Physiological and sport-specific comparison between division I and division II Italian male Field Hockey players.

The purpose of the present study was to compare the anthropometric and performance profiles of division I (D1) and division II (D2) Italian field hockey players.Fifteen DI players and fifteen D2 players (age = 25.4 ± 5.2 y; body mass = 78.5 ± 9.0 kg; body height = 179.6 ± 7.8 cm) were assessed on one occasion for anthropometry, body composition, physiological measurements and sport-specific skills. Differences between the two groups were evaluated using a one-way analysis of variance. Pearson correlations were used to examine relationships between the different measurements.Significantly (p = 0.039) lower percentages of body fat were found on D1 group compared to D2 group (-3.5%). A significant difference between the groups were noted for shooting accuracy (p = 0.013), with the D1 group performing 14.5 % better than the DII group. No significant differences between the groups were found for shooting speed (p = 0.103), slalom and dribbling performances (p = 0.292 and p = 0.416, respectively). Physiological assessments did not show any significant differences between the groups. Large correlations (r = 0.73; p < 0.001) were found between shooting speed and accuracy. Moderate correlations were observed between the shooting speed and the hand grip strength, in particular of the left hand (r = 0.61; p = 0.007).Results of the present study indicate that the difference between D1 and D2 players may be more related to technical factors than to physical fitness. Ball control however, may not be a limiting factor in D2 players.