The development of a questionnaire to assess training and match demand in adolescent cricketers

Abstract

Background: Recording training and match demand in adolescent sports is essential in preventing overtraining and injuries while ensuring optimal performance and well-being. The study aimed to develop a valid and reliable questionnaire that would measure the training and match the demands of adolescent cricketers.

Methods: In Study 1, the content validity of the training and match demand questionnaire was measured using the content validity index, while the reliability was measured using Kendall’s coefficient of concordance (Kendall’ W). In Study 2, a pilot study was performed using the questionnaire developed in Study 1. Daily training and match demand for all activities done in cricket (i.e., bowling, batting, fielding, strength and conditioning) and any other sport or activities were recorded in 17 adolescent cricketers. Acute:Chronic workload ratios (ACWR) were determined for all activities.

Results: The developed questionnaire was deemed valid (I-CVI score of 0.83) and reliable (Kendall’s W score of 0.63). Over the 7-week period, some spikes in the acute training and match demand were observed. However, the overall ACWR was within the norms (0.8-1.3). Bowling reported an average ACWR of 0.91; other sports reported the highest average of 1.08, while the average for all activities combined was 0.92.

Conclusion: The questionnaire measured the training and match demand of the cricketer over time and can be used as a valuable tool in future research and practice in adolescent cricket