A three dimensional comparison of elite and recreational ice hockey slap shots /

The purpose of this thesis was to examine the three dimensional kinematic differences between elite and recreational ice hockey players while performing a stationary slap shot. Ten subjects, five elite-level players and five recreational players, each performed five stationary ice hockey slap shots. Data were collected using the UltratrakRTM electromagnetic system (Polhemus Inc., Burlington, VT, USA) at 60 Hz. Kinematics of the torso, arms and hockey stick were examined using a multiple analysis of variance (MANOVA). The results indicated that: (1) the elite subjects shot significantly (p < 0.05) faster due to the translational movement aspect of the stick; (2) the proximal to distal kinematic chain sequence of the elite subjects was better than the recreational subjects; and (3) the elite subjects showed less variability in stick movement within groups, than the recreational subjects. Further studies are needed to address kinematics of the lower limbs and of different ice hockey stick skills