Y-Balance Test Kit (FMS)

The Y Balance Test™ was developed to improve the lengthy process of conducting the Star Excursion Balance Test. Therefore, most of the supporting research for the Y Balance Test™ is based on research conducted on the Star Excursion Balance Test. However, the Y Balance Test™ has not only proven to have a high level of test-retest reliability, but also to be a sensitive indicator of injury risk among athletes.

What is the Y-Balance Test Kit (FMS)?

The Y Balance Test™ (YBT) is a simple, yet reliable test used to measure an individual's dynamic balance and injury risk (1). The examination can be carried out on both the upper and lower quarter of the body. It was developed to standardize the modified Excursion Balance Test (mSEBT), improve its practicality, and make it commercially available (1). Since then, the YBT has become an extremely popular test due to its simplicity and reliability.

The YBT requires the athlete to balance on one leg while simultaneously reaching as far as possible with the other leg in three separate directions: anterior, posterior lateral, and posterior medial. Therefore, this test measures the athlete's strength, stability and balance in various directions. The YBT composite score is calculated by summing the three approach directions and normalizing the results to the length of the lower limb, while the asymmetry is the difference between the right and left limbs (1) – this is explained in more detail in the scoring system section.

While previous injury or surgery appears to have no effect on test performance in collegiate athletes (1), the test has been shown to have strong relationships with knee flexor and hip abductor strength (2). Although little research has been conducted on YBT and sports injury risk, most of the hypotheses regarding injury risk have come from research on SEBT due to its close similarity to YBT. For example, an anterior reach asymmetry greater than 4 cm during the SEBT has been suggested to predict which individuals are at risk of lower extremity injury (3).

However, other researchers found that only female athletes with a composite score of less than 94% of limb length were at greater risk of injury (3). More recent research in collegiate American football players showed that athletes with a composite score of less than 90% were 3.5 times more likely to sustain an injury (4). Additional research has also highlighted that poor performance on the SEBT is associated with chronic ankle instability (5). All of this information suggests that each sport and population (eg, gender) appears to have its own injury risk cutoff point (3, 4).

https://youtu.be/qFVuS-P2FrI

Why use the Y-Balance Test Kit (FMS)?

Balance, otherwise known as “postural control,” can be defined statically as the ability to maintain a base of support with minimal movement and dynamically as the ability to perform a task while maintaining a stable position (6, 7). In a chaotic sports environment, the ability to maintain a stable position is crucial not only for successful skill execution but also for reducing the potential for injury (8, 3, 4). As a result, testing and monitoring an athlete's dynamic stability can be of great interest.

How do you conduct the Y balance test?

It is important to understand that whenever fitness testing is performed, it must be done in a consistent environment (i.e. if the environment is not consistent, the reliability of repeat testing at later dates can be significantly hampered and result in unusable data.

Required Equipment

Before starting the test, it is important to make sure you have the following items:

• Reliable and consistent test setup (at least 2×2 meters).
• Test Administrator(s).
• Y Balance test kit, or tape and a tape measure.
• Performance log sheet

Test configuration

Video 1 shows the configuration and testing process for the YBT. This setting and protocol must be followed if accurate and reliable data is desired.

Planning an effective warm-up

To design an effective warm-up, the strength and conditioning coach must first understand the mental, physiological, and biomechanical demands of the workout or sport before attempting to prepare the athlete for those exact demands. In most cases, these requirements are identified during needs analysis.

For example, if a strength and conditioning coach is planning a warm-up for 1-repetition maximum (1RM) tests, then they may want to consider what the mental, physiological, and biomechanical demands of that session are. In mental preparation, the coach can encourage athletes to arrive rested and bring personal motivational music to listen to during testing – as this has been repeatedly shown to improve performance (24). To prepare them physiologically, the coach can adopt a warm-up routine with similar physiological demands to 1RM tests, such as high strength/power exercises and long rests. In terms of biomechanical conditioning, stretching, dynamic movements and exercises similar to those performed during testing would be appropriate (eg, squatting).

Alternatively, if a strength and conditioning coach designs a pitch-based warm-up for a 'short and sharp' technique session for football (soccer), then the warm-up should be designed specifically for this period and therefore may look very different to the previous 1RM test example. Mental preparation can be very different, as players' mental preparedness can be stimulated by competing with other players – for example. Naturally, if the technical session requires high volumes of work with short recovery periods, and therefore high cardiovascular demand, then the warm-up should aim to produce similar or even repeat the intensities to which the athletes will be exposed. From a biomechanical point of view, the movements adopted should have biomechanical similarities to the movements that will prevail during the technical session. This can include things like falls, changes of direction, jumps and spins.

Remember that the warm-up can be structured effectively and strategically using the RAMP protocol and the content/exercises should mirror those of the session the athletes are preparing for.

Warm-up

Participants should warm up well before starting the test. Warm-ups should correspond to the biomechanical and physiological nature of the test. In addition, adequate recovery (eg 3-5 minutes) should be provided after the warm-up and before the start of the test.

Conducting the test

IMPORTANT: This test procedure is explained when using the YBT kit.

1. The athlete must wear light clothing and remove his shoes. After doing so, they must then stand on the central platform, behind the red line, and await further instructions.
2. The test should be done in the following order: Right Front
   Left Front
   Right posteromedial
   Left posteromedial
   Right rear side
   Left rear side
3. With the hands firmly placed on the hips, the athlete should then be instructed to slide the first box forward as far as possible with their right leg and return to the starting standing position.
4. Approach distances should be recorded to the nearest 0.5 cm (9).
5. They must then repeat this with the same leg for a total of three successful landings. After completing three successful strokes with their right foot, they are allowed to repeat this process with their left foot.
6. Once the athlete has completed three successful touches with each leg, they may then proceed to the next test direction (ie, posteromedial).
7. The test administrator should record the approach distance of each attempt in order to calculate the athlete's YBT composite score.

NOTE: Failed attempts include the following:

• The athlete cannot touch his foot on the floor before returning to the starting position. Any loss of balance will result in a failed attempt. However, after returning to the starting position, they are allowed to put their foot down behind the central/balanced footbox.
• The athlete cannot place their foot over the approach marker to gain support on the approach – they must push the approach marker using the red target area.
• The athlete must keep their foot in contact with the target marker until the approach is complete. They cannot hit or kick the approach indicator to achieve better performance.

How to Calculate Y-Balance Test Kit (FMS) Score?

When the test is completed and all performances are recorded, the test administrator can then calculate the athlete's YBT performance scores using any or all of the following three equations (9):

• Absolute Approach Distance (cm) = (Approach 1 + Approach 2 + Approach 3) / 3
• Relative (normalized) approach distance (%) = Absolute approach distance / limb length * 100
• Composite approach distance (%) = Sum of 3 approach directions / 3 times limb length * 100