The Four Square Step Test was formed to measure the dynamics which is an important ability when it comes to changing directions and avoiding obstacles while walking. The purpose of the thesis was to determine the characteristics of the Four Square Step Test.
Our sample was composed of four training groups with 54 participants and a control group of 24 people of advanced age. The observed people were between 50 and 80 years old. All the groups, with the exception of the control group, performed four different types of training: Strength training on the devices to increase the muscle mass, strength training with the gymnastic exercises, balance training on the soft surfaces and balance training on the hard surfaces. The training took place two times a week. Before and after the nine week training, we carried out a test at the Kinesiology Laboratory of the Faculty of Sports at the University of Ljubljana. We did the Four Square Step Test, the standing test on a tensiometric plate under different circumstances and we measured the reach with legs and arms.
The results of the Four Square Step Test showed statistically typical alternations in the balance training and the strength training on the devices. There were no typical alternations of the result after the strength training with the gymnastic exercises.
The method of the main components before and after the nine week training ruled out two components that were, considering the nature of the test, defined as the static and the dynamic component. The standing test on a tensiometric plate under different circumstances was the static component, whereas the reach with legs and arms and the Four Square Step Test were the dynamic components. The results showed that the Four Square Step Test belongs to the tests that measure the ability of the dynamic balance.
The Four Square Step Test proved to be precise enough, valid and reliable after the training, therefore we recommend its use in practice.
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