Influence of Plyometric Training on the Level of Speed Ability with Changes of Direction in Ice Hockey

Abstract

AIM: Speed skills are among the decisive factors in sports performance in ice hockey. Therefore, it is necessary to examine them in all age categories. Our goal was to determine the effect of plyometric exercises on the level of running and skating speed at 40 m with changes of direction in young hockey players aged 14-15 years.METHODS: The research group consisted of 33 ice hockey players (Male; age: 14.7 ± 0.7; height: 166.5cm ± 7.3; weight: 53.4kg ± 6.9) divided into two sets. HC 05 Banská Bystrica players formed an experimental group (n = 18), MHC Martin players formed a control group (n = 15). During 8 weeks, the players completed training units of general preparation and training units on ice, in the experimental set was added an experimental factor of plyometric exercises carried out according to the training protocol. Speed diagnostics consisted of the following two tests: running at 40 m with changes of direction and skating forward at 40 m with changes of direction.RESULTS: Between the results of the tests in running speed and skating speed, significant differences were found both in the pretest and in the posttest between the experimental (EXP) and the control (KO) set in favor of the EXP set. Thus, the EXP set did not show the effect of plyometric exercises on improving the level of running speed and only a small effect on improving the level of skating speed.CONCLUSION: The results of the quasi-experiment showed that the influence of plyometric exercises on the improvement of the level of running and skating speed of the players of the experimental group was not proven. In further research, it will be necessary to modify the training protocol and verify its application to comparable files.