my hands (my son tried some of it with me) so I could hear the beeps and the speaker was in range constantly with my phone.
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The invigilators used a bit of common sense here and there. As a group, we did the first shuttle slightly slow. Soft warning to all of us as he knew we were just figuring out the cadence. The walk is a crawl. The beeps for us were very audible, using the stadium speaker system. Until you've done the test, you're bound to have a touch of angst. Afterwards, you'll agree there's not much to fuss about
 
I did a practice event a week ago at a track in Eton which is under the flight path from Heathrow. They don't have speakers all the way round the track so we missed the beep on one of segments due to a plane going overhead.
 
MattTheRef said:
I did a practice event a week ago at a track in Eton which is under the flight path from Heathrow. They don't have speakers all the way round the track so we missed the beep on one of segments due to a plane going overhead.
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I refereed at a ground just outside the Heathrow perimeter a few years ago - possible caution for delaying the restart by continuing after an offside offence . . . "Sorry, didn't hear the whistle, plane landing" 🤔
 
Mada said:
I practiced the new test at the weekend at the park in preparation for my test this weekend. On the whole quite straight forward once you get your head around it but a few things to catch you out.

The first observation is that you need to know how ground you can/need to cover on the 1st beep (10 seconds) and 2nd beep (5 seconds). I found my natural pace to be in the walking zone with at least 2 seconds to spare so was able to ease up on the 2nd beep. I'd suggest people go a bit quicker than they would expect to for the first lap until you get comfortable with the pace required allowing you to then tweak the pace based upon where you need to be for the beeps.

A lot of people have mentioned having the momentum to push yourself off on the whistle when coming out of the walking zone, but I was surprised just how much time you have in the walking zone and how small a distance 25m actually is. I found that I was waiting at the end of the walking zone and it was very difficult to time the walk so you are moving rather than being stationary when you hear the whistle.

Finally I wonder how easy it will be to hear the beeps/whistles? I had to carry my phone and a bluetooth speaker in my hands (my son tried some of it with me) so I could hear the beeps and the speaker was in range constantly with my phone.
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We were at the far end of the track and didn't hear the beeps first time and neither did the Marshall next to us. The Marshalls raised their hand on the 5 second beep after that and dropped it when it was time to run each time.


The audio played up a couple of times too but the organisers did a very good job of keeping the whole thing going.

It was new for us all and we were all learning on the job
 
ChasObserverRefDeveloper said:
I refereed at a ground just outside the Heathrow perimeter a few years ago - possible caution for delaying the restart by continuing after an offside offence . . . "Sorry, didn't hear the whistle, plane landing" 🤔
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Ha, that can only be Bedfont Sports or the old Feltham Town. If the planes are landing on the Southern runway the wheels barely miss the floodlights 😂
 
RustyRef said:
Ha, that can only be Bedfont Sports or the old Feltham Town. If the planes are landing on the Southern runway the wheels barely miss the floodlights 😂
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Even better was a USAF base in Huntingdonshire, where vertical take off and landing aircraft were based some 50 metres from the field of play, so the referee was told "On the words 'Wheels up' or 'Wheels down' stop play so we can grab the ball before the down draught blows it away"!
Happened four times in one game, and we all took the knee to avoid being blown over😊
 
Russell Jones said:
Until I succumbed and started taking tablets, getting an acceptable BP reading was always the hardest part of passing the fitness tests for me. My BP was always a bit high ... put someone wearing a white coat in front of me and it skyrocketed :eek:

One year it took me nearly two hours and over 50 readings to get one that was acceptable .....
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Doctors do know this, they often get you to do 4 tests a day, 2 am, 5 mins apart, then 2 evening, 5 mins apart for 7 days and work out the average if its too high in the surgery.

I did this and the range was quite large, but the average was fine. At the doctors my first far too high, 2nd too high, but as I say the average over 7 days absolutely fine.
 
Good luck to anyone doing the second round of fitness tests this Sunday.

Looks like we are in for a scorcher - I did wonder whether there is a threshold above which it might be considered too hot to be sensible in some locations? 9am starters should be OK, but the 11am L3 starts, which will be nearer 11.30 by the time they get to the high-intensity test, will be well into the heat of the day.

I know we have to referee in whatever weather turns up, but on a really hot day we can insert water breaks and the tempo of the game will naturally adjust in a way the fitness test doesn't.

Either way, thankful I got mine out of the way last month !
 
I'm doing it Sunday, reckon it won't be the warmest I've done it in but it'll be close. Best not get cancelled as I can't do any subsequent test dates!
 
It really should be off on Sunday, certainly in locations where a severe weather warning applies. Not going to look good for the FA if someone keels over and ends up in hospital or worse.
 
RustyRef said:
It really should be off on Sunday, certainly in locations where a severe weather warning applies. Not going to look good for the FA if someone keels over and ends up in hospital or worse.
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What are they going to do though? I imagine most tracks are probably going to be booked for the next few weeks already, so you've either got a lot of referees travelling ridiculous distances to the available tracks (which would be a logistical nightmare for the invigilators), or a moratorium on the need to have passed the fitness test until the August dates, which is unfair on the referees who have already passed it.
 
happily the forecast for sunday in leeds is 21 degrees and cloudy with a 10% chance of rain! monday and tuesday look ridiculous though
 
ARF said:
What are they going to do though? I imagine most tracks are probably going to be booked for the next few weeks already, so you've either got a lot of referees travelling ridiculous distances to the available tracks (which would be a logistical nightmare for the invigilators), or a moratorium on the need to have passed the fitness test until the August dates, which is unfair on the referees who have already passed it.
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No easy answer, but in today's corporate world health & safety trumps all other considerations. Someone drops dead when you hold a test at a time there is a red weather warning in place and you're possibly looking at a corporate manslaughter charge.

As it happens Sunday is no longer the hottest day and will probably only be around 24C during the test even in the hottest place, so should be OK.
 
Good luck to everyone testing today. Lots of fluid, makes sure you warm up efficiently as the sprints are first.
 
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