Yo-Yo Field Benchmark

Establish a repeatable aerobic benchmark for the whole roster so conditioning decisions in the season are based on data, not on who looks tired.

Three cone lines: a start line, a turn line 20 yards away, and a recovery line 5 yards behind the start. One lane per player, 2 yards apart. Players start with a toe on the start line facing the turn line.

1. On the beep, players run to the turn line, touch it with a foot, and return to the start line before the second beep.
2. After every out-and-back, players walk to the recovery line and back in the 10-second active rest.
3. The beeps get faster every level. A player who fails to reach the line on time gets one warning; the second miss ends their test.
4. An assistant records the level and shuttle number each player drops out at.
5. Finish with a 5-minute walk-and-stretch. Post the numbers so players own them.

• Pace the early levels; nobody wins the test in the first 3 minutes.
• Plant the outside foot on the line and drive out of the turn.
• Use the 10-second rest: walk, breathe, reset.
• Run through the beep, not to it.

• Players sprint the first five levels and blow up early; tell them to run at the beep, not ahead of it.
• Turns are cut short by a yard; put a coach on the turn line calling out short touches.
• Nobody records the data and the test becomes a punishment run; assign a clipboard before you start.

• Retest in 6 weeks and compare levels player by player.
• Group players into three conditioning lanes based on results.
• Add a ball-carry variant on a separate day for game-relevant data.

• Start at a lower level for freshmen or players returning from injury.
• Run a fixed 12-shuttle version with no drop-outs for younger squads.
• Test in two waves so every runner has a rest partner counting for them.

• A foot must touch the line on every turn or the shuttle does not count.