Yo-Yo Test Can Only be a Fitness Guide, Says Eric Simmons

Former India bowling coach, Eric Simmons believes that the much-debated Yo-Yo test can be a tool to measure the fitness level of professionals. Well, it couldn’t be the benchmark for selection according to the coach.

Meanwhile, the Board of Control for Cricket in India has recently made the sole criteria to be a part of the India squad. This made players like Mohammed Shami, Ambati Rayudu to miss tours despite having their names in the initial squad.

Simmons, who has been an integral part of Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK), has done a brilliant job in this year’s IPL.

Despite having an average age of 34, the players remained fit throughout the eleventh edition of the T20 league.

Speaking to CricketNext, Simmons talked in detail about the pros and cons of the much-hyped test.

“Yo-Yo has its place as a measuring tool, but in conjunction with other tests to ensure functional fitness and strength is growing. It also is a uniform way to see where the squad is and to build a history of a particular player. As a result, you can see if fitness is improving or dropping over a period of time,” he said.

The bowling coach Eric Simmons feels using this test as a guide was a better option as a lot of things determine the result of the test in a nutshell.

“It is in my opinion just a guide as it can be affected by a lot of factors. Such as the time of day, weather, players emotional/physical space on the day etc. But I do feel it is a useful guide. And most importantly in a world where you are dealing with competitive natures, a way to subtly encourage training because guys have a natural tendency to want to improve and beat others,” he concluded.

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