A&H

New fitness test

The real key, if you ask me, is being able to accelerate quickly. Be at "race pace" from the first step. This minimizes the speed you have to get yourself to in the last half of the running section.

or even be running as the whistle goes for the next split, obviously relies heavily on some excellent timing to stop you going too early
 
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Passed this morning, nice weather for it and the track is much easier than on grass. Combined with the adrenaline on the day and running in a group I much prefer it to the Cooper test!

Not sure why the sprints are done first though I think they’d be better done afterwards - less chance of injury
 
Did mine this morning. I didn't think it was too difficult. Much easier if you work in a team.

I think you could.possibly include both sprints within the test and have a longer walk afterwards.

I'm going to celebrate at pizza hut later :)
 
Got mine done this morning as well. I still find 40 reps hard work, but it helps doing it in a group and on a running track, rather than my normal grass training surface.

What was great was not only the mutual support from colleagues, but the FA invigilators being supportive, rather than there just to catch people out.

Good to get it out of the way and feels like I can properly look forward to next season now. I might even treat myself to a bit of new kit (and a cold beer) !
 
Did mine this morning. I didn't think it was too difficult. Much easier if you work in a team.

I think you could.possibly include both sprints within the test and have a longer walk afterwards.

I'm going to celebrate at pizza hut later :)
Surely Pizza Hut would have been a commiseration if you'd failed, not a celebration .. ?😂
 
L4 test was too easy. FA probably nervous WRT setting the bar too high with mass testing in this way. Not equivalent to 2.6K Cooper... End.
40/40 passed in my session, unsurprisingly
 
All done here too. Remarkably easier on a track I must say.
I trained for a level up as well and that helped massively too.
That's it, think I might have 1 more hurdle ie lotg test and officially a level 3 referee. 👌
 
All done here too. Remarkably easier on a track I must say.
I trained for a level up as well and that helped massively too.
That's it, think I might have 1 more hurdle ie lotg test and officially a level 3 referee. 👌
Shame your knowledge of law isn’t great 😉 😂
 
L4 test was too easy. FA probably nervous WRT setting the bar too high with mass testing in this way. Not equivalent to 2.6K Cooper... End.
40/40 passed in my session, unsurprisingly
I guess the true evidence of if it is too easy is if there are observer comments over the coming season that referees aren’t fit enough for the games??

If not then perhaps it shows that the test is more suited to refereeing and it opens up the pool of referees that would otherwise have not been able to officiate at that level because of the Cooper test?
 
I guess the true evidence of if it is too easy is if there are observer comments over the coming season that referees aren’t fit enough for the games??

If not then perhaps it shows that the test is more suited to refereeing and it opens up the pool of referees that would otherwise have not been able to officiate at that level because of the Cooper test?
In context, I should retract the statement, 'was too easy'
In context, what I mean is that there's scant equivalence between 2600m/12min and the new L4 test. My average/max HR this morning was 156/163 whereas for last year's Cooper, it was 162/170... so that's a significant difference (arguably a different zone), although I suppose the new test has an element of endurance to it. I'm estimating that your L3 test has some approximation to the Cooper. The 2s difference in shuttles is more than it sounds

So alternatively, the new test is too easy for L4's OR the Cooper was too difficult. I could be persuaded by either statement. Daft thing is, we have a few candidates in Herts who can't pass the Cooper, but I suspect they'd be OK with the FA test. I'm a big fan of the Cooper BTW and I don't buy all this 'not representative of Refereeing stuff'. It's an accurate predictor of VO2max and is underrated. It's disliked cos it's an evil experience
 
In context, I should retract the statement, 'was too easy'
In context, what I mean is that there's scant equivalence between 2600m/12min and the new L4 test. My average/max HR this morning was 156/163 whereas for last year's Cooper, it was 162/170... so that's a significant difference (arguably a different zone), although I suppose the new test has an element of endurance to it. I'm estimating that your L3 test has some approximation to the Cooper. The 2s difference in shuttles is more than it sounds

So alternatively, the new test is too easy for L4's OR the Cooper was too difficult. I could be persuaded by either statement. Daft thing is, we have a few candidates in Herts who can't pass the Cooper, but I suspect they'd be OK with the FA test. I'm a big fan of the Cooper BTW and I don't buy all this 'not representative of Refereeing stuff'. It's an accurate predictor of VO2max and is underrated. It's disliked cos it's an evil experience
The formal of the level 3 test is similar, although they do 4x40m sprints in 6.2 seconds and then do the same run but with timings of 75m in 15 seconds and 25m walk in 22 seconds. I have been practicing this test which helped me pass the level 4 one yesterday.
 
The formal of the level 3 test is similar, although they do 4x40m sprints in 6.2 seconds and then do the same run but with timings of 75m in 15 seconds and 25m walk in 22 seconds. I have been practicing this test which helped me pass the level 4 one yesterday.
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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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
Definitely much harder...those 2 seconds less make a big difference. On the level 4 test I'm barely out of Zone 4 but on the level 3, I am mostly in Zone 5.
 
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