DEVELOPMENT OF A SKILLS OBSERVATION PROTOCOL FOR SLEDGE ICE HOCKEY - PILOT STUDY

摘要

Over the past few years opportunities have been increasing for individuals with physical disabilities to become involved in physical activities; hence there is a recognition of the importance of mastering sport skills before participation. Currently there is little research that has been performed on the increasingly popular sport of sledge hockey. A major component of performance is skill analysis. Having recognised its importance and the current unavailability of relevant research in the area, this study used video recordings of the Torino 2006 Paralympic sledge ice hockey tournament to provide a setting in which to produce a skill observation protocol with detailed criteria of what constitutes a mature professional sledge ice hockey skill. Experts in the field were consulted and their feedback enabled the construction of the instrument. Once this protocol was complete a pilot evaluation was done in which players were selected on the basis of statistics from the Paralympics and then evaluated using the protocol. It was determined that the protocol could successfully differentiate between higher and lower level players.