How to Set Up the Shuttle Run Test
Set up a shuttle run test to measure a participant's agility through his ability to run in short bursts with changes of direction in between. There are two main shuttle run tests, but they use the same basic technique and are both carried out in a gym, outdoor track, or other safe location for running. The 300-yard shuttle run is used in tryouts for sports teams and jobs requiring physical fitness. The President's Challenge shuttle run is part of a fitness tests for students in physical education programs.
300-Yard Shuttle Run
Set a cone at the starting point or draw a line to indicate the starting line. With a tape measure, find the point exactly 25 yards away and mark this point or draw a parallel line. You can use chalk to draw lines outdoors or masking tape to make lines indoors. Get a stopwatch to measure each participant's time in the shuttle run test.
Have the participant begin at the starting line, run to the other line and touch it with his foot, return to the starting line and touch it with his foot, and repeat the process five more times. The sixth time the participant returns, stop the stopwatch. The full distance for this test is 300 yards. Allow the participant to rest for exactly five minutes after he crosses the finish line and then have him repeat the test. Average the two times to determine his time for the 300-yard shuttle run fitness test.
President's Challenge Shuttle Run
Use cones or tape as described above to mark two spots that are exactly 30 yards apart from one another. Designate one as the starting point and set two small objects, such as blocks of wood, on the other spot. When you start the stopwatch, have a student go retrieve the first object, run it back to the starting point, set it on the ground, go back to get the second object, and run back across the starting line to finish the test.
