Abstract
Appropriate performance tests are critical for documenting training, fatigue and injury-related changes. Functional performance testing can provide quantitative information on specialized sport movements. The single-leg, medial countermovement jump is an objective measure of frontal plane force, velocity and power, and is particularly applicable for ice hockey players given that ice skating involves applying lateral forces. This study assessed the short-term reliability (10 days) of the single-leg, medial countermovement jump performed by ten competitive male youth ice hockey players. Each participant performed three right and three left maximal single-leg, medial countermovement jumps from force plates. Measured variables included lateral and vertical takeoff velocity, lateral and vertical maximal force, maximal force above bodyweight, lateral and vertical peak concentric power, average concentric power, and average concentric power during the last 100 ms of push-off. Relative reliability was quantified by intraclass correlations. Absolute reliability and the smallest real difference were also calculated. The single-leg, medial countermovement jump had moderate-to-excellent test–retest reliability (ICC: 0.50–0.98) for all twelve variables of interest. These results suggest that the single-leg, medial countermovement jump is a reliable test for assessing frontal plane force, velocity and power in ice hockey players, and is a valid functional performance test for this population given the similarity to ice skating.
Highlights
One half of National Hockey League (NHL) players will experience an injury during the course of the season resulting in a loss of playing time
The primary purpose of this study was to determine the short-term reliability of the parameters involved in the single-leg, medial countermovement jump
We hypothesized that the single-leg, medial countermovement jump would be a reliable test in male youth hockey players
Summary
One half of National Hockey League (NHL) players will experience an injury during the course of the season resulting in a loss of playing time. The lower extremity was the most commonly injured area of the body, accounting for 30% of total annual lost salary [1]. The risk of injury is a concern at the youth level, where lower extremity injuries account for approximately 20–40% of all injuries [2,3,4]. Injury prevention programs must account for numerous physical qualities such as flexibility, power, strength and endurance in order to return players back to sport safely [5,6]. Functional performance tests have been used to assess physical qualities and determine rehabilitation timelines [7,8]. Biomechanical and reliability considerations need to be examined prior to choosing each test
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