Investigation of the Effect of Virtual Reality Assisted Exercise Program on Physical Parameters in Hockey Players

Overview

This single-blind randomized controlled trial investigates the effects of a virtual reality-assisted exercise program added to routine hockey training on balance, functional ankle dorsiflexion, agility, and shooting performance in youth hockey players. Participants are randomly assigned to either routine training alone or routine training plus a 6-week virtual reality-assisted exercise intervention delivered via the Nintendo Wii Balance Board. Outcomes are assessed at baseline, post-intervention, and at 3-week follow-up by a blinded assessor.

This study is designed as a single-blind randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effects of a virtual reality-assisted exercise program on balance, functional ankle dorsiflexion, agility, and shooting performance in youth hockey players. Participants are recruited from a competitive hockey team and randomly assigned to either a control group or an intervention group. The control group continues routine hockey training, including warm-up exercises, passing drills, offense-defense organization, and penalty-corner practices, three days per week. The intervention group continues the same routine training and additionally participates in a virtual reality-assisted exercise program delivered via the Nintendo Wii Balance Board. The virtual reality intervention includes Obstacle Course, Ski Slalom, and NFL Slapshot games and is administered for 30 minutes per session, three sessions per week, over a 6-week period. Outcome measures include dynamic balance assessed by the Y Balance Test, agility assessed by the T-run agility test, functional ankle dorsiflexion assessed by the weight-bearing lunge test, and shooting performance assessed using a standardized target-based shooting accuracy protocol. All outcomes are assessed at baseline, immediately after the 6-week intervention period, and at a 3-week follow-up. Outcome assessments are performed by a physiotherapist who is blinded to group allocation.