BACKGROUND: Postural control is required during various fast-paced and offensive ice hockey actions, and therefore seems to be an important component in ice hockey performance. METHODS: Data were collected from two ice hockey teams with differing performance levels. The higher-performance team consisted of 26 players (with ages of 16.3±0.9 y, heights of 178.26±6.71 cm, and weights of 74.3±9.6 kg). The lower-performance team consisted of 19 players (with ages of 16.2±1.8 y, heights of 176.11±9.81 cm, and weights of 68.7±13.9 kg). Each participant performed six unilateral stances under static conditions on a balance pad placed on a force platform and five bilateral stances under dynamic conditions using a wobble board placed on the force platform. RESULTS: The higher-level players performed better in the unilateral static stance task in both the anterior-posterior direction and the medial-lateral direction (with a P value of P<0.001), and total velocity (P=0.001). The higher-level players also performed better in both the anterior-posterior and medial-lateral directions, and total velocity (with P value of P<0.001), in the bilateral dynamic stance task and therefore performed significantly better than the lower-level players. CONCLUSIONS: Hockey players who possess a highly developed postural control strategy have a superior ability to compensate for unexpected postural disturbances and collisions, and thus possess a strong competitive advantage. Therefore, testing the balance abilities of hockey players under static and dynamic conditions may be useful for evaluating their competitive performance levels.
Agility, one of the components that affect performance, is beneficial in invasion sports, such as ice hockey. This study aimed to assess the relationship between agility and pubescence in adolescent male ice hockey players. Agility and anthropometric and somatic data were evaluated in 60 male participants (age, 12.98 ± 1.44 years). Participants were divided into 5 groups according to age from 11 to 15 years (11y to 15y). Anthropometric and somatic variables were observed using a bioelectrical impedance device. Agility performance level was evaluated by T-Test and Edgren Side Step Test (EDGREN). Significance level was set at p ≤ 0.05. One-way analysis of variance was used to investigate mean differences. A significant effect of age was found for height, body weight, and skeletal muscle mass percentage. Tukey’s (HSD) post hoc test revealed significant differences in height and body weight between all age groups. The T-Test revealed significant differences between all groups, except between groups 11y and 12y, 12y and 13y, and 14y and 15y. EDGREN showed differences only between groups 11y and 13y and 11y and 15y. Significant Pearson correlations were found between all monitored variables and both agility tasks. Agility improves with age in adolescent male ice hockey players. EDGREN is suitable for testing agility skills in children from the end of middle childhood to early adolescence because it is less influenced by anthropometric and somatic variables. The T-Test should be used in testing agility in late adolescent and adult athletes when maturation is completed.
