The Hoff test: a football-specific test to evaluate aerobic fitness

The Hoff test was introduced by Chamari and colleagues (2005) to evaluate aerobic fitness of football players. This test is performed in the field where the players move while dribbling the ball. Several movements that closely resemble the soccer movement pattern, such as jumping, backward running with the ball, are included in the test.

During the test, players dribble the ball in a 30 X 55 m area covering a distance of 290 m per tour. In this route, they perform various movements such as forward run with the ball, backward dribbling, and jumping. Hoff test has been shown to correlate with VO_2max (r= 0.68, P< 0.01) in young soccer players (Chamari et al., 2005) and with the VO_2max predicted from the 20-m shuttle run in adult players (Nassis et al., 2010). Finally, the coefficient of variation was reported to be 4.8% in soccer players.

Can we use it with young players?
Yes. The test was initially developed for young players.

Advantages and disadvantages

Main advantages

• Football-specific using the ball
• No particular skills are required from the tester

Main disadvantages

• Time-consuming
• No prediction of maximum oxygen uptake is provided

To view the test diagram please visit http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/39/1/24.full

For more reading

• . Chamari et al. Endurance training and testing with the ball in young elite soccer players. Br J Sports Med 39: 24-28, 2005.
• . Nassis et al. Relationship between the 20-m multistage shuttle run test and two soccer specific field tests for the assessment of aerobic fitness in adult semi-professional soccer players. J Strength Cond Res, 24(10):2693-7, 2010.