Badminton, a technically and tactically demanding sport, requires rapid reaction, eye-hand coordination, and agility, alongside both aerobic and anaerobic energy system capabilities. However, current mainstream fitness assessments primarily rely on non-specific and semi-specific tests, which, while reliable, lack ecological validity in capturing the multidimensional demands of badminton. Field-based tests, designed to simulate the sport-specific movements and energy demands, are critical for accurately evaluating badminton athletes' performance. This systematic review aims to evaluate the reliability, validity, and applicability of existing field-based tests for badminton athletes, providing evidence-based insights for the development of more contextually relevant assessment methods. Method: Using keywords such as “badminton”, “specific”, and “test”, we searched multiple databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and SPORT Discuss Full Text in November 2024. The inclusion criteria : (1) Study participants must be healthy, physically active, and fully functional badminton players of any age and gender; (2) Testing must occur on a badminton court or equivalent-sized site; (3) The assessment must simulate actual game demands, including specialized footwork and batting styles; (4) Research must be published in peer-reviewed English journals. A total of fifteen articles were included in the current study, involving a total of 7 endurance tests, 8 agility tests, including 5 changes of direction (no decision) tests. All studies involved 2–4 levels of interventions. Participants included males and females, with ages ranging from 10.3 to 34.4 years, and playing experience ranged from at least 1 year to 19.1 years of experience. Findings showed that the 13 tests demonstrated high reliability and validity, with only two tests (one endurance test and one COD test) considered ineffective for assessment purposes. Based on the studies reviewed, it seems that most tests serve as effective evaluation tools, they have limitations. Agility tests predominantly focus on horizontal displacement rather than spatial movement, and endurance tests often rely on single metrics, lacking multidimensional assessment. Additionally, specific on-court tests lack a universally accepted gold standard, complicating validity assessments. In practical applications, court-specific tests should be combined with traditional assessments to provide a comprehensive evaluation of athletes' performance.
Jiang et al. (Thu,) studied this question.