Off-ice fitness of elite female ice hockey players by team success, age, and player position.

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.

Descriptive characteristics of NCAA Division I women lacrosse players.

The purpose of this investigation was to describe anthropometric and physical performance characteristics of Division I college female lacrosse players. An additional aim of the study was to examine positional differences in this sample of athletes. Eighty-four university lacrosse players (age=19.8+/-1.1 years; height=168.3+/-5.9 cm; body mass=64.7+/-6.9 kg) volunteered to participate and were evaluated at the end of their off-season. Test items included standing height, body mass, linear sprint speed (9.14-36.58 m), agility (pro-agility and Illinois), countermovement jump height and the 20 Meter Shuttle Run Test (MSRT). Standing height was different between positions, pairwise comparisons indicating that attackers were taller than defenders (p=0.029). No other dependent variable differed between positions. Homogeneity between positions for women's lacrosse players indicates that the tests used do not have a high discriminatory value or could reflect the lack of development of positional specificity due to relatively minimal playing experience by participants. Although positional distinctions were not observed in this study, quartiles and ranges provide evidence that performance in female lacrosse players varies markedly.

Positional performance profiling of elite ice hockey players.

PURPOSE: The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether positional profiling is possible for elite ice hockey players by examining anthropometric characteristics and physiological performance. In addition, performance ranges and percentiles were determined for each position (forwards, defensemen, and goalkeepers) on all dependent variables. METHODS: A retrospective, cross-sectional study design was used with performance data from ice hockey players (mean age = 18.0 +/- 0.6 years) attending the 2001 (n = 74), 2002 (n = 84), and 2003 (n = 92) Combines. Four anthropometric characteristics and 12 performance tests were the dependent variables. A 3 x 3 (position x year) 2-way ANOVA was used to determine whether any significant interactions were present. No significant interactions were observed, so the data were collapsed over the 3-year period and positional characteristics were analyzed using a 1-way ANOVA. RESULTS: Defenders were heavier and/or taller compared with the other 2 positions (P

Off-ice performance and draft status of elite ice hockey players.

PURPOSE: The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether tests performed at the National Hockey League (NHL) Combine could distinguish draft status (ie, the round selected). A secondary aim was to provide performance ranges and percentiles for each of the dependent variables. METHODS: A retrospective, cross-sectional study design was used with performance data and draft order from 2001, 2002, and 2003 Combine participants. Draft round was divided into 5 classifications (rounds 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 through 9), and performances on 12 physical tests served as dependent variables. Three multiple analyses of covariance (MANCOVAs) were used to determine the significance of performance scores at the NHL Combine on draft selection. Age (years), body mass (kg), height (cm), and percentage body fat were treated as covariates. RESULTS: Overall, MANCOVA results indicated no significant effect of performance on draft selection for 2001, 2002, or 2003. Subsequent univariate tests revealed that no single dependent variable was able to distinguish between draft rounds for any of the 3 years sampled. CONCLUSIONS: Using draft status as an indicator of ice hockey performance, it appears that off-ice tests cannot accurately predict ice hockey playing ability in an elite group of athletes. This might stem from homogeneity of the Combine participants, a lack of validity of the tests, or other factors (eg, on-ice hockey skills, psychological variables, etc) that play a role in draft selection.