“Today we are going to do the beep test.” Those dreaded words from your high school P.E teacher were enough to send you running in the complete opposite direction. But despite the extreme apprehensiveness, most of us have at some stage completed the beep test. While it wasn’t enjoyable, our result didn’t dictate how we would spend the next few years of our life.

Take a moment to think of all the aspiring sports players or those who dream of finding a job in the defence force. For these people, the beep test isn’t simply an inconvenient task; it’s a requirement that they have to pass in order to get a job, just as important as an interview itself.

Two weeks ago the AFL NAB Draft Camp was held. Despite the fact these boys are some of the fittest in the country, for many of the youngsters, their beep test result will determine whether they find a club during the November draft period.

Everyone knows the beep test is physically demanding, but what is perhaps less understood is the mental strength required to master it. Research tells us that you have to be mentally fit before it shows in your physical performance. Results from the Draft Camp shows us that this is actually quite true.

Take Dandenong Stingray’s midfielder Billy Hartung for example. Hartung made it to level 16.06, ten levels above the second ranked player, Jake Barrett. In fact, Hartung achieved the highest result of any participant in Draft Camp history. However, eight of the top ten performers in the beep test also made the top ten in the three kilometre time trial. Hartung and Barrett did not.          

While it must be recognised that the two tests do not seek to measure exactly the same fitness components, however generally there is a strong correlation between the two.

The beep test is demanding. Yes, it is considered a maximum effort test but just as crucially, the mundane, repetitive nature can wreck havoc on a participant’s mentality. This is perhaps the exact reason why Hartung scored so far above everyone else – maybe he was simply just mentally stronger

A vital psychological aspect of the beep test is concentration. In any circumstance, running up and down a 20-metre stretch has a tendency to become tedious after a very short period of time. And when that’s coupled with a monotonous voice and the same droning ‘beep’ sound every few seconds, it’s enough to drive one in to mind wandering oblivion. However, a lapse in concentration can mean leaving that line a few seconds after everyone else, which may ultimately lead you to your demise and the shameful walk to the sidelines, levels before anyone else. While it can be difficult to maintain the sustained level of concentration needed for such a mundane exercise, there are many ways in which it can be achieved.

For an exercise such as the beep test, the best type of attention focus is an internal narrow focus, where the individual is focusing on how they feel and on one stimulus only – that dreaded beeping sound.

While a focus on more than one stimulus and other people is more suited to a game day scenario, the beep test requires sustained concentration rather than small bursts of concentration. Although distractions such as fatigue and competitors are inevitable in this type of situation, individuals need to tune out of their environment and instead zone their attentions in to the task at hand.

As mentioned before, the beep test is physically challenging and to achieve results one must push their body to maximal exertion. Therefore, an individual requires a high level of tenacity to reach their absolute limit. Goal setting throughout the test can motivate the individual to continually strive for the next level. Saying to yourself “I will get to level 12”, for example, can prompt determination and provide a sense of purpose as you are running up and down the court. Reaching that particular goal is then accompanied by a feeling of success, internally encouraging the individual to strive for that next stage.

Furthermore, achieving these short-term goals essentially promotes a positive state of mind. An optimistic mentality is detrimental to succeeding in the beep test as the burden of the outcome lies purely with the participating individual. While AFL players are perhaps more committed to achieving a high result than your average person, it is quite easy to say, “I’ll just do well in the next test”. It could be suggested that in the case of Hartung and Barrett, their mental strength provided them with an advantage over their rivals. Although Hartung is obviously extremely fit – he wouldn’t have been at draft camp if he wasn’t – comparisons suggest that perhaps his strengths more so lay in his drive to succeed.

While the beep test certainly isn’t enjoyable for most of us, it is something that doesn’t have to be dreaded. Individuals can control their mental abilities so that their physical fitness – or lack of – doesn’t have such a negative effect on their end result. As can evidently be demonstrated, in a task like the beep test, one’s mentality can ultimately determine the likelihood of a successful outcome.

5 tips for beating the beep test: 

1. Make the beep your friend instead of your enemy. Tune in to the sound and remember that every beep is giving you an opportunity to push yourself harder.
2. Focus on your breathing instead of the pain – breathing in a consistent pattern not only regulates the amount of air you are taking in with each breath but can also serve as a distractor from physical pain.
3. Set achievable goals along the way. Achieving even an easy goal instigates a positive state of mind that will in turn encourage you to keep going.
4. At every turn imagine yourself getting to the next line before the sound of the beep. This mental imagery technique enhances confidence and determination.
5. Rehearse – this doesn’t mean you have to get out and train for the beep test but rather participate in tasks that replicate the mental strategies needed for the beep test. Repetitive tasks that are mundane in nature allow you to practice focusing and maintaining awareness over a long period of time.

Top 10 beep test results in AFL history: