HOW IS PLAYERS’ FUTURES CONSCIOUSNESS ASSOCIATED WITH ANTICIPATION IN ICE HOCKEY?
avoin
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Many ice hockey players and experts intuitively acknowledge that some players are better at
in-game anticipation than others. Currently there are no explanations for the supposed
differences between players with equal expertise. This may be because our understanding of
anticipation in invasion team sports like ice hockey is undermined by the challenge of
measuring it; as a systemic and emergent phenomenon, anticipation requires holistic
approaches beyond traditional sports science.
This thesis investigates the relationship between professional ice hockey players’ in-game
performance metrics and anticipatory capacities, measured using the Futures Consciousness
Scale (FC Scale). Forty-seven professional ice hockey players playing in the Finnish National
Hockey League during the 2022/23 season were tested with the FC Scale, and several of their
in-game performance metrics were gathered. Data was analysed by means of correlation
analysis.
Initial analysis of FC scores and in-game performance metrics revealed no significant
correlations at a population level. Subgroup analysis showed distinct patterns for different
player roles. Defenders with higher FC levels, especially in two of the five dimensions:
Agency Beliefs and Concern for Others, performed better in all in-game metrics, including
goals, assists, points, and skating distance. Conversely, forwards generally exhibited weak
negative correlations between FC and their performance metrics. Further item-level analysis
supported these trends.
The findings of this study emphasize the importance of comprehensive approaches,
integrating cognitive functions and decision-making processes, to understanding anticipation
in invasion team sports. Additionally, the study highlights the necessity for specialized research
methods tailored to invasion team sports to investigate players' individual anticipatory
capacities. Further research is also needed to explore how player roles and other in-game
dynamics impact anticipation in ice hockey and similar sports.