In elite sports, small details often determine success or failure – this also applies to ice hockey, one of the most dynamic and physically demanding team sports. Precise performance diagnostics form the basis for targeted training management, individualized support measures, and long-term performance development. Performance diagnostics in ice hockey include modern, sport-specific testing procedures for measuring strength, endurance, speed, agility, and reaction time. All tests are designed with a practical focus. The data obtained not only enables an objective assessment of the current performance level but also provides clear recommendations for action for coaches and the athletes themselves. This allows strengths to be specifically developed, deficits to be addressed efficiently, and overloads to be identified early on. The goal is to provide the best possible support and development for each player.
DEB-Performance diagnostics
In the last few days and weeks, the DEB-Young Talent and the women's national team are scheduled to complete performance diagnostics. Participation is a squad criterion and therefore mandatory for every player. The tests were conducted nationwide at four cooperating Olympic training centers (Heidelberg, Cologne, Berlin, Munich). The performance diagnostics are carried out twice a year – firstly as a so-called entry test, at the beginning of summer training in late May/early June, and secondly as the exit test, which takes place around the start of the season in September.
The Bundeswehr trainer Jennifer Harss uses the results of performance diagnostics for its work with the national team players: "Performance diagnostics are an important way for us to assess the athletic performance level of our athletes." But the tests are ultimately just one of many components in a larger process: "We look at the entire year. The tests provide valuable data, but the overall picture is crucial. This includes training and competition experience at club and international level - both on-ice and off-ice. All of these factors flow into training management. The results of the individual players form the basis for individual training plans. We also always keep an eye on the season's highlights," Harrs continues. Harss knows that the athletes' development between the initial and final tests must be assessed individually: "This depends largely on their individual performance level, age, and previous years of training. Players who already have a very high level usually achieve smaller, but nevertheless significant, improvements. Younger athletes or those with deficits can make larger leaps in development. In both cases, the important thing is that progress must not only be achieved but also stabilized throughout the season. Our goal is for the athletes to stay healthy, be able to perform to their full potential, and improve step by step from season to season."
Jennifer Harss, photo: City-Press
Performance diagnostics provides insights of enormous importance, especially in the young talent sector, which U20 national coach Tobias Abstreiter also incorporates this into his considerations regarding nominations for programs and world championships: "This is an important criterion for us. When it comes to nominations for programs or our season highlight, the U20 World Championship, it is also crucial for us to see who is physically capable of playing four matches in five days during the group stage. That's why we take a close look at the players' strength and endurance levels, for example, and where we can potentially leverage them to gain a few more percent in their development. Especially in the young talent area, it is always interesting to see what leaps in performance can occur in a relatively short period of time if you identify the deficits and work on them specifically."
Tobias Abstreiter, Photo: Jan-Malte Diekmann