Reliability and competitiveness of a novel balance field test: A cross-sectional pilot study

Balancing tests in the field provide important information about the physical fitness and injury risk of athletes. These tests provide useful data on an athletes ability to maintain balance in dynamic and unforeseen circumstances, allowing for a more detailed assessment of their athletic performance. We have designed a novel balance test and tested main quality criteria and competitiveness for it. A total of 117 children (girls = 52.1%) aged 10.4 {+/-} 0.5 years participated in the tests. The raw ABC scores show good to excellent test-retest reliability for all participants. Girls show a higher reliability (excellent) than boys (moderate to good). The comparison of raw data of the performance in the ABC and existing balance field tests shows strong correlation of the results. The test duration of the ABC is significantly (p<.001) shorter than that of existing balance field tests. The statistical and graphical analysis of the calculation of the normal distribution shows that the results of the ABC are closer to the normal distribution than those of the existing balance field tests. The combination of high reliability and competitiveness makes the Austrian Balance Check an extremely attractive option for various areas of application. Overall, the novel designed test is a promising instrument that has the potential to significantly improve the standards of balance testing procedures in the field. The authors recommend a large-scale study to review the test quality criteria of the ABC, including gold standard comparison and development of age- and gender-specific reference values, in order to increase interest in implementing the Austrian Balance Check in international test batteries.