Comparison of Wingate Anaerobic Test (WAnT) and Running-based Anaerobic Sprint Test (RAST) in Combat Athletes: A Reliability and Validity Study

Abstract

This study compared outcomes from the Wingate Anaerobic Test (WAnT) and the Running-based Anaerobic Sprint Test (RAST) and evaluated the test-retest reliability of both protocols in taekwondo and kickboxing athletes. Fifteen active athletes (taekwondo, n = 7; kickboxing, n = 8) participated in the study. The WAnT was conducted under laboratory conditions, while the RAST was administered as a field-based assessment. Peak power (PP), average power (AP), minimum power (MP), fatigue in-dex (FI), and total exercise duration (TED) were recorded. Between-group differences were analyzed using the Mann–Whitney U test, and differences between test outcomes were assessed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Relationships among variables were examined using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient, and test-retest reliability was determined using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Significant differences were observed between WAnT and RAST for PP, AP, PP·kg⁻¹, AP·kg⁻¹, FI, and TED (p < 0.05), while MP and MP·kg⁻¹ did not differ significantly (p > 0.05). Very strong, highly positive correlations were found for relative PP, AP, and MP. In contrast, FI demonstrated a low, non-significant correlation. Test-retest analyses indicated excellent reliability for all absolute and relative power variables in both protocols, except for WAnT MP, which showed moderate reliability, and FI, which exhibited lower reliability in both tests. RAST is a reproducible and practically useful field-based test for assessing general anaerobic performance in taekwondo and kickboxing athletes, demonstrating good concurrent validity relative to WAnT for most power-related variables. However, as the two tests produced different absolute values for several outcomes, RAST should not be considered a direct substitute for WAnT. FI values should be interpreted with caution due to weaker between-test associations and lower reliability. RAST is recommended as a practical field-based option, but direct comparisons with WAnT values should be avoided.

Keywords

• anaerobik performans
• tekvando
• kickboks
• WAnT
• RAST

Dövüş Sporcularında Wingate Anaerobik Testi (WAnT) ile Koşu Temelli Anaerobik Sprint Testi (RAST) Karşılaştırması: Bir Güvenilirlik ve Geçerlilik Çalışması

Abstract

Bu çalışmada, Wingate Anaerobik Testi (WAnT) ile Koşu Temelli Anaerobik Sprint Testi (RAST) sonuçları karşılaştırılmış ve tekvando ile kickboks sporcularında her iki protokolün test-tekrar test güvenilirliği değerlendirilmiştir. Çalışmaya 15 aktif sporcu (tekvando, n = 7; kickboks, n = 8) katılmıştır. WAnT laboratuvar koşullarında gerçekleştirilirken, RAST saha tabanlı bir değerlendirme olarak uygulanmıştır. Zirve güç (PP), ortalama güç (AP), minimum güç (MP), yorgunluk indeksi (FI) ve toplam egzersiz süresi (TED) kaydedilmiş ve değerlendirilmiştir. Gruplar arası farklılıklar Mann-Whitney U testi kullanılarak analiz edilmiş ve test sonuçları arasındaki farklılıklar Wilcoxon işaretli sıra testi kullanılarak değerlendirilmiştir. Değişkenler arasındaki ilişkiler Spearman korelasyon katsayısı kullanılarak incelenmiş ve test-tekrar test güvenilirliği sınıf içi korelasyon katsayıları (ICC) kullanılarak belirlenmiştir. PP, AP, PP·kg⁻¹, AP·kg⁻¹, FI ve TED açısından WAnT ile RAST arasında anlamlı farklılıklar gözlemlenmiştir (p < 0,05); buna karşın MP ve MP·kg⁻¹ arasında anlamlı bir fark gözlemlenmemiştir (p > 0,05). Relatif PP, AP ve MP değerleri arasında çok güçlü ve yüksek pozitif korelasyonlar saptanmıştır. Buna karşın, FI değeri düşük ve istatistiksel olarak anlamlı olmayan bir korelasyon sergilemiştir. Test-tekrar test analizleri, her iki protokolde de tüm mutlak ve relatif güç değişkenleri için yüksek güvenilirlik göstermiş; ancak WAnT MP orta düzeyde güvenilirlik gösterirken, FI her iki testte de daha düşük güvenilirlik göstermiştir. RAST, tekvando ve kickboks sporcularında genel anaerobik performansı değerlendirmek için tekrarlanabilir ve pratik açıdan kullanışlı bir saha tabanlı testtir ve güçle ilgili çoğu değişken için WAnT'ye göre yüksek geçerlilik sergilemektedir. Ancak, iki testin çeşitli sonuçlar için farklı mutlak değerler vermesi nedeniyle, RAST, WAnT’ın doğrudan bir ikamesi olarak değerlendirilmemelidir. FI değerleri, testler arası ilişkilerin zayıf olması ve güvenilirliğin daha düşük olması nedeniyle dikkatle yorumlanmalıdır. RAST, pratik bir saha tabanlı seçenek olarak önerilmektedir; ancak WAnT değerleriyle doğrudan karşılaştırmalardan kaçınılmalıdır.

Keywords

• anaerobik performans
• tekvando
• kickboks
• WAnT
• RAST

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