In a country like India, where cricket dominates most sporting discussions, it’s no surprise that there’s a constant discussion on yo-yo tests and whether they are a metric on which team selections must be based. While the fitness test is not limited just to cricket, the yo-yo test is now nearly 10 years old in its application in the subcontinent when India’s strength and conditioning coach Shankar Basu introduced it in 2017 ahead of the tour to Sri Lanka. It was backed by the extremely fitness conscious former captain Virat Kohli and then head coach Ravi Shastri, but there has always been debate around whether it should be a strict criteria when it came to building a team, especially in a sport where fitness was not always the paramount requirement. At least not above technique and temperament.
The yo-yo test sounds simple, but is a difficult stop-start drill which is also used in sports like basketball, tennis, and even football, in which it was first applied back in the 90s. There are different kinds of yo-yo test variations but the most common one is the ‘Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 1’. Most teams, including the USA and United Kingdom rugby national teams, also used this method to ascertain fitness. So, how does it work in application?
“A yo-yo test involves a player shuttling between two cones that are set 20 metres apart on flat ground. He starts on a beep and needs to get to the cone at the other end before the second beep goes. He then turns back and returns to the starting cone before the third beep. That is one ‘shuttle’. A player starts at speed level 5, which consists of one shuttle. The next speed level, which is 9, also consists of one shuttle. Speed level 11, the next step up, has two shuttles, while level 12 has three and level 13 four. There are eight shuttles per level from 14 upwards,” says an ESPNCric info piece written in 2017, titled How the yo-yo test became a selection standard. These standards have been different under different leadership groups.
Fitness science has also come a long way since 2017, but it doesn’t mean the yo-yo test is irrelevant. It just means there are other ways to make sure a professional athlete is fit to play a gruelling sport. One of these is the Bronco test. It follows the same shuttle-running principals, but is possibly easier to understand. Here the markers are placed 20m, 40m, and 60m from the starting point. The task is to run to the 20m cone and back, then run to the 40m cone and back, and then go for the cone 60m away and run back. That would be one set. Completing five sets without rest is the goal, which would mean running 1200m in total. Advanced to elite athletes can finish this under five minutes but anything under even six minutes would be a really good marker of your fitness.
The Bronco test is becoming more common among professional teams because of how it can act as a conditioning session, and not just a marker of fitness. The yo-yo test in comparison can be difficult to recover from especially when there aren’t enough days between matches. The calculations, the setup and the audio-free (no bleeps required) equipment helps coaches set a standard metric.
There is, of course, the more basic 2km run test which is simply a time-trial. The faster you finish, the fitter you are. But the harder the sport, the tougher the standards required. Another popular test is the Wingate test, but it needs a stationary bike. The test has undergone variations over more than 50 years since it was first developed. The formula is quite easy to understand and also offers a specific warm-up routine.
You warm-up with a steady five-minute low-resistance setting on the bike with a few sprints in between before taking a minute’s rest. After that, with resistance set at 7.5 percent of your bodyweight, you pedal as hard as possible for 30 seconds. “The Wingate Test is capable of identifying two primary measures: anaerobic capacity; and anaerobic power outputs. These values are vital factors in sports that demand short-duration maximal efforts,” says a Science for Sportarticle on the test. Over the years, the duration of the sprint has changed depending on the intensity of the training and sport.
While these tests were made for elite sport, it doesn’t mean amateur athletes and fitness enthusiasts can’t try them. So if you’re curious about your metrics, feel free to try them without the pressure of selection into a professional team, and work up to a level which is satisfactory. They are fun, and easy to track over a period of a few months.