Off-Ice Fitness of Elite Female Ice Hockey Players by Team Success, Age, and Player Position

Abstract

This study examined off-ice fitness profiles of 204 elite female ice hockey players from 13 countries who attended a high-performance camp organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) in Bratislava, Slovakia, in July of 2011. Athletes were tested using standardized protocols for vertical jump (centimeters), long jump (centimeters), 4-jump average (centimeters), elasticity ratio (4-vertical jump average/vertical jump), pull-up or inverted row (n), aerobic fitness (V[Combining Dot Above]O2max), body mass (kilograms), and body composition (% fat). These variables were examined relative to team success in major international hockey competition (group 1: Canada and USA, group 2: Sweden and Finland, group 3: All other participating countries), age group (Under 18 and Senior/Open Levels), and player position (forwards, defenders, and goalies). The athletes from countries with the best international records weighed more, yet had less body fat, had greater lower body muscular power and upper body strength, and higher aerobic capacity compared with their less successful counterparts. Compared with the younger athletes, athletes from the senior-level age group weighed more and had higher scores for lower body power, pull-ups, and aerobic capacity. There were no significant differences in anthropometric or fitness data based on player position. This study is the first to report the physical characteristics of a worldwide sample of elite female ice hockey players relative to team performance, age, and player position. Coaches should use these data to identify talent, test for strengths and weaknesses in conditioning programs, and design off-ice programs that will help athletes match the fitness profiles of the most successful teams in the world.

Laboratory- and field-based testing as predictors of skating performance in competitive-level female ice hockey

“…Performance in ice hockey is determined through an interaction of several factors, which poses challenges to capture all aspects that could potentially impact the ability to compete at a high level 2. The assessment of physical and physiological attributes is considered a valuable component for monitoring player development, talent identification, as well as prediction of specific performance variables, such as skating 3–5. So far, most research regarding physiological factors associated with skating performance are based on males 6.…”

“…So far, most research regarding physiological factors associated with skating performance are based on males 6. Research on female hockey, and particularly competitive-level female hockey, is somewhat limited 5. However, because of different biological, sociocultural, and financial preconditions, knowledge of male hockey cannot outright be applied on female hockey 7.…”

Self-esteem, anxiety and coping strategies to manage stress in ice hockey

“…Ice hockey is a team contact sport which puts high demands on physical, physiological, technical, tactical and mental skills of ice hockey players. There are many studies investigating physical profile of ice hockey players (Ransdell & Murray, 2013;Roczniok et al, 2016), physiological correlates of skating performance (Farlinger, Kruisselbrink, & Fowles, 2007;Gilenstam, Thorsen, & Henriksson-Larsén, 2011), prevalence of injuries (Emery et al, 2017;Tuominen, Stuart, Aubry, Kannus, & Parkkari, 2015), technical skills of ice hockey players (Janot, Beltz, & Dalleck, 2015) or tactics in ice hockey (Hristov, 2017). But there are few studies exploring the mental skills of ice hockey players which may increase sports performance in important moments of the match.…”

Body Composition of Women's Ice Hockey Players: Comparison of Estimates Using Skinfolds and iDXA

“…Estimates of body composition derived from SKF measurements have been deemed an acceptable alternative to lab methods (33). SKF thus provide a simple and practical, portable and inexpensive means of estimating body composition for many populations (12,14), including athletes in their competitive environment (7,18,29). While SKF measurements have numerous advantages, the accuracy of body composition estimates yielded depends on the skill and experience of the technician performing the measurements (1).…”