ArticleFrontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology2025
What are the differences between on-ice and off-ice side-cutting maneuver? A kinematic and electromyographic comparative analysis of ice hockey players.
Article in Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Expertise shapes the kinematic and electromyographic characteristics of on-ice side-cutting in elite versus beginner ice hockey players.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Acute effects of virtual-reality and dual-task warm-up on game-related speed paradigms in elite ice hockey athletes.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Article
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6 authors.
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Abstract
Introduction: Off-ice training is foundational for developing key physical qualities such as strength and power in ice hockey, but its biomechanical transference to on-ice performance is not well understood. This is critical, as maneuvers like side-cutting carry a high injury risk, potentially linked to environmental differences. This study aimed to compare the hip and knee kinematics and neuromuscular control strategies of elite ice hockey players during side-cutting maneuvers in on-ice versus off-ice environments, and to explore the potential injury implications associated with these biomechanical differences. Methods: Twenty elite male ice hockey players performed standardized 45° side-cutting maneuvers on and off the ice. A 12-camera motion capture system and surface electromyography (sEMG) were used to collect kinematic and muscle activation data. Biomechanical analysis was conducted using OpenSim for modeling, with one-dimensional Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM1D) for continuous curve analysis and SPSS for discrete data points. Results: The on-ice maneuver demonstrated fundamentally different biomechanical patterns. Kinematically, athletes exhibited significantly greater hip flexion, hip abduction, and knee flexion on-ice. Most notably, a complete reversal in frontal plane knee motion was observed, shifting from a varus posture off-ice to a valgus posture on-ice. Neuromuscularly, a paradoxical strategy was revealed: while individual muscle activation (IEMG, RMS) was significantly lower on-ice, the muscle co-activation index (CI) of the knee and ankle joints was significantly higher. Discussion: The findings reveal a key adaptive trade-off: the on-ice maneuver is kinematically riskier (knee valgus) but biomechanically more efficient (lower muscle work). The increased co-activation appears to be a protective neural strategy to enhance joint stability on the low-friction surface, compensating for the vulnerable posture. This underscores a critical gap in training specificity, as off-ice patterns do not replicate on-ice stability demands. Therefore, optimal training programs must integrate exercises that simulate on-ice loading characteristics to better prepare athletes and mitigate injury risk.
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