Picture 2: SafeTGuard semi-custom mouthguard, post fitting THE EFFECT OF STICK AND MOUTHGUARD USE ON SPORT-SPECIFIC TRAINING CONDITIONS IN HIGH SCHOOL FIELD HOCKEY PLAYERS Alexandra H Roberts, Amy J Walden, Kathleen A Carter, T Brock Symons Department of Health and Sport Sciences University of Louisville Introduction Results Introduction Many sports, including field hockey (FH), ice hockey, and lacrosse require the use of a mouthguard and the constraint of having to carry a stick during play. Previous research has shown that these two conditions individually cause a decrement in athletic performance, specifically in endurance capacity1,2,3. During FH, every player must carry a minimum 305g, 105cm stick at all times, which creates an inherent asymmetry and changes the biomechanics of running techniques9,10. They must also wear a mouthguard, which can decrease breathing ability and therefore decrease athletic performance2,3. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of stick and mouthguard use during FH specific preseason training conditions on aerobic capacity in high school FH players.   Control group Experimental Group Combined Mean + SD Age 15.17 + 1.29 15.33 + 1.18 15.25 + 1.22 Height (cm) 161.73 + 6.22 162.29 + 7.04 162 + 6.55 Weight (kg) 59.87 + 10.39 62.18 + 10.09 61.03 + 10.16 BF% 21.39 + 4.47 24.24 + 4.92 22.8 + 4.85 Table 1: Subjects’ anthropometric data   Control group Experimental Group Mean + SD CTRL Beep PRE 6.3 + 0.1 CTRL Beep POST 7.5 + 1.3 7.5 + 1.2 EXP Beep PRE 5.3 + 0.2 5.4 + 0.2 EXP Beep POST 6.3 + 0.2 6.2 + 0.1 Figure 1: VO2max scores in the control condition Picture 1: Experimental condition. Running with constraint of stick and mouthguard Methods The current study looked at 36 apparently healthy female high school FH players (age = 15 + 2 years) from three team levels (Freshman, Junior Varsity (JV) and Varsity). Participants were placed into one of two groups: Experimental (completing all conditioning work with a stick and mouthguard) or Control (completing all conditioning without a stick or mouthguard) by stratified random sampling for team level and initial Beep Test performance. Anthropometric data including age, height, weight and body fat percentage were collected at the beginning of the study. Body fat percentage was measured using Lange Skinfold Calipers (Beta Technology, CA). Measurements were taken using the three-site method as described by the American College of Sports Medicine4. The three sites used were the triceps, suprailliac and thigh. The Siri equation5 was used to calculate body composition. This equation has been validated for use in athletic populations6. Participants were fitted with a semi-custom mouthguard (SafeTGuard, CO) for use during testing, practice and competition. Subjects used their personal FH sticks for testing. Preseason FH specific conditioning was performed as prescribed by coaching staff, with testing performed at prior to and at the end of preseason training (~6 weeks). Testing protocol was the Multi-Stage Fitness Test Shuttle Run (MSFTSR or Beep Test) which is a valid test for determining VO2max in FH players6,7,8.. The beep test was performed by all subjects twice at each time point, in both experimental and control conditions. Table 2: Beep Test Raw Scores. CTRL: Control condition (no stick or mouthguard); EXP: Experimental condition (stick and mouthguard)   Control group Experimental Group Mean + SD CTRL VO2max PRE 34.25 + 4.41 34.13 + 3.74 CTRL VO2max POST 39.3 + 8.77 38.41 + 7.6 EXP VO2max PRE 30.69 + 4.67 31.13 + 4.59 EXP VO2max POST 34.16 + 4.76 34.15+ 2.88 Picture 2: SafeTGuard semi-custom mouthguard, post fitting Table 3: VO2max Scores. CTRL: Control condition (no stick or mouthguard); EXP: Experimental condition (stick and mouthguard) Figure 2: VO2max scores in the experimental condition No main effect was found between the experimental and control groups. It was found that all tests performed with a stick and mouthguard resulted in decreased performance (p<0.001). Further, it was found that 6 weeks of field hockey-specific preseason conditioning increased performance in the beep test, independent of the experimental condition (p<0.001). References 1. Wdowski, M.M. & Gittoes, M.J.R. (2012). Kinematic adaptations in sprint acceleration performances without and with the constraint of holding a field hockey stick. Sports Biomechanics. DOI 10.1080/14763141.2012.749507 2. Keçeci, A.D., Çetin, C., Eroglu, E., & Baydar, M.L. (2005). Do custom-made mouth guards have negative effects on aerobic performance capacity of athletes? Dental Traumatology, 21, 276-280. 3. Delaney, J.S., & Montgomery, D.L. (2005). Effect of Noncustom Bimolar Mouthguards on Peak Ventilation in Ice Hockey Players. Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine, 15(3), 154-157. 4. American College of Sports Medicine. (2013). ACSM's guidelines for exercise testing and prescription. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. 5. Siri, W.E. (1961). Body composition from fluid spaces and density: analysis of methods. Techniques for measuring body composition, 61 , 223-44. 6. Keogh, J.W., Weber, C.L. & Dalton, C.T. (2003). Evaluation of anthropometric, physiological, and skill-related tests for talent identification in female field hockey. Canadian Journal of Applied Physiology, 28(3), 397-409. 7. Grant, S., Corbett, K., Amjad, A.M., Wilson, J. & Aitchison, T. (1995). A Comparison of methods of predicting maximum oxygen uptake. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 29(3), 147-152. 8. Reilly, T. (2001). Assessment of sports performance with particular reference to field games. European Journal of Sport Science, 1(3), 1-12. 9. International Hockey Federation [FIH] (2014).  Rules of Hockey. 10. Reilly & Borrie (1992).  Sports Med, 14, 10-26. Conclusions Acknowledgements Performing standard field hockey conditioning with a stick and mouthguard over six weeks did not inhibit performance when compared to a control condition. Six weeks of field hockey specific conditioning did increase beep test and VO2 max scores in high school field hockey players, regardless of if a stick and mouthguard were used. A very special thank you to the Louisville Male High School field hockey team and coaches for their cooperation. Special thanks to Sarah Sunderman and Molly Ernst for assisting with data collection, and to Dr Jill Adelson, Jessica Gibb, and Dr John Caruso for your assistance.