The Running Based Anaerobic Sprint Test (RAST) was devised at the University of Wolverhampton in the UK, and the standard version involves six sprints over 35 meters with a 10 second recovery between each sprint, and provides measurements of peak power, average power and minimum power along with a fatigue index (Draper & Whyte, 1997). This drill uses a moving start and requires 2 timing gates.

• Install batteries in each laser you plan to use.

• Install/open the Dashr app on your phone or tablet. (Create an account here if you have not already)

• Register each laser in the app - Navigate to the "Device Registration" button at the bottom, power on the lasers one at a time and select them from the "Available" list and assign them a number. Write that number on your laser. (This only has to be done the first time you use the laser with this phone/tablet)

• Return to the home menu and select RAST.

• Screw 2 lasers onto 2 taller tripods, positioned so that the beam is around hip height.

• Screw 2 reflector onto 2 matching tripods and position laser and reflector across from each other (~6 ft)to create a line to pass through. (Standard RAST has these gates positioned 35 meters apart.)

• With the lasers on, select the appropriate laser from the drop-down menu and press the "Connect" button. If it does not work the first time, repeat.

• Once all devices are connected, press the "Start Testing" button.

• Check in the appropriate athlete (details here) - optional.

• On the testing page you will see a “Set” button that give you control of when a test starts. Press "Set" once the athlete is ready to take off. Once started, a "Reset" becomes visible to stop and reset the drill, or clear the time for the next athlete.

• Once the athlete crosses the first gate, the clock will start. First time is obtained when the next gate is crosses.

• At this point a countdown timer starts in the app (you can adjust this time in the connection page).

• As it runs down to 0, the athlete should start to sprint back to where they started.

• Repeat this for a total of 6 sprints.

AssessmentDetermine the power output for each sprint using the following equations:

- Velocity = Distance (35m) ÷ Time

- Acceleration = Velocity ÷ Time

- Force = Weight × Acceleration- Power = Force × Velocity

OR

- Power = Weight × Distance² ÷ Time³ 

From the six times, calculate the power for each run and then determine:

• Maximum power - the highest value

• Minimum power - the lowest value

• Average power - the sum of all six values ÷ 6

• Fatigue Index - (Maximum power - Minimum power) ÷ Total time for the 6 sprints

Visit our forum for additional details, FAQs, and specifics on drills - all on a searchable platform where you can also ask questions and share experiences.