Validity and Reliability of a Radar Tracking Device in Ice Hockey Testing

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Biomechanics
• Performance Analysis

Background:

• Accurate measurement of athletic performance is crucial in sports science.
• Radar tracking devices (RTDs) offer a potential non-invasive method for assessing movement dynamics.
• Validation of RTDs against established methods is necessary for their practical application in ice hockey.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the reliability and validity of a specific RTD (Ledsreact) for assessing linear sprinting (sprint) and change-of-direction (CoD) performance in ice hockey players.
• To compare RTD measurements with a linear encoder (LE) for key performance variables.
• To determine the within-session reliability of the RTD for sprint and CoD tasks.

Main Methods:

• Twenty competitive male youth ice hockey players participated.
• Players performed three 30-m sprints and three 10-0-5-m CoD tests on ice.
• Sprint and CoD performance variables were simultaneously measured using the Ledsreact RTD and a linear encoder (LE).

Main Results:

• Correlations between the RTD and LE ranged from moderate to very high (r = 0.49–0.95 for sprint, r = 0.68–0.90 for CoD), indicating good agreement.
• Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) demonstrated moderate to very high reliability (0.67–0.94 for sprint, 0.82–0.95 for CoD).
• Coefficients of variation (CVs) for within-session reliability were acceptable, ranging from 1.10% to 3.06% for sprint and 1.45% to 3.01% for CoD.

Conclusions:

• The Ledsreact RTD exhibits acceptable validity for assessing sprint and CoD performance in ice hockey.
• The device demonstrates moderate to very high within-session reliability for these performance metrics.
• The RTD is a viable tool for coaches and researchers to evaluate key ice hockey performance variables.