The effect of eccentric hamstring strength on the change of direction speed of professional ice hockey players

Introduction: Ice hockey is a sport that requires high acceleration of players for optimal performance. The speed of athletes is influenced by several factors. The aim of this research was to determine the effect of the eccentric hamstring strength of ice hockey players on speed with directional changes. Methods: The sample consisted of 15 members of the Slovak national ice hockey team; the average age was 27, the average height was 186.46 cm (SD +/- 5.04), and the average body weight was 90.87 kg (SD +/- 5.91). The players completed a NordBord Nordic Hamstring Test to determine the eccentric force of their hamstrings. We used the 5-10-5 test to determine their speed with directional changes. Results: We measured a small correlation (.129, p > .05) between the eccentric muscle strength of hamstrings and the speed with directional changes in the 5-10-5 test. The average ice hockey player's hamstring strength was 456.13 N (SD +/- 51.28) and the average time achieved in the 5-10-5 test was 4.984s (SD +/- 0.15). We also found a small correlation between right hamstring force and the right side of the 5-10-5 test (r = .228, p > .05), and there was no correlation between left hamstring force and the left side of the 5-10-5 test (r = -.004, p > .05). Conclusion: According to our study, hamstring eccentric strength does not correlate with speed directional changes. However, more intervention studies are needed.