Bangsbo’s YoYo Intermitent Recovery Test Level 1
Mladen,
I forgot to mention the Yo-Yo Recovery Level 1 in my tests list.
What speed did your guys reached, best and average?
It seems that the Bosco SJ and CMJ you had are slightly worse than my guys.
I can do that test and others for free (just fly me over) 
.
With Nike we have done Y.Y.R. Level 2 on some élite junior teams in Italy.
Spr.
In YoYo test? I don’t know, I don’t have the protocol here. I was thinking to use this reached speed in YoYo test as a starting point in designing intervals. I guess it is around vVO2max or even higher (20-30% faster)… Which is simmilar to tempo speed.
Yup, the vertical jump is crap. I read somewhere that 50-60cm is average for soccer player, while >60cm is actually a good result.
To fly over to you? With 30 players? Hardly
Level 2 is same as Level 1 altought the starting speed is higher, right? And the ‘anaerobic’ component is larger? (I have read reliability paper by Bangsbo). Can you post your results on the tests? YoYo, 10m, 20m, VJ? Thanks
excellent thread. Thanks duxx.
We did our testing approx march of this year. We are a club team from a small area, but we have some good athletes.
Our best 10m time was 1.77s (i was 1.82)
Our best 30m time was 4.15s (i was 4.25) I recently clocked 4.05 in a personal test
Our best Vertical jump with hands was 82cm (yours truly)
we also performed some flexibility test, an illinois zig-zag type test and a group of 6x shuttle runs with times and distances recorded.
Now we have since played all of our league and are at the quarter final stages of the cup. The players who were at the top of the results way back in march are now dropped to the bench (one being the captain) apart from me.
For me, i would say that these tests are fairly meaningless. Reading of the game is so much more important. And that is something that cant really be taught. Or at least i have not found a way of getting it across in words
I suppose in the off-season it is good to perform these tests. I would prefer to spend my time on massage, flexibility, agility.
I like the idea of testing but im not sure how relevant these tests are.
Your vertical jump tests are low, but that seems to be solely due to the lack of squats/cleans in your program. Im not sure how relevant they are either. I just love unilateral weights at the moment. They make you strong and increase hip mobility - bulgarians, pistols and my absolute favourite step ups!
Hey Jo,
Thanks for joining in and providing us with your results. It is great to have a database of test results.
How did you do the tests? what was the equipment? We used electronically timed gates and Bosco’s ergo jump for VJ. I believe you CANONOT compare VJ results done with ergojump platform or with wall or vertec… Is there any ‘reliability and validity’ research over this?
Hehehe… nothing new
I am partially in agreement with you. Reading of the game is the most important, but the more information you got the better. The question is HOW will you use this information…:rolleyes: Testing is a tool, not a mean to an end! I allways argue about this with my faculty professor (who did the testing)…
Have you read my soccer ‘manual’? I got extensivelly on testing in it? I PM-ed you the link.
Raymond Verheijen, cond. coach of Korea in 2002 with Guus Hiddink, expressed this in these words:
Nicely said! I hope Charlie is reading this hehe! 
Actually, we did a lot of squating (for soccer player hehe), and the guy who did best 10m time squated the most offten and squated the greates relative weight (to his mass). I guesss the results are influenced with ergojump altought this may be my lame exchuse LOL
Jo/Duxx,
Came across this a while ago: field sense is supposedly trainable, see the article.
http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/magazine/15-06/ff_mindgames
Joe
Nope, the average is around 44cm. A 50+ is actually good, you can have 1 to 3 players in a high level soccer team that go over 50cm. Talking of CMJ here on Bosco mat here.
To fly over to you? With 30 players? Hardly
The other way round: I fly/drive.
YoYo, 10m, 20m, VJ? Thanks
I cannot post my data.
Welcome back spr rouge…hope to meet back soon.
Sprinterouge,
Please check the following reference:
Stølen, T., Chamari, K., Castagna, C. and Wisløff, U. Physiology of Soccer. Un Update. Sports Med 2005; 35 (6): 501-536
Sprinting time from 1.79 to 1.90 seconds over 10m are reported in the literature (p. 526)
Jumping heights (with freely moving arms) from
47.8 to 60.1cm are average values reported in the
literature for adult players (p.527)
How does this compare to the actual demands of the game? (high/low) and how does the verticle test compare, individually, with the yo yo test. Is it inverse?
Since the speeds reached in the yoyo tests are usually less than 80% of Vmax (gotta check this though), it can be considered more of a ‘aerobic’ test. Look at it as the test that tells you how fast can athletes recover from submaximal effort of short duration…
The test consists of running 20m back and forth in progressivly less time with 10sec rest. Thus, you can look at it as the test for ability that tells from what speed athletes can recover in 10sec…
The test is shown to correlate with number of sprints in the game and the distance covered in high inensity more than with VO2max.
We appreciate Drs. Kindermann and Meyer’s interest in
our work (2) and their comments.
The test-retest coefficient of correlation for the Yo-Yo
intermittent recovery test (Yo-Yo IRT) was shown to be
high (r 0.98; 2) for a group of subjects that had
practiced sport for some years but none at a top level.
For elite soccer players the test reproducibility would be
expected to be as high or even higher as they are used to
exerting themselves maximally.
Although no exact measure of the physical performance
in elite soccer matches exists, the amount of high
intensity running has been shown to be a good indicator
(3). We (2) observed a significant correlation between
Yo-Yo IRT performance and high-intensity running
during a game (r 0.71), suggesting that the test is a
valid measure of the physical capacity of soccer players.
In the correlational analysis, only the best match performance
result for each player was used. Thus, the
criticism raised by Drs. Kindermann and Meyer that
some players were considered more than once is not
valid; there were no statistical flaws. Drs. Kindermann
and Meyer suggest an elimination of the worst and best
performing player from the correlational analysis due to
“surprisingly heterogeneous test results.” However, all
players were regular team members of top European
teams, and it is well documented that the ability to
perform repeated intense exercise is highly variable for
elite soccer players (2,3). If we discarded another player
that may not have performed maximally during the
match, due to tactical limitations, the correlation coefficient
would rise to r 0.89. However, there are no
statistically sound reasons to eliminate any of these observations.
Our conclusion that the Yo-Yo IRT is a valid
measure of soccer fitness is further supported by the
observation that the test is sensitive to training-induced
adaptations in intermittent-exercise performance (1,2;
see below) and the recent findings that Yo-Yo IRT performance
correlates with high-intensity running during
games for elite female players (r 0.79; unpublished
data) and for top-class soccer referees (r 0.75; 1).
We appreciate that Drs. Kindermann and Meyer
have highlighted that Yo-Yo IRT performance increased
markedly (22%) during the first 5.5 wk of the preparation
period (2). This illustrates that the test is more
sensitive than other often used tests and physiological
measures, e.g., V˙ O2max increased by 4% in this period.
Accordingly, Yo-Yo IRT performance, V˙ O2max, and
high-intensity running in matches was improved by
31%, 3%, and 23%, respectively, after 8 wk of intermittent
training for top-class soccer referees (1). We used
the Yo-Yo IRT in a longitudinal evaluation of soccer
players’ performance under circumstances of continuous
intermittent training (2) and observed that average
Yo-Yo IRT performance increased by 25% during the
preseasonal preparation and was unaltered during the
competitive season. In both periods, marked individual
performance changes occurred in comparison with the
test-retest reproducibility. This matches well with recent
findings of large variations in match performance of
elite soccer players during a season (3) and shows that
the Yo-Yo IRT is capable of detecting seasonal changes
in physical performance of individual athletes in a complex
team sport.
Peter Krustrup
Magni Mohr
Tommas Amstrup
Torben Rysgaard
Johnny Johansen
Adam Steensberg
Preben K. Pedersen
Jens Bangsbo
Institute of Exercise and Sport Sciences
Department of Human Physiology
August Krogh Institute
University of Copenhagen
Copenhagen, Denmark
KRUSTRUP, P., M. MOHR, T. AMSTRUP, T. RYSGAARD, J. JOHANSEN, A. STEENSBERG, P. K. PEDERSEN, and J.
BANGSBO. The Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test: Physiological Response, Reliability, and Validity. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol.
35, No. 4, pp. 697–705, 2003. Purpose: To examine the physiological response and reproducibility of the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery
test and its application to elite soccer. Methods: Heart rate was measured, and metabolites were determined in blood and muscle
biopsies obtained before, during, and after the Yo-Yo test in 17 males. Physiological measurements were also performed during a
Yo-Yo retest and an exhaustive incremental treadmill test (ITT). Additionally, 37 male elite soccer players performed two to four
seasonal tests, and the results were related to physical performance in matches. Results: The test-retest CV for the Yo-Yo test was 4.9%.
Peak heart rate was similar in ITT and Yo-Yo test (189 2 vs 187 2 bpm), whereas peak blood lactate was higher (P 0.05) in
the Yo-Yo test. During the Yo-Yo test, muscle lactate increased eightfold (P 0.05) and muscle creatine phosphate (CP) and glycogen
decreased (P 0.05) by 51% and 23%, respectively. No significant differences were observed in muscle CP, lactate, pH, or glycogen
between 90 and 100% of exhaustion time. During the precompetition period, elite soccer players improved (P 0.05) Yo-Yo test
performance and maximum oxygen uptake (V˙ O2max) by 25 6 and 7 1%, respectively. High-intensity running covered by the
players during games was correlated to Yo-Yo test performance (r 0.71, P 0.05) but not to V˙ O2max and ITT performance.
Conclusion: The test had a high reproducibility and sensitivity, allowing for detailed analysis of the physical capacity of athletes in
intermittent sports. Specifically, the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test was a valid measure of fitness performance in soccer. During the
test, the aerobic loading approached maximal values, and the anaerobic energy system was highly taxed. Additionally, the study
suggests that fatigue during intense intermittent short-term exercise was unrelated to muscle CP, lactate, pH, and glycogen. Key Words:
MUSCLE METABOLITES, INTERMITTENT EXERCISE, FATIGUE, TIME-MOTION ANALYSIS, SOCCER PERFORMANCE
As for VJ and yoyo correlation… I didn’t calculated, but I hope someone can do this from data provided in table on page 1. I suppose they are or not-related or negatively related.
Yes, as I have thinked the maximal speeds reached in yoyo test are around 20km/h wich is usually the tempo speed and usually greater than vVO2max (speed @ VO2max). In the picture below is the protocol of testing. On the left is velocity reached, on the bottom is the duration of the test and in upper level is the distance covered.
Since, yoyo test is more ‘aerobic’ in nature, I recomend doing another high-int test to measure ‘anaerobic’ factors in addition to yoyo. Repeated sprint test (i.e. 6x40m with 20sec rest) is better option than 300yard shuttles, but it demands electronic timing.
What I am interested into is the correlation between yoyo, 300yard, RSA and 30m sprint time…
I will try to test the players at the end of the season and will try to calculate the correlations… till then…
At a Nike-Football meeting with some major football S&C coaches last year we agreed that the YYR test was the best correlating test to the actual soccer ergogenesis.
It has the right balance between peripheral/muscular and central/cardiovascular fatigue. Tests like the Leger are more dependant on muscle endurance.
I have yet to see a player reach more than 52cm in the CMJ on the Bosco mat and more than 19 Km/h in the YYR.
Ciao Eros.
Do you not find it out of the norm to see a 22% change in a valid test of game fitness in 5.5 weeks? Where are these people starting from? Or is there an accomodation due to frequent repetition of the test? The only thing I do take some comfort from is the variability of the test results.
Or is there an accomodation due to frequent repetition of the test?
Given the very protocol is quite hard to accomodate to it, in fact I had volleyball players perform it 4 times in three weeks and the improvement was very limited (I have not come out with exact figures yet but possibly can in a matter fo days if needed).
Where are these people starting from?
22% in 5.5 wks… either a greatly metabolic program or a VERY low starting point.
I agree that YoYo is great test for HIIE sports. But how did you differented btw peripheral/muscle and central/cardiovascular fatigue in different tests? Reached VO2max, maxHR??? I heard of Leger, but I cannot remember the procedure, can you explain it?
As for CMJ on Bosco, we had one with 56cm. Three of our players covered 3000m in YoYo. I don’t know the speed reached, but I guess is ‘near’ 19-20km/h??
Here is the YoYo study done by Bangsbo et al.
Sprinterouge, what is your opinion on Level 2 test and its applicability?
The tests were done at the local university. We used electronic timing gates for the sprints. A mat was used for the jumps. Im not sure what it was called.
We didnt test for any weight lifting. My sport doesnt believe in it yet.
That was a great quote about “reading the game”. Its so true. Blocking an opponents path to the ball without fouling him is a skill unto itself. It is not taught enough, maybe it is not possible to teach such things. I have only learned it by playing games over and over again, and watching for repeating patterns of play. Im constantly surprised at how often the same 3 or 4 plays occur.
Thanks for the link and this thread. It been great reading. I hope to get under 4seconds for the 30m next year and over 90cm in my VJ. Although i am due for a knee operation on damaged cartilege in december at the end of our season so that might slow me down
The Leger is quite similar to the Yo-Yo Endurance, given the no-recovery protocol and one more change of direction for each speed step the performance relies more on local muscle endurance.
As for CMJ on Bosco, we had one with 56cm.
This is in line with what I wrote, you can have 1-3 players over 50cm in a team, hopefully the highest one being the goal keeper. Personally, I have not tested any soccer player over 52cm if I recall well, but certainly you may find a 60cm jumping goal keeper, for istance. I can do 55cm myself.
Three of our players covered 3000m in YoYo. I don’t know the speed reached, but I guess is ‘near’ 19-20km/h??
My bad.
I just called our data guy and he told me that our best player this summer tested at 19Km/h-6th step for 2280m during the first test of the preparation. 3000m would be the equivalent of 20Km/h-3rd step. Your three guys would be better off running the marathon
Take a look at this link: http://www.soccerfitness.com/content/view/26/6/
Keep in mind that 2520m is 18Km/h-8th (last) step.
Did your tester tune up the recorder before starting?
Sprinterouge, what is your opinion on Level 2 test and its applicability?
Limited, but for the 18Km/h+ guys better.
P.S.: Last week I trained a NCAA 1500 champ on the force mat, and she could go on forever at 90% of her max power. At the same time, I also trained a low level sprinter who was dead around the 10th rep. :rolleyes:
That’s why I was asking about an inverse relationship. I suspect there is one.