Beep test vs Yo-Yo test: which is better for soccer?

What each test measures

The beep test measures how fast you can run for as long as you can without stopping. The result is a level, and the speed of the last full level is your maximal aerobic speed (MAS). You use that number to set running paces.

The Yo-Yo IR1 measures how many intense shuttles you can repeat when you only get 10 seconds of walking between them. The result is a distance in metres. It tells you how well a player recovers between efforts, which is what a match asks for between sprints.

Side by side

	Beep test	Yo-Yo IR1
Shuttle	20 m, one way per beep	2 × 20 m, then 10 s recovery
Starting speed	8.0 km/h, then 9.0	10 km/h
Top speed on the recording	18.5 km/h (level 21)	20 km/h (level 25)
Result	level, then MAS	distance in metres
Estimated VO₂max	not calculated here: the result is a MAS	0.0084 × distance + 36.4 (Bangsbo 2008)
Time to cover about 1,800 m	1,880 m (end of level 10), about 10 min 30 s	1,720 m (end of level 17), about 14 min 15 s
Published soccer averages	none on this site	adult men and women by level of play

The beep test table has 21 levels and 247 shuttles. The Yo-Yo IR1 table runs from level 5 to level 25, one or more shuttles at each speed, with 8 shuttles from 14.5 km/h.

Why the Yo-Yo suits soccer

A match is a long run of short efforts with incomplete recovery. The Yo-Yo copies that structure: shuttle, rest, shuttle. Two players with the same maximal aerobic speed can score very differently on it, because the recovery between shuttles is what separates them.

It also has the data soccer coaches look for. Bangsbo’s 2008 review lists group averages for male and female players by level of play. Top-class men average 2,420 m and elite men 2,190 m. For women the averages are 1,600 m for top-class and 1,360 m for elite players. These are averages, not pass marks, and the Yo-Yo score page shows where each one falls on the course.

When the beep test is the better pick

You need training speeds. The beep test returns a MAS in km/h. The training paces calculator turns it into 85, 90 or 100 % paces. The Yo-Yo does not give a MAS, because the recoveries let players run faster than their aerobic ceiling during the shuttles.

You coach young players. Reference values for ages 9 to 17 exist for the 20 m shuttle run. The adult Yo-Yo averages are not a youth norm.

You want a test that is shared with other settings. School programmes and entry tests use the 20 m shuttle run, and a player who knows their level can use it in more than one place.

You are short of space. The beep test needs two lines per lane. The Yo-Yo IR1 needs a third, the recovery line 5 m behind the start, and a walking zone for every group.

How to choose

1. Do you need running paces for the squad? Use the beep test.
2. Do you want to place players against soccer data and track repeated sprint ability? Use the Yo-Yo IR1.
3. Are your players already beyond 2,000 m on the IR1? Move to the harder test described in Yo-Yo IR1 vs Yo-Yo IR2.
4. Still unsure? Run the Yo-Yo IR1 in pre-season, then the beep test only if you need paces.

Whatever you choose, keep the same recording, the same surface and the same time of day. A change of test mid-season makes every comparison with earlier results meaningless.

Reading the two scores together

A player can look average on one test and good on the other. A player with a strong Yo-Yo and a modest beep test level recovers well between efforts but has a lower aerobic ceiling, and the reverse is also common. That mismatch is information, not an error. It tells you which of the two qualities to train.

For the full beep test chart, see Beep test levels: speed, shuttles, distance and time. For every Yo-Yo level with its distance, see the Yo-Yo IR1 conversion table.