30-15 IFT vs Yo-Yo test: which one should you use?
Use the 30-15 IFT if you want to prescribe training: its result, VIFT, sets the speed for short intervals for each player. Use the Yo-Yo IR1 if you want to compare players with published norms: its distance score has benchmarks by sex and level of play, and the 30-15 IFT has none. Both are intermittent shuttle tests. Their scores cannot be converted into each other.
Two intermittent tests, two different jobs
Both tests use audio-paced shuttle running with recovery built in. They answer different questions.
The 30-15 IFT asks what speed this player can use in short intervals. Its result is VIFT, the speed in km/h of the last stage completed. Coaches then set 15-15 sessions as a percentage of it.
The Yo-Yo IR1 asks how much high-intensity running this player can repeat with short recovery. Its result is a distance in metres, which you read against norms.
Side by side
| 30-15 IFT | Yo-Yo IR1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Effort | 30 s of shuttle running on a 40 m course | 2 × 20 m shuttle (40 m) |
| Recovery | 15 s walk | 10 s walk, 5 m behind the start line |
| Start | 8 km/h | 10 km/h |
| Progression | +0.5 km/h every 45 s stage | levels from 10 to 20 km/h, up to 8 shuttles each |
| Result | VIFT, in km/h | distance, in metres |
| VO₂max estimate | equation with sex, age, weight and VIFT | 0.0084 × distance + 36.4 |
| Published norms | none by age and sex | by sex and level of play |
| Main use | prescribing short intervals | benchmarking and tracking |
How long each lasts
The 30-15 IFT is easy to time: every stage is 45 seconds. A player who completes stage 15 (VIFT 15 km/h) has run for 11 minutes 15 seconds. Stage 21 (18 km/h) takes 15 minutes 45 seconds, and stage 25 (20 km/h) 18 minutes 45 seconds.
The Yo-Yo IR1 depends on speed, because every shuttle is followed by 10 seconds of recovery. 1,200 m takes about 10 minutes, 2,000 m about 17 minutes, 2,400 m about 20 minutes. Both tests last 10 to 20 minutes for most players, so the choice should not rest on time.
Choose the 30-15 IFT when
- You prescribe short intervals to a group. A session at 100 % of VIFT gives each player a different distance in 15 seconds, so the load is similar across the squad. How to calculate training speeds from VIFT shows the arithmetic.
- You want a number that mixes MAS, anaerobic reserve, recovery and change of direction. VIFT vs MAS explains why it runs above MAS.
- You accept judging players mostly against themselves. The test was published without norms, and the good 30-15 IFT score page gives working benchmarks, not a standard.
Choose the Yo-Yo IR1 when
- You need to compare players or squads with a reference. Norms by sex and level of play exist, and the soccer scores are published.
- You work with recreational or youth players. The 10 km/h start leaves room at the bottom, and each shuttle is easy to count.
- You want match-like demands. The pattern of a hard shuttle then a short recovery looks like repeated high-intensity running in a game.
If your players are well trained, the IR2 starts at 13 km/h and discriminates better at the top. Yo-Yo IR1 vs IR2 covers when to switch.
What not to do
Do not try to convert one score into the other. A Yo-Yo distance does not become a VIFT, and a VIFT does not become a Yo-Yo distance. The same goes for MAS: neither test gives it.
Do not switch during a season. A player who did the 30-15 IFT in September should do it again in November, on the same surface, with the same recording. Changing tests breaks the comparison.
If you are choosing a test for a soccer squad from scratch, beep test vs Yo-Yo test is the page to read first. The protocols are on the 30-15 IFT page and the Yo-Yo IR1 page, and each has a calculator: 30-15 IFT, Yo-Yo IR1.
Go further
- 01What is a good 30-15 IFT score?Questions
- 02What is a good Yo-Yo IR1 score for soccer players?Questions
- 03How to calculate training speeds from VIFTQuestions
- 04VIFT vs MAS: what's the difference?Questions
- 05Beep test vs Yo-Yo test: which is better for soccer?Questions
- 0630-15 Intermittent Fitness TestTests
- 07Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Level 1Tests
- 0830-15 IFT calculator: stage to VIFT and training zonesCalculator
- 09Yo-Yo IR1 calculator: level to distance and VO₂maxCalculator
Frequently asked questions
Can I convert a Yo-Yo IR1 score into a VIFT?
No. The Yo-Yo IR1 gives a distance in metres, the 30-15 IFT a speed in km/h. They load different qualities and no published equation links them. Compare a player's Yo-Yo only with their own earlier Yo-Yo.
Which test is harder?
They are hard in different ways. The 30-15 IFT keeps the player running for 30 seconds at a time with turns every 20 m. The Yo-Yo IR1 asks for a 40 m shuttle followed by 10 seconds of recovery, repeated at rising speed. Neither is easier, and the right test is the one you can repeat.
Do I need both tests?
Not usually. One test, repeated under the same conditions, is enough to track a squad. Add the second only if you have a specific question the first cannot answer, for example benchmarks for the Yo-Yo or training speeds for the 30-15 IFT.
Do either of them give a MAS?
No. VIFT runs 2 to 4 km/h above MAS, and the last Yo-Yo speed is not a maximal aerobic speed either, because both tests include recovery. For MAS use a continuous test such as the beep test or the VAMEVAL.
Sources
- Buchheit M., “The 30-15 Intermittent Fitness Test: accuracy for individualizing interval training of young intermittent sport players”, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2008 — protocol (30 s run, 15 s walk, 40 m course, 8 km/h start, +0.5 km/h per stage), VIFT as the reference speed for intermittent training, typical error 0.3 km/h; the page publishes no norm table by age or sex. Checked 2026-09-25
- Bangsbo J., Iaia F. M., Krustrup P., “The Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test: a useful tool for evaluation of physical performance in intermittent sports”, Sports Medicine, 2008; 38(1): 37-51 — Yo-Yo IR1 protocol, VO₂max equation (0.0084 × distance + 36.4) and norms by sex and level of play