How to Hack the Yo Yo Test & score impressive timings

There was a hot debate going on since team India’s prominent players like Yuvraj Singh, Washington Sundar, Mohammad Shami, Suresh Raina & Ambati Rayudu failed the yo-yo test and being dropped out of the team.

Since then, some players have made a comeback to the Indian team & others still struggling to get that benchmark score of 16.1. Let us look at what exactly you can do to get that benchmark score (set by the BCCI) of 16.1 and some hacks to get the tremendous scores up to 19-22.

 What is Yo-Yo test?

Yo-Yo is a variation of beep test, a running aerobic fitness routine that International cricketers had to undergo in the past. But passing beep test was not mandatory for selection as in the case of Yo-Yo. It probes a sports persons endurance and ability to pace himself towards the end of the maximal running aerobic fitness drill, an element of speed comes into play.

The grueling routine has two sets of cones that are 20 meters apart. Once, the beep is sounded, the athlete has to reach the marker on the other side by the time the next beep sounds, turn and get back to where he started before the third beep.

The frequency of beeps gradually increase for the subsequent trips, a trip is a successful completion of a run to the cones at the other end and back. There is a gap about 7 seconds between each trip.

What starts as a fast jog at the start becomes distinctly quicker as the test progresses with the duration between beeps decreasing. The point at which an athlete misses two beeps (twice unable to finish before the third beep goes off) is his score.

Why to fitness test an athlete?

Given the volume at which the cricket season goes on throughout the year, there is a belief that optimal fitness must be achieved. Irrespective, of the cricketers ’ability, the BCCI feels a minimum fitness level is non-negotiable.

                Minimum benchmark scores of Yo-Yo test in some cricketing countries:-

                COUNTRY                                                           SCORE                                                                 

                New Zealand                                                        19

                Sri-Lanka                                                              17.4

                England                                                                 19

                Pakistan                                                                17.4

                India                                                                       16.1

As we can see India’s minimum benchmark score to pass the yo-yo test is very low, yet players fail to pass the test should really be a concern.

 

How to hack the Yo-Yo test?

As there is so much going around about the yo-yo test let us see some tricks and tips on how you can improve your individual scores.

 

• Improve your fitness level

This is an obvious tip that if you train yourself regularly and develop your current fitness level will eventually give you better scores in the future.

• Perform a Warm up

If you do not perform a warm up before the test then probably you will not be able to perform at your best and more worryingly, you could risk injury which could set your fitness back several levels.

Ideally 5-10 minutes of warm up which includes jogging, dynamic stretching and gentle turning motions would get you ready for the test.

• Turn efficiently

People who have done the beep test usually complain that the turning is the most difficult part.

You can perform a turn by placing one foot on the line, this will eventually cut down small steps that would save you the valuable seconds. Take sharp turns rather than taking wider U turns in the movement.

• Prepare your body

1. You are properly hydrated, making sure that you take sufficient liquids in advance.

2.  You have eaten a light meal 1-2 hours before the test.

3. You have had enough sleep. (At least 8 hours)

(To know about how much and what should be consumed before the test please refer to my previous article)

4. Also before you do the test make sure that you use the bathroom. It’s difficult enough doing the test, never mind trying to do it with a full bladder.

• Mentally toughen yourself up

When your body says quit, your mind says “drop and give me another 10”.

Just push yourself to the fullest that’s the only mantra.

• Pace yourself and play your own game

When you are running these tests in a group, it can often be tempting to focus too much on other participants.

Don’t try to run other persons test just worry about yourself and keep pace with the beep- there is nothing to be gained by charging off too quickly or trying to match anybody else.

Some of the first people that give up early on the beep/yo-yo test are the ones- who run the fastest at the beginning. Save your energy for the later stages.

• Perform the test in favorable conditions

If somebody else is setting the test for you, this is not something that you can influence. However, if you do get choice over where and when you do the test you should remember that only extreme heat, wind or rain may impair your score.

• Ignore the boasters

Somebody is going o tell you that they have completed the score of 16.1 without any training. You have to prepare yourself for the test depending on your own fitness level as it may cost you a big selection & worst case scenario even your career.

This was all about the yo-yo test, I hope this article turns out to be helpful for you and you achieve enormous scores of 20-22 someday. Let’s take India ahead in the global standings of the yo-yo test. In the future, we are not sure what will be the gold standard for being fit would be. But, passing the yo-yo test is the need of the hour.