Wheelchair Yo-Yo Test
In addition to the six official yo-yo test versions as created by Jens Bangsbo, there are a few modified versions of the yo-yo test that have made changes to the original protocols for a specific purpose, such as this wheelchair version where participants with a disability perform the yo-yo test in a wheelchair over a distance less than the original 20m.
The standard distance for the yo-yo test is over a 20m course, however for wheelchair athletes this distance may be challenging, making the test conclude much quicker than usual and with greater stress on the anaerobic energy system. Therefore, a modified yo-yo test has been proposed by Yanci et al. (2015) where the distance covered in each shuttle is reduced to 10 m (20m out and back). All other test conditions are per the yo-yo intermittent recovery test level 1.
Yanci et al. (2015) found that a 10m yo-yo test with wheelchair basketballers was reliable, and an appropriate tool for measuring the aerobic fitness in wheelchair athletes. The 10m yo-yo test is particularly suitable for wheelchair basketball players in which agility and turning ability is also an important aspect of performance.
The diagram of the yo-yo 10m test setup in Gil et al. (2015) indicates that cones were placed 10 meters apart, requiring the wheelchairs to go around the turning cone, and therefore the athletes cover a distance greater than the 10m between the cones. This is different to runners who tend to place one foot at or just over the line when turning.
Wheelchair basketball players have scored in the yo-yo 10m an average of 1014 ± 369 meters (Yanci et al., 2015) and 1029 ± 399 meters (Gil et al., 2015).
References
- Yanci J., Granados C., Otero M., Badiola A., Olasagasti J., Bidaurrazaga-Letona I., et al. . (2015). Sprint, agility, strength and endurance capacity in wheelchair basketball players. Biol. Sport 32, 71–78. 10.5604/20831862.1127285
- Gil S. M., Yanci J., Otero M., Olasagasti J., Badiola A., Bidaurrazaga-Letona I., et al. . (2015). The functional classification and field test performance in wheelchair basketball players. J. Hum. Kinet. 46, 219–230. 10.1515/hukin-2015-0050.
- Iturricastillo A, Yanci J, Granados C, Goosey-Tolfrey VL. Quantifying wheelchair basketball match load: a comparison of heart rate and perceived exertion methods. Int J Sports Physiol Perform 2016; 11: 508–514.
More Resources
- Purchase the YoYo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 1 mp3 file
- Other modifications of the yo-yo tests, including the children version which also uses a shortened version of the yo-yo test. There is also the Blind Yo-Yo Test, an adaptation to the protocol for testing vision imparied athletes.
- About the six variations of the yo-yo fitness test
- How to determine which version of the yo-yo test you did
- Alternatives to the Yo-Yo Test
- List of information pages
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