She just got back from doing the test this morning (after taking it easier playing-wise and strength training-wise the past few days) and improved quite a bit- 3 additional reps, so only 1 rep off at this point. The last time she did the test was 3 weeks ago, after being ill for a week. I agree that over training has probably impacted things as well. She was way over trained Sunday-Tuesday of this week so we strongly encouraged her to take a couple of days off. In our opinion, she doesn’t really need to worry about the weights as much (which she’s been hitting hard as part of a pro group) in that she is likely over the threshold there, and she needs to focus on making the running test threshold at this point.
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That’s great! She’s right there! She’ll be fine in the real test—she’s put the work in.
No more testing in practice in the meantime. It’s tough psychologically!
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She’s GOING to hit the threshold level! (The only question is whether to stop there and leave room for an improved score later, or try to max out now).
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My son’s yo-yo is tomorrow. The goalkeepers need to reach level 45. Players that reach their target levels earn a nice Hydro Flask team water bottle with their name and yo-yo level number on it.
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Further data points:
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for that top-tier D1 women’s program (top-20 preseason ranking), about 2/3 of the players hit the target threshold of stage #40. Several who didn’t were regular starters last season, but this won’t likely change their status.
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another former club teammate on a more mid-tier D1 team reported that only 8 players met the yo-yo threshold (stage #32) last week. The goalkeepers did a modified version with lower target levels, but having to run backwards for the 2nd half of each shuttle.
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ETA to add: based on VO2max equivalencies, that’s about a 5.5% harder threshold for the first program compared to the second.
A lot of times those targets are more aspirational, and not a large share of players hit them in pre-season. It is a way to keep players motivated over the summer and see who was able to put the work in.
For my D23’s D3 school, returning players have different target levels on the yo-yo/beep depending on their previous levels. The entering first-years don’t have specific targets, but will be tested on the first day of practice in less than two weeks.
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Wow, my son’s d3 team has the same number for everyone, and all but one player hit the threshold last year.
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Clearly, the coach didn’t set the threshold high enough! How are they going to demand extra sprints after practice? 
Yes, my daughter’s team has the same threshold for everyone, regardless of year/position. It was worded as the expectation, not a suggestion, so she has worked hard. I get the sense it’s one of the higher thresholds coach has established in recent years.
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She’s going to try for one level over the threshold over the next week.
I’m curious as to what that number is (assuming the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 1/Nike Sparq test that all the soccer programs seem to use). You can PM me if not comfortable sharing widely. Thanks!
Yes, my daughter’s coach sent the same packet to everyone and there were some players who were never, ever, going to run the 2 miles in the time listed, were never going to do the sideline to sideline drills that fast. My daughter trained at altitude all summer so although she wasn’t meeting the times that first summer, once she got to school she could take almost a minute off her times because of the altitude.
The most important thing, iMO, is to be in shape when you arrive and not 20 pounds overweight. Those who weren’t in shape couldn’t run for the whole 30 minute half of a game. It was really clear who hadn’t taken the summer packet seriously.
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I talked to my son tonight. Their test is actually next Monday, not tomorrow. The goalkeepers need to reach 45 and the field players need 62.
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It appears it’s 15. I think it’s similar to the Yo-Yo test.
**Edited- I just talked with my daughter. She said it’s not the beep or Yo-Yo test specifically. It’s running a specific distance of the field in a certain time, and then running back in a certain time and that’s 1 rep total. The goal is to finish 15 total reps without stopping or decreasing speed.
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Yes, I think we might be talking about slightly different tests. Certainly different scores, as my son says his team threshold is 13.6.
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Yes, it’s confusing! The Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 1 (YYIRTL1) seems to be the most common one used. But the scores for that are reported variously as the level and step achieved (e.g., 17.1) or the number of stages (e.g. #36). And then to confuse things further, almost everyone calls it the “beep test”. (And the Nike Sparq test is the yo-yo test with slightly different timing levels for the first few levels).
And then there is the actual “beep test”, which is technically the 20m Multistage Fitness Test.
Both involve 20m back-and-forth shuttles, but the YYIRTL1 has a 10-second recovery period between each, while the true beep test is continuous.
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Regardless of the particular flavor of the dreaded “bleep test”, best of luck to all y’all’s kids testing in the next week or two!
Coming in as first-year players who took summer workouts seriously will pay dividends for them all, I’m sure!
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My daughter has a close friend going to play their sport at Johns Hopkins and interestingly, she just told my daughter that they don’t do run tests.
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Does JHU have ESports? 
Ha ha! It is a field sport!
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