The Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) screen evaluates physical capabilities relevant to a golf swing. This study examined reliability of the TPI screen and golf swing video analysis. Twenty-six golfers (mean age 47.5 +/- 16.3 years, average 18-hole score 82.9 +/- 6.0) completed two visits. Each visit included TPI screening before and after a standardized warm-up, followed by 6-iron and driver swings recorded from 2 angles. Composite and individual TPI test scores were documented, and 15 swing characteristics were scored as present or absent. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were calculated for TPI composite scores and swing characteristics, and weighted kappa was used for individual TPI components. TPI composite scores demonstrated excellent test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.90-0.93). Most individual TPI components showed moderate to excellent agreement. Nearly all swing characteristics showed excellent reliability (ICC > 0.88). These findings suggest the TPI screen and video-based assessment are reliable tools to evaluate golfers' movement and swing performance.
The trunk muscles play a key role in spinal stability. This study developed and validated the Baseline Evaluation of Strength Test Core (BEST Core), assessing core strength through six flexion, extension, inclination, and rotation tasks. A total of 102 participants of different skill levels and genders completed the test twice, separated by at least 72 hours, using a K-Pull dynamometer (Kinvent (R)). BEST Core measured maximal (F-max) and mean (F-mean) forces. Test-retest reliability was assessed by repeating the protocol, and discriminant validity by comparing performance among competition levels. Results showed significant differences between skill groups for both F-max and F-mean (p < .001), confirming strong discriminant validity. Reliability was excellent, with intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.952 and 0.907, and no significant differences between sessions. These findings indicate that BEST Core is a valid and reliable field test for monitoring core strength and assessing injury risk in athletes.
This study aimed to evaluate the test-retest reliability of the isolated aquatic motor tasks included in the newly developed ALFAC test battery for young children. Eighty children (7.7 +/- 1.5 years) completed the ALFAC motor skills assessment on two separate days. The battery consisted of isolated aquatic motor tasks, including propulsion on the belly and on the back, submersion, floating, treading water, rotations (vertical [VR], lateral [LR], transversal [TR], forward [FR] and backward [BR]), entry, exit and breathing. Test-retest reliability was assessed using paired comparisons, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), Spearman correlations (rho) and Cohen's kappa coefficients, along with McNemar's tests for categorical variables. Differences between test and retest were observed in the duration of propulsion on the belly and on the back, and in treading water tasks. These differences were supported by poor ICC values, particularly for treading water (ICC = 0.40), indicating moderate to poor reliability. In contrast, no differences were found for propulsion on the belly (m) or on the back (m), submersion (m), or floating (s), which demonstrated ICC values ranging from 0.54 to 0.82, reflecting moderate to good reliability. All outcome variables showed moderate to strong test-retest associations (rho = 0.53-0.76), suggesting stable relative performance across time. For rotations, Cohen's kappa values ranged from 0.43 to 0.64, indicating substantial agreement for VR and moderate agreement for LR, TR, FR and BR; however, systematic changes were identified for VR and TR. For the categorical ordinal tasks, moderate agreement was observed for entry and breathing, whereas the exit task demonstrated only fair agreement. Overall, the ALFAC battery provides a useful framework for assessing isolated aquatic motor skills, although refinements to specific tasks could increase its reliability.
