The contribution of skate blade properties to skating speed

摘要

The purpose of the study was to investigate the relative contribution of skate bladeproperties to on-ice skating speed. Thirty-two male ice hockey players (mean age =19±2.65 yrs.) representing the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA; Midget AAAand Junior), Canadian Inter University Sport (CIS: Varsity), Ontario hockey league(OHL) and East Coast Hockey League (ECHL), and the playing positions of forwards(n=18) and defense (n=14) were recruited to participate. Skate related equipment worn bythe players for the purpose of the research was documented and revealed that 80% of theplayers wore Bauer skates, Tuuk blade holders and LS2 skate blades. Subjects completeda battery of eight on-ice skating drills used to measure and compare two aspects ofskating speed; acceleration [T1(s)] and total time to complete each drill [TT(s)] whileskating on three skate blade conditions. The drills represented skills used in the game ofhockey, both in isolation (e.g., forward skating, backward skating, stops and starts, andcornering) and in sequence to simulate the combination of skills used in a shift of gameplay. The three blade conditions consisted of (i) baseline, represented by the blades wornby the player throughout their current season of play; (ii) experimental blades (EB),represented by brand name experimental blades with manufacturers radius of contour anda standardized radius of hollow; and (iii) customized experimental blades (CEB),represented by the same brand name experimental blades sharpened to the players’preference as identified in the baseline condition. No significant differences were foundin acceleration time [T1(s)] or total time to complete [TT(s)] the isolated drills acrossblade conditions; however significant differences were revealed in both T1(s) and TT(s)measured during the execution of the sequenced drill across blade conditions. AiiiBonferroni post hoc test revealed that players skated significantly faster when skating onthe CEB condition compared to the baseline condition (p≤.05). A questionnaire assessingsubjects perceived comfort, confidence and effort expended while skating on theexperimental blades revealed that players were significantly more comfortable whenskating on the CEB versus the EB condition (p≤.05). Outcomes of the study provideevidence to suggest that the experimental skate blades customized with the playerspreferred blade sharpening characteristics results in faster skating speed in a combinationdrill representing skills performed in gameplay.