The Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test in junior basketball players according to performance level and age group

The aim of this study was to evaluate the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 1 ability to discriminate between elite, sub-elite junior basketball players and a group of non-athletic healthy males at three different age groups (U-14 to U-17). In a cross-sectional design, 119 age matched participants spread over three groups, elite (n = 46), sub-elite (n = 42) junior basketball players and non-athletic healthy males (n = 31), were evaluated over a five-weeks period. Participants undertook two familiarization trials of Yo-Yo test performance and three test sessions on an indoor basketball court. When controlling for the effect of the participants' body mass the results showed that elite athletes had significantly higher Yo-Yo performance compared to sub-elite athletes (1271 ± 385 vs. 861 ± 428 m; P < 0.0017; effects size 1.0 ± 0.35) and the non-athletic group (1271 ± 385 vs. 738 ± 345 m; P < 0.0017; effects size 1.45 ± 0.38). No statistical differences (P > 0.0017; effect size from 0.02 to 0.39) were noted between participants' performance levels across age groups. Between-performance levels and -age groups differences in the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 1 were observed. However, when controlling for the effect of the participants' body mass, this study demonstrates that Yo-Yo test is accurate only to discriminate elite junior basketball players, but cannot be used to differentiate the basketball specific aerobic performance for age.