Yo-Yo Test Results

Results Format

The results for the yo-yo test can be given as the time to exhaustion, the total distance covered, the level number achieved, or speed level and shuttles, though the most common way the score is reported is the speed level plus the number of shuttles. For example, reaching the stage or level 16 and then completing 3 x 40m runs at that level, would be recorded as 16.3 or 16/3.

For the IR level one yo-yo test (which is the version usually conducted), the test scores can range from 5.1 up to the highest possible score of 23.8 (though the highest recorded is 22 something). See the Yo-Yo IR1 test table for all possible scores and the conversion between levels and distance covered.

Reliability of Scores

The reliability of the tests scores listed online may be questionable. It is not always clear what test version is being used, or how strictly the protocol has been enforced. I found some scores above 23 for basketball players, which seems unusually high and has been attributed to them doing the YYIR2, which starts at a higher speed so high scores can be reached quicker with less total distance run. The YYIR1 is the most commonly used test, though some of the results on the table below may be from the YYIR2.

The general procedure for conducting the yo-yo test lists the warnings for the participants and how to conclude the test. Our protocol defines the final score as the level or total distance covered in the last successfully completed shuttle, while it is clear that some protocols listed online base the score as the level that the athlete stops the test, which may be a couple of extra shuttles.

What is a good result?

The Yo-Yo intermittent test (level 1) usually takes between 6-20 minutes to complete. A good score for male team sport athletes is over 20 in the test, and over 22 would be considered an excellent score. Female team sport athletes generally score between 12 and 16. We have some norm tables so you can get a rating for results from the IR1 yo-yo test. The Yo-Yo IR1 Test Calculator will also give a fitness rating.

Selected Top Scores

Here are some of the top reliable scores found online for the yo-yo test, plus notable top scores from a range of sports and teams. The results are collated from various sources online, and the accuracy of the test results cannot be confirmed. It is usually not noted whether the yo-yo intermittent recovery test level 1 or 2 is used, so this list unfortunately may be a mixture of both (results in bold are confirmed YYIR1 results). See specific lists for cricket, association football (soccer), Australian football, rugby union, rugby league, field hockey, basketball and netball.

Male Top Scores

rank score player sport
1 22.8 Harry Grant Australian Football
2 22.7 Billy Daniels Coventry City FC, England
3 22.6 Pierce Laverty Australian Football
4 22.5 Nick Fee Basketball, NZ
5 22.4 Andrew Brayshaw Australian Football
6 22.4 Josh Smith Australian Football
7 22.4 Harry Sharp Australian Football
8 22.4 D. Kenny Palraj Football (Malaysia)
9 22.4 Joe Partington Football (England)
10 22.3 Lachlan Squire Australian Football
11 22.3 Dylan Moore Australian Football
12 22.3 Stefan Giro Australian Football
13 22.3 Alastair Cook Cricket (England)
14 22.2 John Brake England Rugby 7s
15 22.2 Ned McHenry Australian Football
16 22.1 Shan Masood Cricket (Pakistan)
17 22.1 Muhammad Rizwan Cricket (Pakistan)
18 22.1 Al-Amin Hossain Cricket (Bangladesh)
19 22 Andrew McCullough Rugby League
20 22 Josua Vici Rugby 7s (Fiji)
21 22 Tom Mitchell Rugby 7s (England)
22 21.8 Cristiano Ronaldo Football (Portugal)
23 21.6 Tom Cusack Australia, Rugby 7s
24 21.6 Neymar Football (Brazil)
25 21.5 Gareth Bale Football (Wales)
26 21.5 Matthew Lapsley Tennis (UIS)
27 21.4 Sardar Singh Field Hockey (India)
28 21.4 Jonathan Mbakwe Basketball
29 21.8 Jonny Bairstow Cricket (England)
30 21.3 Nick Phipps Australia, Rugby 7s
31 21.2 Mareeswaran Sakthivel Field Hockey (India)
32 21.1 Mayank Agarwal Cricket (India)
33 21.1 Asad Shafiq Cricket (Pakistan)
34 21.1 Paul Cook Referee, East Yorkshire
35 21.1 Dan Norton England, Rugby 7s
36 21.1 Joe Root Cricket (England)
37 21.1 Nihaduzzaman Cricket (Bangladesh)

notes:

  1. Harry Grant, GWS GIANTS Academy, from Rookie Me pre-season testing in 2020, https://afl.draftcentral.com.au/2020/05/21/preseason-testing-analysis-which-state-has-the-best-endurance-runners/
  2. Billy Daniels, from YouTube video of a pre-season training yo-yo test for Coventry City FC in 2013.
  3. Pierce Laverty, achieved at the 2019 Euro AFL combine in Dublin Ireland.
  4. Nick Fee, New Zealand basketballer from testing conducted at the 3x3 2016 World Championships, 10-Oct-2016 (confirmed YYIR1)
  5. Andrew Brayshaw, achieved at the 2017 AFL combine
  6. Josh Smith: https://thewest.com.au/sport/west-coast-eagles/former-collingwood-utility-josh-smith-continues-to-impress-in-first-pre-season-with-west-coast-eagles-ng-b881075591z (16 January 2019)
  7. Harry Sharp (GWV) - at the NAB League Fitness Testing Day at Maribyrnong College in March 2019
  8. D. Kenny Palraj, midfielder in the National Under-23 side. Test conducted at the National Sports Institute. (published on http://www.thestar.com.my, 16 Aug 2013).
  9. Joe Partington, achieved at the AFC Bournemouths pre-season training camp on 3/7/2010.
  10. Lachlan Squire , GWS GIANTS Academy, from Rookie Me pre-season testing in 2020, https://afl.draftcentral.com.au/2020/05/21/preseason-testing-analysis-which-state-has-the-best-endurance-runners/
  11. Dylan Moore, achieved at the 2017 AFL combine.
  12. Stefan Giro, Norwood player at 2017 SA state combine.
  13. Alastair Cook, English cricketer. achieved in English team testing (video)
  14. John Brake, England rugby 7s "The best I've seen is probably like a 22.2, 22.5 ... One guy, John Brake, he used to play sevens and seemed to have two hearts. He could get round about that level." Quote by England player Dan Norton (from https://edition.cnn.com/2019/05/24/sport/rugby-sevens-fitness-england-spt-intl-gbr/)
  15. Ned McHenry, achieved at the 2018 AFL combine
  16. Shan Masood (published 24/8/2017 on https://propakistani.pk)
  17. Muhammad Rizwan (published 24/8/2017 on https://propakistani.pk)
  18. Al-Amin Hossain. Bangladeshi fast bowler, from the article https://www.bdcrictime.com/cricketers-complete-yo-yo-test-trial-al-amin-shows-surprise/
  19. Andrew McCullough, Hooker Andrew McCullough holds the record at Brisbane Broncos RL team. (from article in the Courier Mail, Jan 3 2016)
  20. Josua Vici, aged 22, is the fittest player in the Fijian national 7s squad. (from the Fiji Sun, July 9, 2016)
  21. Tom Mitchell, England's Rugby 7s captain. (from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/body/forget-union-league-sevens-fittest-form-rugby-found/ 4th April 2017)
  22. Cristiano Ronaldo, online rumor
  23. Tom Cusack, holder of the Australian men's rugby 7s yo-yo test record. https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/rugby/why-quade-cooper-sonny-bill-williams-and-bryan-habana-have-work-ahead-to-cut-it-on-sevens-circuit/news-story/8dfa4365718a259b966185e4637949cb, Jan 30, 2016.
  24. Neymar, online rumor
  25. Gareth Bale, was quoted as the best ranked with a Yo-Yo 2,880m in an article www.theguardian.com in 2014.
  26. Matthew Lapsley, University of Illinois-Springfield tennis player (via twitter)
  27. Sardar Singh, Part of the Indian hockey team (published in catchnews.com 16 August 2018)
  28. Jonathan Mbakwe, Scots College student, selected for the New South Wales team in the National Championships (retrieved from The Scots College website, Feb 2011)
  29. Jonny Bairstow. English cricketer. results from team testing video.
  30. Nick Phipps, previous holder of the Australian men's rugby 7s yo-yo test record. https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/rugby/waratahs-mascot-tahman-accidentally-breaks-young-fans-leg-at-junior-rugby-camp/story-fnp0m104-1227463893426
  31. Mareeswaran Sakthivel, Junior player from Tamil Nadu, India (from article From a humble beginning to scoring big goal, The New Indian Express, 25th October 2020)
  32. Mayank Agarwal, Indian cricketer, self-assessment posted online https://crictoday.com/cricket/daily-cricket-news/watch-mayank-agarwal-outperforms-virat-kohli-in-yo-yo-test/ Sept 2023
  33. Asad Shafiq (published 24/8/2017 on https://propakistani.pk)
  34. Paul Cook East Yorkshire set the YO-YO test record for East Yorkshire Rugby Union referees.
  35. Dan Norton (England Rugby 7s). "I think my best has been around 21 or 21.2," says Norton, rugby sevens' all-time record try-scorer. "Somewhere around the 21 mark anyway." (Quoted in https://edition.cnn.com/2019/05/24/sport/rugby-sevens-fitness-england-spt-intl-gbr/)
  36. Joe Root. English cricketer. results from team testing video.
  37. Nihaduzzaman, bowler in the Bangladesh Premier League. Score mentioned in the article https://www.bdcrictime.com/nasir-passes-yo-yo-test-with-eye-catching-score/

Female Top Scores

rank score player sport
1 20.2 Ambrosia Malone Field Hockey (Australia)
2 19.7 Verenaisi Bari Rugby 7s (Fiji)
=3 19.1 Kelley O'Hara Football (soccer)
=3 19.1 Beth Langston Cricket (England)
5 18.7 Jaime Beaufils Soccer (Australia)
6 18.6 Kristine Lilly Football (soccer)
7 18.5 Kelly Hasty Soccer (Manhattan College)
8 18.4 Nicole Copp Soccer (Manhattan College)
9 18.2 Lani Mouat Lacrosse (New Zealand)
10 18.1 Nina Morrison Australian Football
  18.1 Sarah Houlihan Australian Football
12 17.8 Sarah Poustie Australian Football
  17.8 Nikita Harris (Dandenong Stingrays)  Australian Football
14 17.7 Marlo Graham (Northern Knights)  Australian Football
15 17.6 Isabella Davies (GWV Rebels) Australian Football
16 17.5 Morgan Ryan Soccer, Saint Louis University
  17.5 Hannah Scott (Northern Knights) Australian Football
18 17.4 Bethan Gammon Cricket (Wales)
19 17.3 Bridie Kennedy Australian Football
  17.3 Caitlin Charles (Geelong Falcons) Australian Football

notes:

  1. Ambrosia Malone, result from an officially monitored (by physio and coaching staff) yo-yo test at the Qld Academy of Sport in Oct 2020 (details sent by personal communication)
  2. Verenaisi Bari, former Olympic sprinter from Fiji who moved to rugby 7s. (June 2022). https://www.fbcnews.com.fj/sports/rugby/bari-dedicates-success-to-late-mother/
  3. Kelley O'Hara, 22-year-old Kelley O'Hara has the record for the US women's soccer team (from an article on US soccer online, 9 Jan 2011)
  4. Beth Langston, English cricketer, from video published on YouTube 9 Jun 2018
  5. Jaime Beaufils, Australian soccer player, officially monitored (by physio and coaching staff) yo-yo test at the Sydney university NSW Australian women's soccer training on 24/02/2021.
  6. Kristine Lilly, Soccer legend ran 49 shuttles on September 2010 at the age of 39 (18.6), setting the record for the US Women's National Team. (from an article on US soccer online, 9 Jan 2011)
  7. Kelly Hasty, Manhattan College W Soccer (via instagram)
  8. Nicole Copp, Manhattan College W Soccer (via instagram)
  9. Lani Mouat, score of 45, as published on https://www.nzlacrosse.com/
  10. Nina Morrison, achieved at the 2018 AFL combine
  11. Sarah Houlihan, achieved at the 2019 AFL Euro combine held in Dublin Ireland.
  12. Sarah Poustie, Oakleigh Chargers, 2023 Preseason Testing
  13. Nikita Harris, Dandenong Stingrays, 2023 Preseason Testing
  14. Marlo Graham, Northern Knights, 2023 Preseason Testing
  15. Isabella Davies, GWV Rebels, 2023 Preseason Testing
  16. Morgan Ryan, Soccer, Saint Louis University (via SLU twitter)
  17. Hannah Scott, Northern Knights, 2023 Preseason Testing
  18. Bethan Gammon, Wales cricket (via twitter @cricketwales_wg w)
  19. Bridie Kennedy, achieved at the 2017 AFL combine
  20. Caitlin Charles, Geelong Falcons, 2023 Preseason Testing

More Resources

 

Reference: Jens Bangsbo, F. Marcello Iaia and Peter Krustrup, (2008) The Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test: A Useful Tool for Evaluation of Physical Performance in Intermittent Sports, Sports Medicine 2008; 38 (1): 37-51.

 

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