Relationships Between the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test and Anaerobic Performance Tests in Adolescent Handball Players

The aim of the present study was to investigate relationships between a performance index derived from the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test level 1 (Yo-Yo IR1) and other measures of physical performance and skill in handball players. The other measures considered included peak muscular power of the lower limbs (Wpeak), jumping ability (squat and counter-movement jumps (SJ, CMJ), a handball skill test and the average sprinting velocities over the first step (VS) and the first 5 m (V5m). Test scores for 25 male national-level adolescent players (age: 17.2 ± 0.7 years) averaged 4.83 ± 0.34 m·s(−1) (maximal velocity reached at the Yo-Yo IR1); 917 ± 105 Watt, 12.7 ± 3 W·kg(−1) (Wpeak); 3.41 ± 0.5 m·s(−1) and 6.03 ± 0.6 m·s(−1) (sprint velocities for Vs and V5m respectively) and 10.3 ± 1 s (handball skill test). Yo-Yo IR1 test scores showed statistically significant correlations with all of the variables examined: Wpeak (W and W·kg(−1)) r = 0.80 and 0.65, respectively, p≤0.001); sprinting velocities (r = 0.73 and 0.71 for VS and V5m respectively; p≤0.001); jumping performance (SJ: r = 0.60, p≤0.001; CMJ: r= 0.66, p≤0.001) and the handball skill test (r = 0.71; p≤0.001). We concluded that the Yo-Yo test score showed a sufficient correlation with other potential means of assessing handball players, and that intra-individual changes of Yo-Yo IR1 score could provide a useful composite index of the response to training or rehabilitation, although correlations lack sufficient precision to help in players’ selection.