Leveling the Ice: Exploring Bio-banding in Youth Hockey

Bio-banding in youth ice hockey: a system that groups players based on their biological maturity rather than their chronological age. The study investigates the impact of bio-banding on player perception, coach selection preferences, and the relationship between maturity and physical performance.
Join us as we:
● Examine the uneven distribution of maturity timing across different player positions, and what this might reveal about player strategies and coaching biases.
● Hear how players themselves perceive bio-banding, from those who played against more mature opponents to those who faced off against less mature competition.
● Uncover the surprising finding that coaches often favored smaller, later-maturing players in their selection process.
● Discuss the potential benefits of bio-banding for both early and late maturing players, fostering long-term athletic development and challenging traditional notions of talent identification.
● Analyze the "underdog hypothesis" and how it may explain why late-maturing players might develop unique skills to compete with their more physically developed peers.
● Consider the practical implications of integrating bio-banding into youth hockey, potentially at earlier ages like U11 or U12, to maximize its impact and promote a more equitable and developmentally focused training environment.
Tune in to learn more about bio-banding and its potential to revolutionize the way we approach player development in youth ice hockey.
Main source: A pilot study on bio-banding in male youth ice hockey: Players’ perceptions and coaches’ selection preferences
Oliver Lindholm, Erik Niklasson, John Lind, Daniele A. Cardinale, Tommy R. Lundberg
PLoS One. 2024; 19(8): e0308676. Published online 2024 Aug 12. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0308676
PMCID: PMC11318913