Taking care of your body and staying healthy always gives you a major advantage. But as a player, it becomes paramount of your performance. For e.g.: take the word athlete, it’s reserved for a contestant with skills, dedication, and fitness.
The players persistently juggle between varieties of leagues played in domestic as well as international levels. Hence in modern-day cricket, a player above all has to stay fit or they will fall behind in the track. That’s where the Yo-Yo test comes in to strengthen the body condition under extreme pressure.
What is Yo-Yo Test in Cricket?
Yo-Yo test is the ultimate endurance fitness test. It involves running, between marking that is placed 20 meters apart at accelerating speeds until complete and utter exhaustion. I hope you get the mental picture.
These intermittent recovery tests are mandatory for cricketers around the globe to make in the squad. Also known as Beep Test or Lager test, allows players ten seconds break before a new shuttle.
As in mimicking the Real-time playfield scenario. Running 20 meters is the same as making two runs in cricket. Given the standard cricket pitch is 20.12m in distance.
Shuttle in Yo-Yo test, how it works in Cricket?
Shuttle in Yo-Yo test implies to a player making successful runs between the Point A to Point B and back. Two cones are placed in the running zone set 20 meters apart. Likewise, a third cone is place in Point C, that is recovery zone 2.5m.
When a shuttle begins, an individual has to run from Point A to Point B that is 20 meters within the first beep. After the second beep, the player has to make it back to the initial Point A.
So, in the first round player has to cover 40 meters in total in between three beeps. As the level increase, the player has to gradually move their pace as the beeps time reduce. Just like a marathon towards the ending zone; player will very well need to sprint to Point A in Yo-Yo test.
Who introduced the Yo-Yo test?
Primarily developed for football (soccer) players, the Yo-Yo Test has become a popular testing measure in any team sport. Yo-Yo test was introduced back in the 1990s. Jens Bangsbo, a Danish soccer physiologist and his colleagues invented the fitness test. Little did they know, the test will someday be conducted all around the world.
From Indian Cricket to Australian Football, athletics have to pass the Yo-Yo test or a similarly modified version to make to the team.
In India, the test was introduced by coach Shankar Basu, right before the 2017 tour to Sri Lanka.
Summary of Yo-Yo test Versions and their scoring
In total there are six standard Yo-Yo test versions.
Endurance Test Level 1
Starts at: 8 km/hr.
Increases by: 0.5 km/hr. every minute.
Lines: 2 Parallel Lines
Objective: Running continuously between the 20 meters mark.
Score: Total Distance or Level covered in the last complete Shuttle.
Endurance Test Level 2
Starts at: 11.5 km/hr.
Increases by: 0.5 km/hr. every minute.
Lines: 2 Parallel Lines
Objective: Running continuously between the 20 meters marker.
Score: Total distance or Level covered in the last complete Shuttle.
Yo-Yo Intermittent Endurance Test, Level 1
Starts at: 8 km/hr.
Increases by: 1.0 km/hr. in first few stages. Then by 0.25km/hr.
Lines: 3 Parallel Lines; 2.5 recovery zone.
Objective: five–second break between the 20 meters mark.
Score: Total distance or Level covered in the last complete Shuttle.
Intermittent Endurance Test, Level 2
Starts at: 11.5 km/hr.
Increases by: 1.0 km/hr. in first few stages. Then by 0.25km/hr.
Lines: 3 Parallel Lines; 2.5 recovery zone.
Objective: five-second break between the 20 meters mark.
Score: Total distance or Level covered in the last complete Shuttle.
Intermittent Recovery Test, Level 1
Starts at: 10.0 km/hr. Then increases to 12km/hr., 13km/hr.
Increases by: Then by 0.5km/hr.
Lines: 3 Parallel Lines; 2.5 recovery zone.
Objective: Ten-second break between the 20 meters mark.
Score: Total distance or Level covered in the last complete Shuttle.
Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test, Level 2
Starts at: 13.0 km/hr. Then increases to 15km/hr., 16km/hr.
Increases by: Then by 0.5km/hr.
Lines: 3 Parallel Lines; 2.5 recovery zone.
Objective: Ten –second break between the 20 meters mark.
Score: Total distance or Level covered in the last complete Shuttle.
What is the minimal Yo-Yo Test scoring required in Cricket?
A participant needs to make at least 16.1 score in the Yo-Yo test to qualify. Meaning, the player completed one shuttle on level 16 starting as 15km/hr.
There have been times players like Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Mohammed Shami, and Sanju Samson have failed to pass the Yo-Yo Test.
Conclusions
The recent Yo-Yo test familiarity in the Cricket games has helped coaches to determine their player’s overall fitness.
