Effect of Rest Period Duration between Sets of Repeated Sprint Skating Ability Test on the Skating Ability of Ice Hockey Players.

Jakub Baron,Arkadiusz Stanula,Karel Svatora,Grzegorz Klich,Subir Gupta,Anna Bieniec,Tomasz Gabrys,Andrzej Szymon Swinarew

doi:10.3390/ijerph182010591

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of two different rest periods, 2 min and 3 min, between consecutive sets of a repeated sprint skating ability (RSSA) test, on the skating ability of ice hockey players. Two RSSA tests, RSSA-2 and RSSA-3, were assessed on 24 ice hockey players. In RSSA-2, six sets of 3 × 80 m sprint skating, with 2 min passive recovery between two consecutive sets was allowed. In RSSA-3, the recovery period between the sets was 3 min. Average speed, average heart rate (HRaver), peak heart rate (HRpeak), blood lactate concentration ([BLa]), and rate of perceived exertion (RPE) were measured in both RSSA-2 and RSSA-3 tests. In all the sets, except set 1, the average speed of the subjects was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in RSSA-3 than the respective set in RSSA-2. Average HR and RPE were higher in RSSA-2 than RSSA-3 in most of the sets. For any given set, no difference in HRpeak was noted between RSSA-2 and RSSA-3. Post-sprint (Set 6) [BLa] was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in RSSA-3 than RSSA-2. This study concludes that the 3 min rest period is more beneficial than the 2 min rest period, for (1) increasing skating speed and (2) reducing overall cardiac workload and perceived fatigue.

Highlights

Ice hockey is a high-intensity intermittent team game, characterized by rapid changes in skating speed and direction, and frequent high-impact body contact
The actual time of play of ice hockey is 60 minutes, which is divided in three 20 minute periods
The VO2max and HRmax were determined by Skating multistage aerobic test (SMAT)

Summary

Introduction

Ice hockey is a high-intensity intermittent team game, characterized by rapid changes in skating speed and direction, and frequent high-impact body contact. The actual time of play of ice hockey is 60 minutes, which is divided in three 20 minute periods. Total time of match play often extends over 3 hours, including two rest intervals [1,2]. Ice hockey players are substituted frequently to keep the speed of the game very fast [3]. The effective or actual time an ice hockey player plays averages 15 to 24 min, which is much shorter than players of most other team sports [3]. Players in a typical ice hockey match alternate at nearly regular intervals, called a “shift”. The duration of each shift usually varies from 30 to 80 s (average 45 s) with 2 to 5 min of rest between shifts [3]

Objectives

Discussion

Conclusion