Question bank

1.1 Which of the following is a measured physical quantity, not a derived metric?

1. a.Total distance
2. b.Linear acceleration Correct answer
3. c.PlayerLoad
4. d.Sprint count

Acceleration is the raw signal a sensor captures; the others are computed from it.

Read again: Module 1, 1.2 Sensor types and what they actually measure

1.2 Under GDPR, an athlete's heart-rate data is most appropriately classified as:

1. a.Ordinary personal data
2. b.Special-category personal data Correct answer
3. c.Anonymous data
4. d.Public data

Health data falls under Article 9 special categories and needs stricter handling.

Read again: Module 1, 1.5 First-look ethics and GDPR: the consent baseline

1.3 A wearable that is accurate in the lab but unreliable during outdoor team training lacks:

1. a.Reliability
2. b.Ecological validity Correct answer
3. c.Precision
4. d.Sensitivity

Ecological validity asks whether lab performance holds up in real coaching conditions.

Read again: Module 1, 1.4 Validity and reliability for coaches who are not researchers

1.4 The optical PPG heart-rate signal is MOST sensitive to:

1. a.Satellite geometry
2. b.Motion artefact, skin tone and device tightness Correct answer
3. c.Magnetic interference
4. d.Electrode gel

Wrist PPG is degraded by motion, skin factors and how tightly it is worn.

Read again: Module 1, 1.2 Sensor types and what they actually measure

1.5 GPS-derived metrics such as total distance are most robust:

1. a.Indoors
2. b.In open outdoor sport Correct answer
3. c.In steel-framed halls
4. d.Underwater

GNSS needs clear sky view; it degrades or fails indoors and in dense structures.

Read again: Module 1, 1.2 Sensor types and what they actually measure

1.6 The most durable way to teach the device market is by:

1. a.Ranking brands
2. b.Category and feature Correct answer
3. c.Price only
4. d.Popularity

Specific models change quickly; categories and the questions they invite are stable.

Read again: Module 1, 1.3 Mapping the device market: category-based comparison

1.7 True/False: If two devices report different PlayerLoad for the same drill, one is simply wrong.

1. a.True
2. b.False Correct answer

Usually they use different proprietary derivation formulas, not right vs wrong.

Read again: Module 1, 1.2 Sensor types and what they actually measure

1.8 Before turning a device on, the Module-1 operational rule is to:

1. a.Buy the most expensive unit
2. b.Have an informed-consent process in place Correct answer
3. c.Collect the maximum possible data
4. d.Skip guardian consent for minors

Do not deploy a device without an informed-consent process in place.

Read again: Module 1, 1.5 First-look ethics and GDPR: the consent baseline

1 Which of these is a measured physical quantity rather than a derived metric?

1. a.Total distanceDerived: computed from position over time.
2. b.Linear acceleration Correct answerCorrect. This is what the accelerometer physically detects; everything else is computed from it.
3. c.PlayerLoadDerived, and by a proprietary formula that differs between vendors.
4. d.Sprint countDerived, and it depends on the speed threshold the platform uses.

2 Under GDPR, an athlete's heart-rate data is most appropriately classified as:

1. a.Ordinary personal dataHealth data carries stricter obligations than ordinary personal data.
2. b.Special-category personal data Correct answerCorrect: Article 9. You need an Article 6 basis and an explicit Article 9 basis, usually explicit consent.
3. c.Anonymous dataIt is linked to an identifiable athlete, so it is not anonymous.
4. d.Public dataNever. Access is limited to staff with a legitimate need.

3 A device is accurate in the laboratory but unreliable during outdoor team training. What is limited?

1. a.ReliabilityClose, but the specific term for “holds up in real conditions” is ecological validity.
2. b.Ecological validity Correct answerCorrect. Always check whether the validation conditions resemble your training environment.
3. c.PrecisionPrecision is about spread of repeated measurements, not about the setting.
4. d.SensitivitySensitivity concerns detecting small true changes.

4 A vendor shows a validation study run on a treadmill at 8-12 km/h. You coach sprinters. What do you conclude?

1. a.The device is validated, so it is fine for my athletesValidation does not transfer across intensities. Sprinting is a different signal environment.
2. b.The study says nothing about sprint accuracy; I ask for data at my intensities Correct answerCorrect. Ecological match is the fourth thing you read in any abstract.
3. c.Validation studies are marketing, so I ignore themToo cynical: peer-reviewed validation is exactly what you should be asking for.
4. d.I only trust devices used by professional clubsAdoption is not evidence. Elite clubs also buy devices that were never validated for their use.

2.1 External load is best defined as:

1. a.The biological cost the athlete experienced
2. b.What the athlete did, in physical terms Correct answer
3. c.Heart-rate variability
4. d.Sleep efficiency

External load is the prescribed dose (distance, sprints, reps); internal load is the response.

Read again: Module 2, 2.1 Internal load versus external load: the Impellizzeri-Marcora framework

2.2 Session RPE (sRPE) is computed as:

1. a.RPE × duration (min) Correct answer
2. b.HR × distance
3. c.TRIMP × ACWR
4. d.Volume × monotony

sRPE = RPE × session duration in minutes.

Read again: Module 2, Practical lab: Stat Pack #1

2.3 For a 60-minute session at RPE 7, sRPE equals:

1. a.420 AU Correct answer
2. b.67 AU
3. c.720 AU
4. d.94 AU

7 × 60 = 420 arbitrary units.

Read again: Module 2, Practical lab: Stat Pack #1

2.4 If acute load is 3,300 AU and chronic load is 2,400 AU, ACWR equals approximately:

1. a.1.375 Correct answer
2. b.0.727
3. c.2.40
4. d.0.73

ACWR = acute / chronic = 3300 / 2400 = 1.375 (upper edge of the sweet spot).

Read again: Module 2, Practical lab: Stat Pack #1

2.5 In real time (within seconds), a coach should most trust:

1. a.Smoothed composite indices
2. b.Simple metrics (HR, distance, impacts) Correct answer
3. c.Live asymmetry index
4. d.Weekly strain

Trust simple metrics live; trust composites at session debrief.

Read again: Module 2, 2.2 Live data feeds: what dashboards actually offer

2.6 A drill shows a player covering 50 m in 10 minutes. The best action is to:

1. a.Praise elite pacing
2. b.Suspect GPS dropout indoors; treat as missing Correct answer
3. c.Log it as valid recovery
4. d.Increase the load

Such a value is almost certainly indoor GPS dropout; treat the metric as missing.

Read again: Module 2, 2.4 Data quality, anomalies, and the discipline of scepticism

2.7 True/False: A scatter plot showing correlation is sufficient to act on by itself.

1. a.True
2. b.False Correct answer

Correlation is not causation; never act on a scatter pattern alone.

Read again: Module 2, 2.3 Dashboard literacy: reading five visualisation families

2.8 The best moment to give an athlete brief metric-anchored feedback is:

1. a.Mid-execution during a drill
2. b.Between drills or at the end of a block Correct answer
3. c.Never
4. d.Only in writing

During execution, metric talk distracts; feedback belongs between drills or at block end.

Read again: Module 2, 2.5 Real-time feedback to athletes: the timing question

1 Two athletes complete the same prescribed session. What can external load alone tell you?

1. a.Which athlete found it harderThat is internal load. External load is identical by definition here.
2. b.Only that they were given the same dose Correct answerCorrect. Comparing external metrics compares prescription, not response.
3. c.Which athlete is closer to injuryNo single load metric predicts injury at the individual level.
4. d.Whether the session was well designedThat is a coaching judgment, not a reading of the data.

2 Your dashboard shows a smoothed composite index updating live. When should you act on it?

1. a.Immediately: it is a live metricSmoothing windows make composites unstable second-to-second.
2. b.At the session debrief, as a session total Correct answerCorrect. In real time trust simple metrics; trust composites later.
3. c.Never: composites are uselessThey are useful, just not as second-by-second readouts.
4. d.Only if the athlete complainsThen you are not monitoring; you are reacting.

3 An athlete's sRPE rises across three weeks while the prescribed sessions are unchanged. This most likely indicates:

1. a.The athlete is getting fitterImproving fitness usually lowers the internal cost of the same dose.
2. b.Accumulating fatigue Correct answerCorrect. Same external dose, higher internal cost: one of the clearest early signals.
3. c.A faulty RPE scalePossible but far less likely than a real physiological trend confirmed over three weeks.
4. d.Nothing: sRPE is subjectiveSubjective measures often outperform objective ones for acute training response (Saw et al., 2016).

4 A weekly export records a missing sRPE as 0. What is the consequence?

1. a.None: zero is the honest valueZero says “no load”; missing says “we do not know”. They are different facts.
2. b.It lowers the weekly total and the chronic average, inflating next week's ACWR Correct answerCorrect, and the inflated ratio may trigger an intervention nobody needed.
3. c.It raises the chronic averageA zero pulls averages down, not up.
4. d.It only affects that athlete's own reportIt also distorts squad comparisons and any threshold built on the chronic average.

3.1 A meaningful athlete baseline is best described as:

1. a.A single number
2. b.A distribution (mean + SD over weeks) Correct answer
3. c.One morning reading
4. d.The squad average

A baseline is a distribution: mean and standard deviation over several weeks.

Read again: Module 3, 3.1 Building an athlete baseline that is actually meaningful

3.2 HRV interpretation must be rooted in:

1. a.Population norms
2. b.The individual (self vs self) Correct answer
3. c.The squad median
4. d.Manufacturer defaults

Between-athlete variability dwarfs within-athlete variability: compare to themselves.

Read again: Module 3, 3.1 Building an athlete baseline that is actually meaningful

3.3 Minimum data collection before drawing baseline inferences is about:

1. a.1 day
2. b.1 week
3. c.4-6 weeks Correct answer
4. d.1 season

Collect data for at least 4-6 weeks before drawing inferences.

Read again: Module 3, 3.1 Building an athlete baseline that is actually meaningful

3.4 Sleep-stage classification from consumer wearables should be treated as:

1. a.Definitive
2. b.Suggestive, not definitive Correct answer
3. c.A medical diagnosis
4. d.More reliable than total sleep time

Track total sleep time and efficiency; treat stage data as suggestive only.

Read again: Module 3, 3.3 Recovery metrics: what they show and what they do not

3.5 The discipline of 'triangulation' means:

1. a.Acting on one metric
2. b.Never acting on a single metric alone Correct answer
3. c.Using exactly three devices
4. d.Averaging everything

Never act on one metric alone; combine HRV, sleep, wellness and performance signals.

Read again: Module 3, 3.3 Recovery metrics: what they show and what they do not

3.6 During a well-executed taper you would expect HRV to:

1. a.Fall steadily
2. b.Rise Correct answer
3. c.Stay flat then crash
4. d.Become unreadable

HRV rises as parasympathetic recovery exceeds training-induced sympathetic load.

Read again: Module 3, 3.4 Tapering with wearable confirmation

3.7 True/False: Adding a new metric is worthwhile even if it will change no decision.

1. a.True
2. b.False Correct answer

If a metric changes no decision, it should not be in the system.

Read again: Module 3, 3.5 The measurement-burden trade-off

3.8 A single day's HRV reading should:

1. a.Trigger immediate action
2. b.Never alone trigger action: watch the 5-7 day trend Correct answer
3. c.Be ignored entirely
4. d.Be shared live with the athlete

A single day should never trigger action; the 5-7 day trend is what matters.

Read again: Module 3, 3.3 Recovery metrics: what they show and what they do not

1 An athlete's HRV is 8 ms below their individual mean. Their SD is 6 ms. Sleep and wellness are unchanged. What do you do?

1. a.Nothing: a single reading never triggers actionHalf right. A single reading does not trigger an intervention, but a yellow flag does trigger a conversation.
2. b.Monitor and ask the athlete how they feel: one SD is a yellow flag Correct answerCorrect. Yellow on one input with the others stable means observation plus a question, not a modified session.
3. c.Cancel the sessionThat is a red-flag response to a yellow-flag signal, and it costs you credibility for the day you really need it.
4. d.Compare them with the squad averageNever. Between-athlete variability makes squad averages misleading for HRV.

2 How long should you collect data before drawing inferences from a baseline?

1. a.3-5 daysFar too short to estimate an individual SD with any confidence.
2. b.4-6 weeks Correct answerCorrect, and under standardised conditions, or you are measuring your protocol.
3. c.One full seasonUseful for long-arc tracking, but you cannot wait a season to start making daily decisions.
4. d.It does not matter if you use a validated deviceDevice quality does not substitute for an individual reference range.

3 During a taper, HRV falls and wellness worsens. The correct response is:

1. a.Ignore it: taper data is noisyThe taper is precisely when you expect the opposite pattern, so this is information, not noise.
2. b.Diagnose and adjust: residual fatigue, sleep, life stress Correct answerCorrect. The intervention is not “abandon the plan”; it is to find out why the plan is not producing what it should.
3. c.Increase training volume to restore rhythmThat reverses the purpose of the taper and adds to the fatigue you are trying to shed.
4. d.Change wearable deviceChanging device mid-taper destroys the baseline you spent weeks building.

4 You are considering adding a fourth daily metric. What is the first question to ask?

1. a.Is the device validated?Important, but second. A validated metric nobody acts on is still dead weight.
2. b.What decision will this change? Correct answerCorrect. If the answer is “none”, the metric should not be in the system: it costs athlete time, staff time and goodwill.
3. c.Can we afford it?Budget matters, but the biggest cost of an unused metric is attention, not money.
4. d.Do other clubs collect it?Adoption is not evidence, and their context is not yours.

4.1 Which is a MODIFIABLE injury risk factor?

1. a.Age
2. b.Prior injury history
3. c.Training-load progression Correct answer
4. d.Anatomy

Load progression is modifiable; age, injury history and anatomy are not.

Read again: Module 4, 4.1 Injury epidemiology and the role of monitoring

4.2 The often-cited ACWR 'sweet spot' is approximately:

1. a.0.8-1.3 Correct answer
2. b.1.5-2.0
3. c.0.2-0.5
4. d.2.0-3.0

Gabbett proposed ~0.8-1.3 as the commonly cited sweet spot.

Read again: Module 4, 4.2 Load management and the injury-training paradox

4.3 The honest synthesis on ACWR for a practising coach is that it is:

1. a.A definitive yes/no injury predictor
2. b.A useful prompt, not a verdict Correct answer
3. c.Irrelevant
4. d.Only for elite sport

ACWR is a useful prompt; use it with history, wellness and training context.

Read again: Module 4, 4.2 Load management and the injury-training paradox

4.4 Training monotony is defined as:

1. a.Weekly load × strain
2. b.Mean daily load / SD of daily load Correct answer
3. c.ACWR × sleep
4. d.HRV / RPE

Monotony = mean daily load divided by the standard deviation of daily load (Foster, 1998).

Read again: Module 4, 4.2 Load management and the injury-training paradox

4.5 Jump-landing asymmetry is commonly flagged for follow-up above approximately:

1. a.2-3%
2. b.10-15% Correct answer
3. c.40-50%
4. d.70%

Asymmetries above ~10-15% are commonly flagged for follow-up.

Read again: Module 4, 4.3 Asymmetry and movement-quality red flags

4.6 A coach's role with asymmetry data is best described as:

1. a.Corrective prescription alone
2. b.Triage: identify, document, refer Correct answer
3. c.Ignore it
4. d.Diagnose the injury

Coaches triage; refer for fuller assessment if asymmetry is large, persistent or symptomatic.

Read again: Module 4, 4.3 Asymmetry and movement-quality red flags

4.7 True/False: Wearable monitoring can eliminate injury risk.

1. a.True
2. b.False Correct answer

Monitoring reduces risk; it does not eliminate it.

Read again: Module 4, 4.1 Injury epidemiology and the role of monitoring

4.8 In wheelchair basketball (para-sport), the key load to monitor is:

1. a.High-speed running
2. b.Stroke/push counts and shoulder load Correct answer
3. c.Jump height
4. d.GPS distance

The propulsive joint is the playing joint; monitor stroke counts and shoulder load.

Read again: Module 4, 4.5 Five worked case studies

1 An athlete shows ACWR 1.6 with stable sleep and wellness. What do you do first?

1. a.Prescribe a rest day automaticallyACWR is a prompt, not a verdict, and an automatic rest day for a ratio destroys the credibility of the system.
2. b.Investigate why the week was heavy: training, fixtures or a data error Correct answerCorrect. ACWR cannot separate load from schedule, and a missing file recorded as zero can inflate the ratio on its own.
3. c.Ignore it: the ACWR framework has been criticisedThe critique is about over-interpretation, not about ignoring spikes entirely.
4. d.Compare the ratio with the squad's average ACWRThresholds are individual. The squad average tells you about the schedule, not about this athlete.

2 Why do Impellizzeri et al. (2020) criticise ACWR on statistical grounds?

1. a.Because sRPE is subjectiveThat is a different debate; subjective measures actually perform well for acute response.
2. b.Because the acute period is contained within the chronic period, which can produce spurious associations Correct answerCorrect: mathematical coupling. It does not make the ratio useless, but it does make it a prompt rather than a prediction.
3. c.Because GPS is inaccurate indoorsA data-quality issue, not the statistical objection to the ratio.
4. d.Because 0.8-1.3 is too wide a bandBand width is debated, but the core objection is the shared-data structure of the ratio.

3 IMU data shows a 14% jump-landing asymmetry in a youth athlete. Your role is to:

1. a.Prescribe unilateral corrective exercisesNot without specific biomechanics training. Asymmetry has many causes, and some are normal sport adaptations.
2. b.Identify, document and refer Correct answerCorrect. Triage is the coach's role; diagnosis and correction belong to qualified clinical staff.
3. c.Ignore it below 20%Commonly flagged thresholds sit around 10-15%, and in a growing youth athlete the trend matters as much as the value.
4. d.Remove the athlete from training until it resolvesAsymmetry alone, without pain or a clinical finding, does not justify removal from training.

4 What makes escalation tiers actually work in practice?

1. a.Setting them at statistically optimal thresholdsOptimal thresholds on paper are worthless if the response is renegotiated every Saturday.
2. b.Writing the action down in advance and signing it off with medical staff Correct answerCorrect. Pre-deciding removes improvisation at the exact moment when pressure is highest.
3. c.Keeping them confidential so athletes cannot game themThe opposite. Athletes briefed in advance read an orange flag as “modify”, not “punish”.
4. d.Using the same tiers for every athlete in the squadTriggers are individual; the tier structure is shared, the thresholds are not.

5.1 PDCA stands for:

1. a.Plan-Do-Check-Act Correct answer
2. b.Prepare-Deliver-Compare-Adjust
3. c.Plan-Deploy-Control-Assess
4. d.Predict-Do-Confirm-Act

Deming's PDCA = Plan, Do, Check, Act.

Read again: Module 5, 5.1 The Plan-Do-Check-Act integration framework

5.2 The most important 'Act' option in PDCA is often to:

1. a.Scale immediately
2. b.Be willing to stop an effort that did not add value Correct answer
3. c.Hide the results
4. d.Expand to the whole organisation

Being willing to stop a low-value effort earns credibility for the next attempt.

Read again: Module 5, 5.1 The Plan-Do-Check-Act integration framework

5.3 The most common special-category lawful basis in sport coaching is:

1. a.Legitimate interests
2. b.Explicit consent (Art. 9(2)(a)) Correct answer
3. c.Public task
4. d.Vital interests

Health data typically relies on explicit consent under Article 9(2)(a).

Read again: Module 5, 5.2 Data governance and GDPR in coaching practice

5.4 Under GDPR, certain data breaches must be reported within:

1. a.24 hours
2. b.72 hours Correct answer
3. c.7 days
4. d.30 days

Article 33: certain breaches must be reported to the authority within 72 hours.

Read again: Module 5, 5.2 Data governance and GDPR in coaching practice

5.5 'Your HRV says you're not ready' vs 'Your HRV suggests recovering, let's adjust' is best described as:

1. a.Both verdicts
2. b.A verdict vs information Correct answer
3. c.Both information
4. d.Information vs a verdict

Frame metrics as information, not verdicts; the framing changes the conversation.

Read again: Module 5, 5.3 Talking to athletes about their numbers

5.6 A RACI matrix in a multi-disciplinary staff mainly prevents:

1. a.More data collection
2. b.Conflicting decisions and unanalysed data (ownership gaps) Correct answer
3. c.Obtaining consent
4. d.Tapering

RACI clarifies who owns each data domain, preventing conflicts and neglected data.

Read again: Module 5, 5.4 Integrating into a multi-disciplinary staff

5.7 True/False: In PDCA, the 'Do' step should roll out across the whole organisation in week one.

1. a.True
2. b.False Correct answer

Implement at small scale first (one cohort, one season) before scaling.

Read again: Module 5, 5.1 The Plan-Do-Check-Act integration framework

5.8 Limiting athlete-facing metrics for a perfectionism-prone adolescent addresses:

1. a.Sensor drift
2. b.Number anxiety Correct answer
3. c.Ecological validity
4. d.Time-sync issues

Some athletes fixate on metrics unhelpfully; limit athlete-facing numbers where this risk exists.

Read again: Module 3, 3.5 The measurement-burden trade-off, Module 5, 5.3 Talking to athletes about their numbers

1 In PDCA, which option at the “Act” stage is most often missing from real monitoring projects?

1. a.Scaling upScaling is the option organisations reach for most readily, not least.
2. b.Stopping Correct answerCorrect. Stopping something that delivered no value is what earns credibility and resources for the next attempt.
3. c.Adjusting thresholdsCommon and usually done, often instead of asking whether the effort is worth continuing.
4. d.Reporting resultsPart of Check rather than Act.

2 A sponsor asks for the squad's GPS and HRV data for a marketing campaign. Your answer is:

1. a.Share it: the club owns the dataThe club processes the data; the athlete retains rights over it. Sponsors have no legitimate access.
2. b.Refuse: sponsors have no legitimate access, and any sharing needs its own consent and agreement Correct answerCorrect. Even anonymised sharing needs to be considered carefully in a small squad, where re-identification is easy.
3. c.Share aggregate numbers only, without asking anyoneIn a squad of twenty, aggregates plus context often identify individuals.
4. d.Ask the head coach to decideAccountability sits with the club, but the decision rule should already be in the governance policy.

3 Which delivery pathway best fits a federation training 200 dispersed coaches with limited facilitator capacity?

1. a.Instructor-led two-day courseExcellent quality, but facilitator capacity is exactly the constraint described.
2. b.Self-paced or microlearning, with train-the-trainer to build capacity for later cohorts Correct answerCorrect. Meet the constraint now, invest in facilitators so the constraint disappears next season.
3. c.Blended four-week programme for all 200 at onceBlended still needs live sessions, and 200 at once needs facilitators you do not have.
4. d.Send the manual by emailDistribution is not education. Without structure, completion collapses.

4 An athlete asks you to delete their monitoring data mid-season. What is the correct response?

1. a.Explain that consent can be withdrawn, action the request, and record what was done Correct answerCorrect. Withdrawal must be practically possible, not just theoretically granted, and it should not cost the athlete their place.
2. b.Refuse until the end of the seasonRetention convenience does not override the athlete's rights.
3. c.Delete it and say nothing to anyoneThe action is right; the lack of a record is not. Document requests and what you did about them.
4. d.Tell them monitoring is a condition of selectionThat makes the original consent invalid: consent under selection pressure is not freely given.