Coordination Tests

Coordination is the ability to move two or

more body parts under control, smoothly
and efficiently. Coordination is typically
measured using tests of hand -eye or foot-
eye coordination such as throwing,
catching or bouncing a ball, or hitting an
object. Manual dex terity tests, or tests of
hand-eye coordination also fall into this
category.

Coordination Tests
Stick Flip Coordination Test
Wall-Toss Test
Block Transfer
Soda Pop Test
Minnesota Rate of Manipulation Test
Plate Tapping
Light Board Test (also react ion)
see also Agility Tests
Coordination tests are not commonly used
in a fitness test battery for athletes,
though coordination itself plays a big part
in the performance of agility tests, and
many other fitness tests such as the
vertical jump and throwin g power tests.

Coordination is a complex skill that

requires good levels of other fitness
components such as balance, strength and
agility. On a sporting field, someone who
appears to be well coordinated may also be
displaying good timing. It is also a
difficult skill to teach, rather it is
something that is achieved through proper
development throughout early life
development. As such, coordination tests
are often used in a test battery for
monitoring a young person's development
or lack thereof.

Usually people have better coordination on

one side of the body than the other - not
many people can throw and catch equally
well with either hand! As an example of a
coordination test, the Wall -Toss Test of
hand-eye coordination is described on this
site. See the box for other coordination
tests too.
Stick Flip Coordination Test
The stick flip test is a coordination and general motor skill test. Participants
attempt to flip a stick using two other sticks.

o purpose: to measure hand-eye coordination and dexterity.

o equipment required: three sticks are required for each person being
assessed. Each stick should be about 60 centimeters (~2 foot) long,
two centimeters (~1 inch) in diameter and with tape or painted at one
end.

o procedure: there are two parts to this test, one with five attempts at
a half flip, the other with five attempts at a full flip. Three practice
attempts are allowed before each part.
 o Half-Flip: the subject holds a stick in each hand at waist level
so that the sticks are horizontal. The assessor places the third
stick across the two hand-held sticks. The subject then attempts
to flip the balanced stick so that it turns one half of a rotation
and lands back on the two hand‐held sticks. The subject should
attempt five half-flips with one point scored for each successful
attempt. The flip is unsuccessful if the stick is not flipped the half
rotation or drops to the floor.

o Full-Flip: The starting position is the same as for the half-flip

part of the test. In this second part, a full flip is attempted. The
stick must go through a full rotation and land balanced across
the other two sticks, with the same orientation as the starting
position (using the painted end of the stick as a guide). Two
points are awarded for each successful attempt.

o scoring: One point is awarded for each successful half-flip, two points
for each successful full-flip. Add up the scores for the two test parts
and see the table below for a coordination rating. The maximum
possible score is 15.

rating males (total points) females (total points)

Excellent 14–15 13–15

Very Good 11–13 10–12

Fair 5–10 4–9

Poor 3–4 2–3

Very Poor 0–2 0–1

 o reference: Corbin CB, Lindsey R (1994). Concepts of Fitness &
Wellness. as cited in Jacaranda Outcomes 1 PDHPE Preliminary Course
5th Edition (published by Wiley), Chapter 5: Physical Fitness Training
and Movement Efficiency.

Alternate Hand Wall Toss Test

o purpose: to measure hand-eye coordination

o equipment required: tennis ball or baseball, smooth and solid wall,

marking tape, stopwatch (optional)

o pre-test: Explain the test procedures to the subject. Perform

screening of health risks and obtain informed consent. Prepare forms
and record basic information such as age, height, body weight,
gender, test conditions. Perform an appropriate warm-up and practice.
See more details of pre-test procedures.

o procedure: A mark is placed a certain distance from the wall (e.g. 2

meters, 3 feet). The person stands behind the line and facing the wall.
The ball is thrown from one hand in an underarm action against the
wall, and attempted to be caught with the opposite hand. The ball is
then thrown back against the wall and caught with the initial hand. The
test can continue for a nominated number of attempts or for a set time
period (e.g. 30 seconds). By adding the constraint of a set time period,
you also add the factor of working under pressure.

o scoring: This table lists general ratings for the Wall Toss Test, based
on the score of the number of successful catches in a 30 second
period.

Rating Score (in 30 seconds)

Excellent > 35
Good 30 - 35

Average 20- 29

Fair 15 - 19

Poor < 15

o variations / modifications: There are numerous variation that can

be made to the procedures of this test depending on the desired
outcomes: the size, weight and shape of the object, the distance from
the wall, the number of attempts or time period can all be varied. The
procedure should be recorded with the results and kept consistent for
future testing of the same subjects.

o advantages: minimal equipment and costs are involved in conducting

this test, and it can be self-administered.

o disadvantages: the ability to catch the ball can be affected by how

hard and straight the ball is thrown to the wall. You may want to draw
a target on the wall to help with throwing accuracy. The test results
may be skewed if the subject 'flukes' a few catches, so repeating the
test a few times may result in more accurate results.

Block Transfer Test

The Block Transfer is a manual dexterity test or coordination test of fine
motor abilities. This test is part of the protocol for the Groningen Fitness
Test for the Elderly, and is derived from the Minnesota Rate of Manipulation
Test (American Guidance Service, 1969).

o purpose: to measure manual dexterity

o equipment required: two boards (56.5 x 23 x 2.4 cm), each
punctuated with 40 holes (diameter 4 cm, depth 1.1 cm), and 40
blocks (diameter 3.5 cm, height 2.2 cm).

o pre-test: Explain the test procedures to the subject. Perform

screening of health risks and obtain informed consent. Prepare forms
and record basic information such as age, height, body weight,
gender, test conditions. Perform an appropriate warm-up. See
more details of pre-test procedures.

o procedure: The participant begins by sitting at a table with the two

boards in front of them. Timing begins when the participant starts to
move the 40 blocks from the first board to the second board, which is
linked to the first board and farther away. The blocks must be moved
in a prescribed sequence as quickly as possible using the preferred
hand. The participant should practice with five blocks prior to the trial.

o scoring: the time (in seconds) to complete the task is recorded

o disadvantages: the blocks specifically for this test needs to be

obtained

o target population: this test was designed specifically for the elderly
population.

o comments: One or more practice trials should be conducted to avoid

a learning effect.

o references:

o Koen A.P.Lemmink, Han Kemper, Mathieu H.G. de Greef, and

Piet Rispens P, Stevens M, Reliability of the Groningen Fitness
Test for the Elderly, Journal of Aging and Physical Activity,
2001, 9, 194-212

o American Guidance Service. (1969). Minnesota Rate of

Manipulation Test: Examiner’s manual. Circle Pines, MN: Circle
Pines.
Minnesota Rate of Manipulation Test /
Manual Dexterity Test
The Minnesota Rate of Manipulation Test or Minnesota Manual Dexterity Test
is a series of tests of eye-hand coordination and motor abilities. The test
package is commonly used in the evaluation of occupational fitness,
disability evaluation and in rehabilitation.

o purpose: measures the speed of gross arm and hand movements

during rapid eye-hand coordination tasks.

o equipment required: The testing kit that has to be purchased

includes 2 folding boards, and 60 blocks. The wooden folding frame is
3 foot long, with 60 holes in four horizontal rows for placing the
blocks.

o pre-test: Explain the test procedures to the subject. Perform

screening of health risks and obtain informed consent. Prepare forms
and record basic information such as age, height, body weight, gender
and test conditions. See more details of pre-test procedures.

o procedure: The complete test consists of a battery of five sub-tests:

Placing, Turning, Displacing, One-Hand Turning and Placing and Two-
Hand Turning and Placing. The tests are performed while standing.
Each test is started with a practice trial, and then each test tested 3-5
times. Both hands can be tested and compared.

o variations: There are several variations of the tests, you could test
eye foot dexterity for those with no upper limbs and it is also possible
to use it with blind people.

o scoring: The time of each test is recorded to the nearest second, and
the overall score is the total time of all tests combined. The times for
each hand/side can be compared, and the total time compared to
normative values.

o disadvantages: the specially constructed board and other testing kit

items need to be purchased.
 o target population: This test is applicable for testing workers in
occupations requiring quick movement in handling simple tools and
production materials without differentiating size and shape.

Reaction Light Board Test

The Light Board Test is part of the SPARQ rating system for boxing, and
their protocol is listed here.

o purpose: to measure reaction time, hand-eye quickness and

coordination.

o equipment required: Bosu™ ball, instrumented light board.

o pre-test: Explain the test procedures to the subject. Prepare forms

and record basic information such as age, gender and test conditions.
Record preferred hand. See more details of pre-test procedures.

o procedure: The light board is constructed so that when active, the

board displays a target light that moves to different cells across the
board. The lights are located a different distances on lines radiating
out from the center of the board. The athlete stands upon a Bosu ball
and facing the light board. The light board is positioned so that the
center is directly in front of the face. The athlete tries to press as
many active lights as possible.

o scoring: The score is the number of lights that are pressed during the
test, out of a total possible of 90.

o target population: boxing

o comments: This test was used in the 3rd season of the Contender TV
series to assess the fitness of the boxers.