Physical development of young hockey players

Aim. To reveal features of physical development in young hockey players. Materials andMethods. We conducted a prospective cross-sectional study. The overall sample included85 boys aged 7 to 12: boys of 7-8 (sport health-promoting group), 9-10-year-old hockey players, and 11-12-year-old hockey players. We assessed body length, body weight, and body mass index (BMI) in subjects. Results. Mean value and centile distribution of all indicators in the group of7-8-year-old boys were within regional age and gender normal range. In 9-10-year-old hockeyplayers, mean group values of body weight and BMI were higher than in peers or athletes engaged in other sports (p