Perception is the ability to see, hear or become aware of something through our senses. It's the neurophysiological processes, including memory, by which we become aware of and interpret external stimuli and in turn, do something about it.

My favourite example is a boxer not reacting to a single punch but countless stimuli, such as the opponent's previous shots (what they did during previous rounds), their foot position, shoulder position, line of sight, etc, etc, etc.

This is a tough question to answer as there are so many factors. Therefore, we need to establish what we class as physically demanding.

We need to consider the different components of fitness, such as muscular strength, muscular endurance, cardio-respiratory endurance, and speed. Of course, when it comes to the term "physically demanding", we tend to think of components that apply huge metabolic stress, such as muscular and cardiorespiratory endurance, rather than coordination, balance, and reaction time - is maximal endurance more demanding than maximal strength?

Fast reactions are clearly an integral part of athleticism. However, when it comes to the trainability of reaction time, things are questionable, to say the least.

Ultimately, we need to define exactly what we mean by reaction time and also what physical attributes we are specifically targeting.

Reaction Time is defined as the amount of time it takes to respond to a stimulus - we could describe it as "Quickness”. However, it is not just our ability to react to a stimulus. It is also the ability to change the position of the body in accordance with the stimulus. Therefore, qualities such as coordination, balance, and mobility are important factors."

Movement screens are a great way to understand a client's or athlete's movement capabilities and limitations. However, I think it is key that people understand that a poor result on a specific movement assessment should NOT be seen as a sure sign of injury risk but as indicators of where improvements in overall performance can be made—making an athlete more robust!

I have just published a Youth Strength and Conditioning Book/Paperback Program on Amazon - the book works as both a program with detailed instructions and program cards for each training session and a logbook with log pages to track your progress.

The program is designed to develop the Strength and Conditioning of adolescents between the ages of 12 and 16-years-old.

Although there can be disparity between the physical development and maturity of adolescents between the age range of 12-16, this program has been tried and tested across the different age and ability levels and consistently produces brilliant results – the program has been used with complete novices and world-class youth athletes.

Fitness tests set benchmarks, inform our programming, and allow us to see whether we have improved. Therefore, fitness tests are a necessary part of optimal program design - programming just isn't programming if it doesn't include some form of fitness testing!

Some tests are far more likely to result in clear, measurable changes, such as long-duration endurance tests. However, when it comes to short change of direction (COD) speed tests, for example, what is the Smallest Worthwhile Change?