Differences between barefoot and shod performance in selected fitness tests in adolescents

Physical fitness is an important health indicator and component of physical literacy. Therefore, monitoring youth fitness performance is crucial for identifying potential health risks and tracking physical literacy development. Over the years, many fitness test batteries have been developed while different protocols for footwear have been used in fitness testing. The comparison of fitness results performed in different footwear could therefore be questioned. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the differences between barefoot and shod performance of selected motor tests in adolescents. Eighty-six adolescents aged between 14 and 16 years performed standing long jump, 20-m shuttle run, and polygon backwards in both footwear conditions. A strong correlation (r=0.83-0.95) was noted between both performances. No significant differences between barefoot and shod performance in the standing long jump and the backward obstacle course test were found, while significant differences were noted in the 20-m shuttle run. In this test, both, boys and girls performed better in shod conditions. Interestingly, there were no significant differences in performance of all tests among those who are habitually barefoot and others. From practical perspective, this study demonstrated that researchers could compare scores of samples in barefoot and shod performance of standing long jump and backward obstacle course tests. However, when physical teachers compare individual scores over the years, this should be made under the same footwear conditions, as differences in test conditions can provide a distorted picture of motor development.