The influence of shaft stiffness on potential energy and puck speed during wrist and slap shots in ice hockey |
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| Authors: | J T Worobets J C Fairbairn D J Stefanyshyn |
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| Institution: | (1) Human Performance Laboratory, The University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, T2N 1N4 Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
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| Abstract: | The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between hockey stick shaft stiffness and puck speed with mechanical
energy considerations during stationary wrist and slap shots. Thirty left-handed pro-model composite hockey sticks, submitted
by eleven hockey stick manufacturers, were subjected to a mechanical cantilever bend test to determine the shaft stiffness
of each stick. Eight sticks representing the entire spectrum of stiffnesses were then used by five elite male hockey players
to perform stationary wrist and slap shots in a laboratory setting. Eight infra-red high-speed digital video cameras were
used to capture shaft deformation and puck speed. A second mechanical test then replicated the loading patterns applied to
each stick during shooting. Force-deformation data from this test were used to determine the shaft stiffness and potential
energy storage and return associated with each stick during shooting. The results of this study suggest that shaft stiffness
has an influence on puck speed in wrist but not slap shots. During a wrist shot, a given player should realise higher puck
speeds with a stick in which they store increased elastic potential energy in the shaft. In general, flexible sticks were
found to store the most energy. However, how the athlete loads the stick has as much influence on puck speed as stick construction.
Energy considerations were unable to explain changes in puck speed for the slap shot. For this type of shot it is the athlete
and not the equipment influencing puck speed, but the governing mechanisms have yet to be elucidated. |
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| Keywords: | biomechanics energy hockey stiffness shooting stick |
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