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What is it?

The Yo-Yo Intermittent Test is similar to the Yo-Yo endurance test (a variation of the beep test), except in the intermittent tests the participants have a short active break (5 or 10 seconds for the endurance and recovery versions, respectively). There are also two levels of the test (Level 1 & 2), each having a different starting speed and increments. Therefore there are four possible Yo-Yo intermittent tests that can be performed, and when viewing results it is not often mentioned which version was used. In the results presented below, the version that is used is recorded when known.

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Top Scores

Comparing scores is often difficult, especially as there is more than one version and level of the yo-yo test, and all reports do not specify which version is being used.

Below are some of the test scores that have been found, with not all of them being confirmed results and the test version used not clear.

There are several ways of reporting the results, sometimes the total distance is reported, other times the number of levels and shuttles. See the page on Yo-Yo Intermittent Test Levels for more information.

Football / Soccer - males

• The Chennai City FC yo-yo test during pre-season had a passing mark at 21, compared to the cricket team's 17 (published in the www.newindianexpress.com, 26th November 2019)
• Malaysian midfielder D. Kenny Palraj made a strong claim for a berth in the National Under-23 side when he came out top in a fitness test conducted at the National Sports Institute (NSI). The 20-year-old scored the highest reading in the Yo-Yo Test - Level 22.4 (published in the http://www.thestar.com.my, 16 Aug 2013).
• The Malaysia Super League (MSL) has decided to use the Yo-yo Test from 2013 to assess the fitness of its players. Standards will be set and all players must pass the test in order to play in the MSL. There will be different passing standards for goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders and forwards. (from todayonline.com, 30 Oct 2012)
• Professional soccer player Joe Partington achieved 22.4 at the AFC Bournemouths pre-season training camp on 3/7/2010. This is fully documented by the club. (personal communication from Telboy, unconfirmed result).
• In a study of 13-14 year old Spanish footballers, yo-yo test results ranged from 13.1 for center fullbacks to 14.6 for wide midfielders (Assessment of anthropometric and physiological aspects of 13-14 years old Spanish footballers, by Juan Bautista Castilla Arroyo)
• The head of fitness training at Collingwood AFL club was quoted as saying that the Melbourne Victory (National Football/Soccer team) players perform the intermittent yo-yo test, and were scoring "high teens and 20s. Getting about 20 to 21, they’re looking at over two kilometers. Two-and-a-half would be exceptionally elite." (from an article on AFL.com.au)
• Cardiff City defenders Roger Johnson and Tony Capaldi are the best performing in the yo-yo test, with scores over 20 (retrieved from icwales.co.uk July 07)
• Male top-class soccer players, playing matches at the highest international level, had a higher performance level on the Yo-Yo IR1 test (2420 m) than elite (2190 m) and sub-elite players (2030 m) as well as moderate trained soccer players (1810 m). (from Bangsbo et al. (2008))

Football / Soccer - females

• A study of female Danish Premier League soccer players found they had a Yo-Yo intermittent endurance level 2 (Yo-Yo IE2) performance of 1,213 m +/- 90 m (n=23). (from Krustrup, P, Zebis, M, Jensen, JM, and Mohr, M. Game-induced fatigue patterns in elite female soccer. J Strength Cond Res 24(2): 437-441, 201).
• Soccer legend Kristine Lilly ran 49 shuttles for the YYIRT (10 second recovery periods) in September 2010 at the age of 39 (18.6), setting the record for the US Women's National Team. This mark was recently beaten by 22-year-old Kelley O'Hara who kept going all the way up to 52 shuttles (19.1 / 2,080 meters) (from an article on US soccer online, 9 Jan 2011)
• The performance level of top-class female players was 1600, with a lower level for elite (1360m) and sub-elite (1160 m) players (for the Yo-Yo IR1 test, from Bangsbo et al. (2008))

AFL - men

• In the second year the yo-yo test was held at the AFL combine, the best score was 22.2 by Ned McHenry. See all results at the 2018 AFL combine.
• The yo-yo test was added to the AFL combine testing in 2017. Andrew Brayshaw achieved the best score in the inaugural test, reaching level 22.4

AFL - women

• The first-ever women's AFL combine was held in 2017. The winner of the yo-yo test was Bridie Kennedy who reached level 17.3.

Rugby League

• After an off period due to the coronavirus, Melbourne Storm player Cameron Munster reported back for duty recording an 18.4 yo-yo score, he usually hit about 17.4. Brandon Smith scored 18.1 (from an article on www.nrl.com, 7 May 2020)
• 22 Melbourne Storm players underwent YYIR1 testing as part of a research study. The player scores ranged from 1480m to 2400m, which equates to a score of 17/2 up to 20/1 (Duthie et al., Relationship between physical performance testing results and peak running intensity during professional rugby league match play. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2016)
• In the annual test for the Brisbane Broncos RL team, Darius Boyd and Todd Murphy were the best performers. Sam Thaiday was a surprisingly strong performer recording 18.5. Hooker Andrew McCullough holds the record with 22. (from article in the Courier Mail, Jan 3 2016)

Rugby Union

• Josua Vici, 22, is the fittest player in the Fijian national 7s squad. Vici scored the highest score of 22 in the yo-yo test. Another notable result was level 18 by Leone Nakarawa, (from the Fiji Sun, July 9, 2016)
• The Hurricanes rugby team from NZ had some good pre-season yoyo test results. Hugh Renton made it to 18.6, Brad Shields 19.1, Frae Wilson 19.7 and finally James Marshall made his way through to 20.4. (from the stuff.co.nz, November 28, 2014).
• Somewhere in the UK, elite referees have to run a level 13 beep test or a level 18 yo-yo, while beginners need to run a level 8 beep or a level 16 yoyo. In Warwickshire, Level 5 refs only have to get a YoYo of 16. In Canada, requirements for the YoYo is 18-19 as acceptable, with the equivalent for the beep test being 12.6 to 13.5. The optimal is >19 or >13.6 for the beep (from a discussion on Rubgyrefs.com website, Nov 2012).
• USA Rugby 7's National Coach Al Caravelli stated that a minimum requirement for the Yo-Yo test that he and his coaches look for in 7s candidates is a level of 18 or higher. He said that some international players have recorded scores around 22. In recent testing, four players that scored above 18: Tim Acker (Kutztown University), Jim Rosato (Philadelphia-Whitemarsh Rugby Club), Glen Thommes (Salesianum High School/incoming University of Delaware) and 27 year old Nick Koon (Pittsburgh Harlequins). (from the EPRU website, June 2011).
• Hawke's Bay (NZ) player Michael Ruru achieved a yo-yo test score of 18.8 (second to Brad Nicol's 19.6) in preparation for the Pub Charity National Sevens tournament. (from Hawkes Bay Today, Jan 2011)
• New convert from League, Sonny Bill Williams performed solidly in a "yo-yo" test in All Blacks training, exiting around level 19 with a group of fellow backs. (from stuff.co.nz, Oct 2010)
• All Black Richie Mccaw scored 19.2, as seen on this video. Another All Black Conrad Smith is also said to have reached 19.4.
• Performance of elite rugby players was 1656 m, almost the same as for sub-elite players, 1564 m. (for the Yo-Yo IR1 test, from Bangsbo et al. (2008))

Field Hockey - Men

• International ield hockey referees have to get to level 19.6 (quoted from "SA umpires sign off on top " https://www.newframe.com/sa-umpires-sign-off-on-top/)
• The Indian hockey men's team had to undergo the yoyo test on their first day of training in more than three months. The team recorded averages of levels 17 and 18, which was satisfactory for the coach. The coach Harendra Singh was quoted as saying that “The top European teams and the Australians, during training, easily score around 22-23. The Australians score about 15 when they come back from a layoff."  (from Indian Express online, 18 March 2011)

Field Hockey - Women

• "The yo-yo test numbers when I came were probably averaging around 16-17, now it's between 19 and 21. The girls are really fit to run a 20 or 21, our fittest girl ran a 22 — that's some serious running. The guys run about 23," The Indian women's hockey team strength and conditioning coach Wayne Lombard quoted in https://www.thehindu.com/ 7th August 2021.
• The Indian women's coach Sjoerd Marijne said "A lot of girls are running at higher than 20 [in the yo-yo test]. When we came, the team was not running higher than 18. (published in the https://www.theweek.in/, Jan 4, 2020)
• Indian women's field hockey team has a minimum score of 18. "Our first yo-yo test (in March 2017) was about 17-17.5 ...Now? We ran our best yo-yo scores before the England tour (September-October 2019) where the team average was 19.5." (published in the https://www.newindianexpress.com, Nov 3, 2019)
• India's national women team has 6 or 7 girls scoring more than 20 in the yo-yo test. (as published in www.newindianexpress.com, 24th June 2019)
• India's national women: "The 33 players in the camp underwent the test ... The team managed to average a score of 18.5. Four players topped the charts with figures of 21.1 and the lowest score being 17.7." (published in https://www.indiatoday.in, January 18, 2018)
• In the testing of the Syracuse University’s D1 field hockey team, the highest score in the yo yo level 1 test was a 14.6, with the average around 12.2. The players are 17-22 years old - college freshmen to seniors (personal communication from coach).
• U21 state-level female hockey players averaged 840 m (level 15.2). (for the Yo-Yo IR1 test, from Bangsbo et al. (2008))

Cricket

• From testing on the Asia Cup players, Hasan Ali topped the list with a career-best score of 20. Sarfraz Ahmed improved his score with career-best score of 18.2. 16 players cleared the 17.4 benchmark (listed on the ProPakistani website, Sept 2018)
• Indian skipper Virat Kohli latest fitness score was 19. (as listed on the ProPakistani website, Sept 2018)
• The English Cricket Board has YouTube videos documenting the England Men's Squad pre-season fitness testing day. Alistair Cook runs 3120m in the YoYo, followed by Jonny Bairtsow at 3k and Joe Root at 2720.
• The Indian cricket team have the requirement of attaining the 16:1 mark for players to be eligible for selection. (published on http://lastwordoncricket.com 17 June 2018).
• South African Kagiso Rabada averages 19.2 in his latest yo-yo test, which puts him on par with AB de­Villiers and Dale Steyn on a good day (from an article on http://www.sport24.co.za, 13 Nov 2016).
• Australian fast bowler Doug Bollinger achieved a yo-yo test result of 19.2 after a fitness program following being dropped from the test team. (from the Cooma Express online, Jan 2011)
• In some testing of the Australian Cricket team, player Steve O'Keefe top scored with 20.6, with vice-captain Michael Clarke not far behind with 20.1. (from video of Australia Cricket fitness testing, Sept 2010).

Basketball

• Scots College student Jonathan Mbakwe has just been selected for the New South Wales team in the National Championships, and was tested in the Intermittent Yo Yo test and scored a 21.4 (retrieved from The Scots College website, Feb 2011)
• The Oregon women’s basketball team had to get above a 15 to pass their Yo-Yo test (Goducks.com, Jan 2009).

Badminton

• Female young elite-badminton players (age 21 years: 1200 m; and age 17 years: 1080 m) (for the Yo-Yo IR1 test, from Bangsbo et al. (2008).

Netball

• Fiji's U20 coach Vicki Wilson wants her mid-court players to be at 20 in their yo-yo test and players who would man the semi-circle to be on 18 (from the Fiji Times, 'Wilson sets U/20 team standard', 11 Aug 2016).

 

Reference: Jens Bangsbo, F. Marcello Iaia and Peter Krustrup, (2008) The Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test: A Useful Tool for Evaluation of Physical Performance in Intermittent Sports, Sports Medicine 2008; 38 (1): 37-51.

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