

If players are not working hard or having a big drop off from test to test, you will be able to see this. If you track each test, then you can see if players are progressing in their fitness. You can do the Beep Test each week, each month, or as often as you would like. Endurance and mental toughness become critical as players get exhausted and have to push themselves through it if they want to keep going. One of the keys parts about the Beep Test is that all players are on an even playing field. Your most competitive players won’t want to lose and will challenge themselves to win. Make it a competition between each group to see who wins and also which winner achieves the highest level. This combines both long distance and sprints into one conditioning activity. As the beeps get shorter and levels increase, players gradually build up to sprints back and forth across the grid. Most players don’t realize how much running they are doing because the grid is short and small. There are several great benefits that coaches can achieve from the Beep Test: The most important part is to write down the levels and sprints that each player makes during the test. Each group goes until the final player is finished. This means they can keep running, but the next miss means they are out and done. You can make your own rules on how you conduct the test, but I would encourage giving each player a warning on their first beep miss. This back and forth running continues as they beeps gradually get faster with less time in between. Once they hear the second beep, they can run back to where they started. When they hear a beep, they run to the other end. The test is very simple in that players start on one end of the grid. The partners can help keep track of the total distance or final level that their teammate reaches. I would suggest you split players into two groups so each player has a partner. If you have access to speakers or a sound system, that’s a plus and will help the players to hear the beeps. There are several different apps you can get on your cell phone and play from there if you are on your practice field.

All you need is a space of 20 meters (approximately 22 yards) and the Beep Test audio. One of the many benefits of the Beep Test is that it can be set up just about anywhere.
