Force-velocity profiling in ice hockey skating: reliability and validity of a simple, low-cost field method

ABSTRACT

In recent years, a simple method for force–velocity (F-v) profiling, based on split times, has emerged as a potential tool to examine mechanical variables underlying running sprint performance in field conditions. In this study, the reliability and concurrent validity of F-v profiling based on split times were examined when used for ice hockey skating. It was also tested how a modification of the method, in which the start instant of the sprint is estimated based on optimisation (time shift method), affects the reliability and validity of the method. Both intra- and inter-rater reliability were markedly improved when using the time shift method (approximately 50% decrease in the standard error of measurement). Moreover, the results calculated using the time shift method highly correlated (r > 0.83 for all variables) with the results calculated from a continuously tracked movement of the athlete, which was considered here as the reference method. This study shows that a modification to the previously published simple method for F-v profiling improves intra- and inter-rater reliability of the method in ice hockey skating. The time shift method tested here can be used as a reliable tool to test a player’s physical performance characteristic underlying sprint performance in ice hockey skating.

KEYWORDS:

• Power
• acceleration
• speed
• sprint
• measurement error

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Mr. Sami Kaartinen for his help with the measurements and participant recruitment. The authors acknowledge Professor Jean-Benoît Morin and Associate Professor Pierre Samozino for their helpful comments during the preparation of the current study and for developing the spreadsheet that was used for data analysis and provided a template for the modified version incorporating the time shift.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed here.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the European Union (European Regional Development Fund) and the University of Eastern Finland under the project: Human measurement and analysis research and innovation laboratories (HUMEA, project identifiers: A73200 and A73241).