Test design and individual analysis in wheelchair rugby

Use a task vehicle of sprint testing in wheelchair rugby (WCR) to explore the impact of small changes to test design using both group and individual analysis. Exploratory, repeated measures, on-court study 25 national or international level wheelchair rugby players completed 5×5m sprints under two conditions: (i) an acceleration from standstill in their own time, and (ii) an ‘active’ start, simulating a key aspect of performance. Video analysis and accelerometer data were used to measure key kinematic and performance variables with a focus on the first three strokes. Each player was grouped into a high-, mid-, or low-point group based on their sport-specific classification score. Group (paired sample t-tests) and individual (meaningful differences, performance coefficients, and Cohen’s d effect sizes) analysis assessed differences between the two conditions. The low-point classification group performed significantly slower in the active start (p