Fitness Guide

Bronco Test for football: distance, setup, times and how to improve

The Bronco Test is a continuous shuttle running test of 5 sets of 20 m, 40 m and 60 m out and back shuttles with no rest. That is 240 m per set and 1,200 m (1.2 km) in total, scored as one time from start to finish. Lower is better, and it is used to measure aerobic conditioning and your ability to keep working as fatigue builds.

Bronco Test quick facts

Key facts about the Bronco Test
Item	Bronco Test
Shuttle distances	20 m, 40 m, 60 m
Sets	5, back to back
Distance per set	240 m
Total distance	1,200 m (1.2 km)
Rest	None
Equipment	Cones plus a stopwatch or timing gates
Score	Total time in minutes and seconds
Main purpose	Aerobic conditioning and endurance assessment

Safety first, please read

The Bronco is a maximal effort test. Never run one alone. Warm up thoroughly, stay hydrated, and stop immediately if you feel dizzy, nauseous, get chest pain or unusual shortness of breath. If you have a heart condition, asthma, are recovering from injury or are under 16, speak to a coach, parent or doctor first.

What is the Bronco Test?

The Bronco is a continuous shuttle running test that came out of rugby union and has since been picked up across football, GAA and other running sports. You cover a fixed 1,200 m of out and back shuttles as fast as you can, with no scheduled recovery at any point, and the only result is the clock.

Because the distance is fixed and the equipment is four cones and a stopwatch, it is easy to repeat. That repeatability is the real value: the same player, the same course, a few weeks apart, gives an honest read on whether conditioning work is landing.

How the Bronco Test works

The protocol

Cones at 0 m, 20 m, 40 m and 60 m. From the start line:

Run to the 20 m cone and back.
Straight into 40 m out and back.
Straight into 60 m out and back.
That is one set. Repeat 5 times without stopping.

The clock stops when you cross the start line after the fifth 60 m return.

Why footballers use fitness tests

A repeatable test gives a coach a number they can track through pre-season and compare against the same player later in the year, rather than relying on how someone looks in training.

It is one small input alongside match performance, technical work and long term player development. No fitness score decides how good a footballer is.

Bronco Test distances and total distance

Every shuttle is run out and back, so the distance you actually cover is double the cone distance:

Shuttle	Cone distance	Distance covered
First	20 m	40 m
Second	40 m	80 m
Third	60 m	120 m
One set	—	240 m
Five sets	—	1,200 m

So the answer to "how far do you run in a Bronco" is 1,200 m, or 1.2 km, plus the ten direction changes per set that make it far harder than a flat 1,200 m run.

How to set up a Bronco Test

START → 20m → 40m → 60m

One set = 20 m + 40 m + 60 m out and back (240 m). Complete 5 sets back to back with no rest. Total distance 1,200 m.

Step by step

Find a flat, non slip surface at least 65 m long. A grass pitch or 3G is ideal.
Place four cones in one straight line at 0 m (the start), 20 m, 40 m and 60 m.
Warm up for at least 10 minutes: jogging, dynamic stretches and three or four progressive runs.
Have a partner with a stopwatch. They start the clock on your first movement.
Run 20 out, 20 back, 40 out, 40 back, 60 out, 60 back. That is one set.
Complete 5 sets back to back with no rest. Stopping before the end voids the test.
The clock stops the instant you cross the start line after the fifth 60 m return. Cool down for around 10 minutes.

Turns matter. Your foot must touch or cross the line at every cone. Cutting turns short makes the score meaningless, so have someone watching the far cones if you can.

What does the Bronco Test measure?

The Bronco is primarily a test of aerobic conditioning over a sustained maximal effort of several minutes. Because there is no recovery and ten direction changes per set, it also loads your ability to decelerate, turn and reaccelerate repeatedly while tired, and to hold pace as discomfort builds.

What it does not measure: top speed, strength, technical ability, decision making or anything about how you read a game. Treat it as one narrow snapshot of physical condition.

What is a good Bronco Test time?

There is no reliable universal standard for footballers, and anyone presenting a neat table of elite, good and poor times is usually guessing. Results shift significantly with:

age and stage of physical maturity
sex
playing level and position demands
training age and where you are in the season
surface, footwear, weather and how tired you already were
timing method and how strictly turns are judged

Published Bronco figures mostly come from professional rugby squads, where reported times commonly sit in the region of four and a half to five and a half minutes. Those are rugby numbers under rugby testing conditions and should not be treated as a football benchmark or a target for a youth player.

The benchmark that actually helps you

Your own last score, on the same course, timed the same way, at a similar point in the week. A player who moves from 6:20 to 6:02 over a block of conditioning has real evidence of progress. Comparing yourself to a stranger's number on the internet tells you almost nothing.

For young players especially: a single fitness test result does not determine football ability, potential or whether a scout will be interested. Coaches look at the whole player.

How to improve your Bronco Test time

Build the aerobic base

Steady continuous running and easy tempo work across the week give you the engine the test draws on. Without it, everything else fades in the last two sets.

Interval running

Repeated efforts in the one to four minute range with controlled recoveries train you to hold a hard pace while uncomfortable, which is exactly the demand of the Bronco.

Change of direction efficiency

Fifty turns across the full test. Practising braking, planting and driving out low costs you far less energy than turning tall and wide, and it is often the quickest gain available.

Pacing strategy

Most people lose time by attacking set one. A more even effort, with the intent to run the last set at least as hard as the first, usually produces a better overall clock.

Recovery

Sleep, food and easy days let the work register. Testing or training hard on top of accumulated fatigue tends to produce worse numbers, not better ones.

Consistency

Conditioning responds to repeated weeks, not single sessions. Retest occasionally rather than constantly, and keep every other variable the same when you do.

This is general training guidance, not medical or individual coaching advice, and no plan can promise a specific improvement in a set time. Build up gradually and work with your coach.

Common Bronco Test mistakes

Sprinting the first set. It feels easy, then the last two sets fall apart.
Short turns. Not touching the line invalidates the score and flatters the time.
Turning tall. Standing up through the turn wastes energy on every one of them.
Skipping the warm up. Going into a maximal test cold raises injury risk and slows the opening set.
Testing while fatigued. The day after a match or a heavy session will not give a usable number.
Changing the setup. Different surface, footwear or timer means the comparison with your last score is worthless.

Bronco vs Beep Test vs Yo-Yo Test

	Bronco	Beep Test	Yo-Yo (IR)
Format	20/40/60 m shuttles, 5 sets	20 m shuttles to a beep	2 x 20 m shuttles to a beep
Recovery	None	None	10 second walk between shuttles
Distance	Fixed at 1,200 m	Open ended	Open ended
Ends when	You finish the distance	You can no longer keep the pace	You can no longer keep the pace
Score	Total time	Level and shuttle reached	Distance covered
Kit needed	Cones and a stopwatch	Audio track and cones	Audio track and cones

The Yo-Yo is closer to the stop start rhythm of a match, which is why academies and pro clubs lean on it. The Bronco is simpler to run and gives one clean time to track. Read our Yo-Yo and Beep Test guide for the full protocols.

Safety checklist

Never test alone. Have a coach, parent or partner present.

Warm up for at least 10 minutes with dynamic stretches and progressive runs.

Drink water before and after, not during the test.

Wear proper football boots or running trainers on a non slip surface.

Stop straight away if you feel chest pain, dizziness or unusual breathlessness.

Do not test the day after a match or a hard session.

Under 16s should only test under qualified coach supervision.

Speak to a doctor first if you have asthma, a heart condition or a recent injury.

Parents supporting a young player through testing and trials may find our parents guide useful, and players preparing for a trial can read how to get football trials.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Bronco Test?

The Bronco is a continuous shuttle running test made up of 5 sets of 20 m, 40 m and 60 m out and back shuttles run with no rest. Total distance is 1,200 m and your score is the total time taken.

How far do you run in a Bronco Test?

One set is 240 m (20 m out and back, 40 m out and back, 60 m out and back). Five sets gives a total of 1,200 m, or 1.2 km.

How long is a Bronco Test?

The distance is fixed at 1,200 m. The time depends entirely on the runner, so the test usually lasts somewhere between four and seven minutes of continuous maximal running.

What is a good Bronco Test time?

There is no single universal standard. Times vary widely with age, sex, playing level, training history, surface and exactly how the test is timed. The most useful benchmark is your own previous score on the same course, retested under the same conditions.

What equipment do you need for the Bronco Test?

Four cones placed at 0 m, 20 m, 40 m and 60 m on a flat non slip surface, a stopwatch or timing gate, and someone to time you and check your turns.

How is the Bronco Test different from the Yo-Yo Test?

The Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery test uses repeated 2 x 20 m shuttles with a short walking recovery and pace set by beeps, and it ends when you can no longer keep up. The Bronco is continuous with no recovery and no beeps, and is scored by the total time for a fixed 1,200 m.

Is the Bronco Test safe for young footballers?

It is a maximal effort test, so it should only be attempted with a coach or parent supervising, after a full warm up. Stop immediately if you feel dizzy, sick or short of breath in an unusual way, and speak to a doctor first if you have asthma, a heart condition or are returning from injury.

If you record fitness test results, you can keep them alongside your position, stats and highlights on a football CV so coaches see the whole picture rather than a single number.