TY - JOUR
T1 - Fitness Characteristics of Elite and Subelite Male Ice Hockey Players
T2 - A Cross-Sectional Study
AU - Vigh-Larsen, Jeppe F.
AU - Beck, Jonas H.
AU - Daasbjerg, Aleksander
AU - Knudsen, Christian B.
AU - Kvorning, Thue
AU - Overgaard, Kristian
AU - Andersen, Thomas B.
AU - Mohr, Magni
PY - 2019
Y1 - 2019
N2 - The purpose was to evaluate fitness profiles in elite (age 23.5 ± 4.4 years) and subelite (age 19.4 ± 3.1 years) male ice hockey players. Twenty teams from the best (n = 164) and second-best (n = 132) Danish ice hockey division were assessed in-season using a field-test battery consisting of off-ice measurements of countermovement jump (CMJ) performance and body composition, as well as performance tests on the ice. These included the submaximal and maximal Yo-Yo intermittent recovery ice hockey tests, level 1 (Yo-Yo IR1-IHSUB and Yo-Yo IR1-IHMAX), the 5-10-5 pro-agility test, and a straight-line sprint test. Elite players were heavier (85.7 ± 8.1 vs. 80.8 ± 10.0 kg, p ≤ 0.05) and had a higher skeletal muscle mass (41.9 ± 3.9 vs. 38.8 ± 4.7 kg, p ≤ 0.05) than subelite players. Moreover, elite players elicited a superior CMJ (50.1 ± 6.1 vs. 44.9 ± 5.4 cm, p ≤ 0.05), agility (4.76 ± 0.17 vs. 4.96 ± 0.22 seconds, p ≤ 0.05), and sprint (4.49 ± 0.16 vs. 4.71 ± 0.19 seconds, p ≤ 0.05) performance. Finally, elite players outperformed subelite players in Yo-Yo IR1-IHSUB (79.7 ± 6.8 vs. 88.0 ± 5.4% HRmax, p ≤ 0.05) and Yo-Yo IR1-IHMAX tests (2,434 ± 414 vs. 1,850 ± 499 m, p ≤ 0.05). Top elite teams performed. 1.1 and 7% better than bottom elite teams on the agility and CMJ test (p ≤ 0.05), whereas differences approached significance for sprint (p = 0.08) and Yo-Yo IR1-IHMAX (p = 0.08) performance in favor of top-tier teams. No differences were observed between forwards and defensemen. In conclusion, elite-level ice hockey requires a high level of fitness in terms of muscle mass and explosive strength, as well as a well-developed high-intensity intermittent exercise capacity. In addition, these demands seem to apply for both forwards and defensemen.
AB - The purpose was to evaluate fitness profiles in elite (age 23.5 ± 4.4 years) and subelite (age 19.4 ± 3.1 years) male ice hockey players. Twenty teams from the best (n = 164) and second-best (n = 132) Danish ice hockey division were assessed in-season using a field-test battery consisting of off-ice measurements of countermovement jump (CMJ) performance and body composition, as well as performance tests on the ice. These included the submaximal and maximal Yo-Yo intermittent recovery ice hockey tests, level 1 (Yo-Yo IR1-IHSUB and Yo-Yo IR1-IHMAX), the 5-10-5 pro-agility test, and a straight-line sprint test. Elite players were heavier (85.7 ± 8.1 vs. 80.8 ± 10.0 kg, p ≤ 0.05) and had a higher skeletal muscle mass (41.9 ± 3.9 vs. 38.8 ± 4.7 kg, p ≤ 0.05) than subelite players. Moreover, elite players elicited a superior CMJ (50.1 ± 6.1 vs. 44.9 ± 5.4 cm, p ≤ 0.05), agility (4.76 ± 0.17 vs. 4.96 ± 0.22 seconds, p ≤ 0.05), and sprint (4.49 ± 0.16 vs. 4.71 ± 0.19 seconds, p ≤ 0.05) performance. Finally, elite players outperformed subelite players in Yo-Yo IR1-IHSUB (79.7 ± 6.8 vs. 88.0 ± 5.4% HRmax, p ≤ 0.05) and Yo-Yo IR1-IHMAX tests (2,434 ± 414 vs. 1,850 ± 499 m, p ≤ 0.05). Top elite teams performed. 1.1 and 7% better than bottom elite teams on the agility and CMJ test (p ≤ 0.05), whereas differences approached significance for sprint (p = 0.08) and Yo-Yo IR1-IHMAX (p = 0.08) performance in favor of top-tier teams. No differences were observed between forwards and defensemen. In conclusion, elite-level ice hockey requires a high level of fitness in terms of muscle mass and explosive strength, as well as a well-developed high-intensity intermittent exercise capacity. In addition, these demands seem to apply for both forwards and defensemen.
KW - performance
KW - competitive
KW - testing
KW - intermittent exercise
KW - team sports
KW - ice hockey
KW - male
M3 - Article
SN - 1064-8011
VL - 33
SP - 2352
EP - 2360
JO - Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research
JF - Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research
IS - 9
ER -