Analysis of motor response to a hockey puck in virtual reality

Aim: the purpose of this paper was to compare motor responses to different hockey pucks in virtual reality in highly- and low-skilled ice hockey players. Materials and methods. A virtual environment was developed that simulates an ice hockey rink and 3 shots of different complexity (depending on the distance and speed of the puck). The study involved 12 male athletes (mean age = 21 years), including 7 ice hockey players, whose mean athletic experience was 14.25 years (ranks from 3rd junior to 1st adult). Motion analysis was performed with the SteamVR Tracking 2.0 system. Motor response was evaluated by a set of parameters, including maintaining the main stance, the motor response to the puck, the movements of the stick, and the response to warning signals. Motor activity was evaluated as the standard deviation of the change in angles in each of the joints (left and right knee, left and right hip, head). Results. The study showed that highly- and low-skilled ice hockey players differed significantly in the standard deviations of the change in angles in each of the joints and in the characteristics of the motor response to the puck. Conclusion. The results of the qualitative analysis allow us to conclude the following: highly-skilled ice hockey players, while maintaining a stance, have large amplitudes of vertical oscillations; highly-skilled ice hockey players maintain their stance while turning the shots aside; low-skilled athletes make more movements, often unnecessary. In fact, professional players are distinguished by significantly less physical activity and the absence of unnecessary movements that do not affect striking performance. Therefore, the higher the skill level of a hockey player, the more optimized will be the motor response to the puck.