THE ICE HOCKEY SLAP SHOT, ELITE VERSUS RECREATIONAL

Abstract

Stationary ice hockey slap shots performed by five elite and five recreational players were compared. Each hockey player performed 5 shots. Three-dimensional kinematics of the stick and upper body were recorded using an electromagnetic tracking device, the Ultratrak®, (Polhemus Inc., Burlington, VT, USA). Joint centers were calculated using the sphere fitting method. Elite players shot significantly faster than recreational players (29.14 ± 1.39 m/s and 26.46 ± 0.66 m/s). Velocity due to translation movement was greater for recreational players compared to novice players (13.14 m/s and 908 m/s). Investigation in maximal angular velocities of the body movement sequences indicated that elite players' maximal velocities moved from the core to the extremities where as recreational players exhibited no such pattern. The results of this study suggested that there are differences in technique when performing the stationary slap shot which may contribute to the increased performance of the ice hockey slap shot.