Abstract

The evaluation of a person’s physical capacities  has long provided different alternatives of application, its main objective focusing on the sports performance, the physical education at school, and more recently the beneficial effects on people’s health. Nowadays in the physical education field, the evaluation of the adolescents’ physical condition arouses controversy over the suitability of carrying out this assessment of capacities by means of motor tests or choosing an estimation of it through the direct observation of the physical performance  in each individual during the lessons. This article presents a research which aims to establish the present situation of the evaluation of the physical condition in adolescent students of Secondary Education and the first year of “Bachillerato” and to state, within this field, the most suitable tests on physical capacities to carry out this assessment. The investigation has based on three basic pillars: a) Study of tests: 167 tests on physical capacities have been consulted. The tests were classified into basic physical qualities (Endurance, Strength, Speed and Flexibility) and motive qualities (Agility, Coordination and Balance) which can be applied at the age of adolescence, following criteria of reliability, objectivity and validity, as well as for the characteristics of economy, normalisation, comparability and usefulness. b) Study of textbooks: we have analysed the tests recommended for the evaluation of the physical condition in textbooks from 10 different countrywide publishers, which are included in their secondary education editorial projects. c) Questionnaire to teachers: the opinion of 169 secondary education PE teachers has been gathered by means of a questionnaire. The items have dealt with the teachers’ knowledge and application of the 168 tests analysed in paragraph a in the PE classes. This structure has let us process the data, assigning a top 33,3 % valuation to each one of the above-mentioned tests (168) in paragraphs a), b) and c) and neatly present the results of each test in Excel 2000 spreadsheet. Lastly, we include the final conclusions and the three most recommended tests for each one of the basic physical and motive qualities.