Relationship Between Skating Economy and Performance During a Repeated-Shift Test in Elite and Subelite Ice Hockey Players

Abstract

Lamoureux, NR, Tomkinson, GR, Peterson, BJ, and Fitzgerald, JS. Relationship between skating economy and performance during a repeated-shift test in elite and subelite ice hockey players. J Strength Cond Res 32(4): 1109-1113, 2018-The purpose of this study was to determine the importance of skating economy to fatigue during repeated high-intensity efforts of a simulated ice hockey shift. Forty-five collegiate and Junior A male ice hockey players (aged 18-24 years) performed a continuous graded exercise test using a skate treadmill. Breath-by-breath data for oxygen consumption (V[Combining Dot Above]O2) and respiratory exchange ratio were collected and used to derive energy expenditure (EE) averaged over the final 10 seconds of each stage. Economy was determined as the slope of the regression line relating V[Combining Dot Above]O2 and EE against skating speed separately. Participants also completed 8 bouts of maximal ice skating through a course designed to simulate typical shift, with timing gates determining first half, second half, and total fatigue decrement, calculated by a percent decrement score. Partial correlation was used to determine the association between economy measures and decrement during the repeated-shift test. Twenty-six participants met inclusion criteria and were included in data analysis. Skating economy measures (both relative V[Combining Dot Above]O2 and EE) were very likely moderate positive correlates of total fatigue decrement (r [95% confidence interval]: V[Combining Dot Above]O2, 0.46 [0.09, 0.72] and EE, 0.44, [0.06, 0.71]) but not with first or second gate decrement. Our results indicate that skating economy plays an important role in fatigue resistance over repeated on-ice sprints designed to simulate a typical shift. This supports the use of technical skating coaching and training techniques to enhance skating economy as a means of improving ice hockey performance.

On-Ice and Off-Ice Fitness Profiles of Elite and U20 Male Ice Hockey Players of Two Different National Standards

“…Thus, as endurance capacity measured by the application of a specific on-ice test in the present study differed markedly, this suggests that aerobic fitness components are indeed important, even in elite players. The discrepancy in the literature may relate to the differences between specific on-ice testing and laboratory-based assessments with regards to oxygen uptake kinetics during intermittent skating, specific biomechanical requirements, muscle fiber recruitment patterns and movement efficiency (18,24,27). The suggested importance of a high aerobic capacity may be related to a faster recovery during and between shifts by a rapid resynthesis of phosphocreatine, a muscle glycogen sparing effect induced by a lower anaerobic contribution to the energy yield and an increased fat oxidation during the game (1,2,(9)(10)(11).…”

Reference Data by Player Position for an Ice Hockey-Specific Complex Test

“…This discussion must be preceded by the fact that there is no reference data for evaluated (validity and reliability) ice hockey-specific complex tests. Numerous ice hockeyrelated studies have investigated isolated performance test parameters based on playing position [4,9,11,12,16,[24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31]. However, these studies' comparability is limited due to differences in test designs (e.g., sample size, age, gender, performance level, on-ice vs. off-ice tests, match performance vs. test performance).…”

Ice Hockey-Specific Repeated Shuttle Sprint Test Performed on Ice Should Not Be Replaced by Off-Ice Testing

“…The different levels of skating economy (17), different active muscle groups while skating compared with other modes of exercise (12) and sport-specific skeletal muscle adaptations (10) are potential factors leading to different results in on-ice and off-ice testing. Thus, it is not surprising that V̇ o 2 max values determined by treadmill running differed significantly from treadmill skating (16), nor that V̇ o 2 max values determined by a graded exercise test on-ice differed significantly from the ones determined by a graded exercise test on a cycle ergometer (12).…”

“…In contrast to the effect of the ice hockey equipment, which is basically the same for all players and may thus be a variable less important to consider in this context, the influence of different levels of technical skills on performance test results is likely to vary significantly between players. Indeed skating economy has been shown to be a moderate correlate of fatigue during a repeated-shift performance test (17).…”