The RinkFor the not so ready for prime-time players, coaches, referees, and the people that have to live with them. Discuss experiences in local leagues, coaching tips, equipment, and training.
I know! It's ridiculous. My sons are 4 and 8, the youngest just started hockey this year. At the start of the year all he could do was sort of shuffle along, now I can hardly keep up with him. The 8 year old? Forget about it, he's faster backwards then I am forward.
It can get frustrating when little kids are skating circles around you.
Well, I'm Matt, 6'4" and 250lbs. I played D for about 9 years, then my knees forced me to take a few years off (Almost 10 ), and am just getting back into the great sport. Just finished getting all my equipment up to date (in the time I was off, I'd grown almost a foot and gained 80lbs or so). Hopefully by this time next year I'll be playing in a Rec League.
Anyone have advice on shooting on ice? Off ice my shooting is fine, i have good power, puck stays flat and i can pretty much pick a corner.
I flex the stick hard, i don't just use my arms to wrist shot and push off my back foot.
On ice, my wrist shot is weak, puck wobbles and shots are usually high.
Slapshots are fine on ice.
Comments on my skating have been i don't bend my knees enough, not sure if that affects my shooting on ice.
I am very much a beginner, and my experience has been the same. In the garage using a shooting pad (my son's) I can get a lot of power behind my shot. On the ice I don't get near as much power. I will say that with repitition on the ice my shot is getting better. I kind of looked at it the same way as my skating, the best way to get better is to practice, get more ice time, and just get more comfortable.
I'm taking the plunge into hockey and will be adding to the Noob Chronicles thanks to this thread and the stories on HFBoard.
I have enough friends in beer type leagues around Boston that are having a ton of fun and I want to get in on it. I'm skipping baseball this year because I don't feel like going through the hassles to join a team (that and the $750 for league dues and broken bats).
I'm a guy, age 29 and 5'11", 190 lbs and dropping. I put on weight after a baseball injury last August and had to focus on rehabbing my left ankle for 3 months. I'm lucky enough to have a gym to go to every day for an hour though to break up sitting behind a desk.
I've been on ice skates about a dozen times in my life. I used to rollerblade a lot as a teenager and the skills transferred over enough that I can skate around without falling over. I'm a decent skier as well, so I'm hoping that will help with the skating.
I signed up for a learn how to ice skate class that goes on for 5 weeks, first session in this Saturday. After that I'll sign up for a hockey skating class and then join an instructional league. I'll get in at least 2 days of skating each week.
I'll be playing goalie. I think I have the slightly crazy mentality for it. Actually... All goalies are crazy, but not all crazies are goalies? I play catcher in baseball, so maybe I just like protecting something.
I picked up a pair of Bauer Supreme One60 goalie skates (I had them sharpened too. I remember reading a blog or post about a goalie who bought his skates and forget they needed sharpening!), elbow pads, goalie knee guards and reebok 9k goalie pants.
I'll be acquiring the rest of my gear as I go along, I figure I can get a good blocker, glove, legpads, chest protector, and stick from Play it Again sports. At the store I was feeling the difference between $120ish chest protectors and the $200ish ones and there was a huge difference in protection.
Next month while I learn to skate properly --
Goalie Skates - Bauer One60s
Knee Guards - Reebok Goalie Knee Protectors
Elbow Guards (just for practice) - Bauer One40s
Goalie Pants - Reebok 9Ks
regular helmet - Easton Stealth S7
Wrist guards? Should I bother? I've wiped out enough in skiing that I don't try to break my fall with my hands. When I've lost control I go limp and wipe out.
When I start out learning how to skate again should I wear my goalie pants? Is that overkill? I'm going to follow the skiing adage of "If you aren't falling you aren't learning."
What should I focus on the most while skating? How do goalies quickly get up from the ice after dropping to ice to make a save?
Very excited though. I kinda want to get out on the ice before Saturday to see how non-rental skates feel. I remember the first time when I skied on skis and boots that I bought for myself and how much better they were than rentals!
I'm taking the plunge into hockey and will be adding to the Noob Chronicles thanks to this thread and the stories on HFBoard.
I have enough friends in beer type leagues around Boston that are having a ton of fun and I want to get in on it. I'm skipping baseball this year because I don't feel like going through the hassles to join a team (that and the $750 for league dues and broken bats).
I'm a guy, age 29 and 5'11", 190 lbs and dropping. I put on weight after a baseball injury last August and had to focus on rehabbing my left ankle for 3 months. I'm lucky enough to have a gym to go to every day for an hour though to break up sitting behind a desk.
I've been on ice skates about a dozen times in my life. I used to rollerblade a lot as a teenager and the skills transferred over enough that I can skate around without falling over. I'm a decent skier as well, so I'm hoping that will help with the skating.
I signed up for a learn how to ice skate class that goes on for 5 weeks, first session in this Saturday. After that I'll sign up for a hockey skating class and then join an instructional league. I'll get in at least 2 days of skating each week.
I'll be playing goalie. I think I have the slightly crazy mentality for it. Actually... All goalies are crazy, but not all crazies are goalies? I play catcher in baseball, so maybe I just like protecting something.
I picked up a pair of Bauer Supreme One60 goalie skates (I had them sharpened too. I remember reading a blog or post about a goalie who bought his skates and forget they needed sharpening!), elbow pads, goalie knee guards and reebok 9k goalie pants.
I'll be acquiring the rest of my gear as I go along, I figure I can get a good blocker, glove, legpads, chest protector, and stick from Play it Again sports. At the store I was feeling the difference between $120ish chest protectors and the $200ish ones and there was a huge difference in protection.
Next month while I learn to skate properly --
Goalie Skates - Bauer One60s
Knee Guards - Reebok Goalie Knee Protectors
Elbow Guards (just for practice) - Bauer One40s
Goalie Pants - Reebok 9Ks
regular helmet - Easton Stealth S7
Wrist guards? Should I bother? I've wiped out enough in skiing that I don't try to break my fall with my hands. When I've lost control I go limp and wipe out.
When I start out learning how to skate again should I wear my goalie pants? Is that overkill? I'm going to follow the skiing adage of "If you aren't falling you aren't learning."
What should I focus on the most while skating? How do goalies quickly get up from the ice after dropping to ice to make a save?
Very excited though. I kinda want to get out on the ice before Saturday to see how non-rental skates feel. I remember the first time when I skied on skis and boots that I bought for myself and how much better they were than rentals!
When learning how to skate you should take a spin in your pants and leg pads as well. It changes everything.
Off ice, do lots of leg exercises. Strengthen up those groin and hip flexor muscles because you'll be needing them!
When learning how to get up after a butterfly save, try standing up one leg at a time first (but not always the same leg, otherwise it will become a habit). When you're comfy with that motion, you can try to do both legs at once.
It's great to see even more people starting to play hockey. Also awesome to see someone wanting to start being a goalie. I gave it some thought (still do), but the cost of gear is enough to keep me from wanting to try it. Maybe I'm just not crazy enough...
Anyways, I had a very interesting moment at my pickup game last Friday. Apparently, every year my local AHL team sponsors a game between the police and fire departments for charity. So, to get the word out about the game, a news station filmed a promo for this event during our pickup game. Thankfully, they didn't get the part where I went crashing into the boards on camera.
I also managed to get my first goal on a live goalie. Sure, he was 10, but he was pretty good for his age during our learn to play scrimmage and I know plenty of 10 year olds who are far better hockey players than myself.
All in all, things are starting to click. I'm falling down a little less and I'm figuring out how to use my body and the flex of the stick to get some power behind my shots, however they still stay low on the ice. I have my positioning down for when I play defense, but I'm still clueless what to do most of the time when I play wing.
I think I need to get out to more stick and puck sessions where I can just work on my skills instead of having to worry about everything else going on during a game.
1) Recent promotion at work. The equipment cost is going to suck, but the only things that I'm going to get new are helmet, neck collar, goalie jock, and throat guard. I have some baseball gear that I no longer need -- ironically one piece is a hockey style catchers helmet that drove me nuts.
2) I find it much easier to skate in figure skates (and presumably goalie skates). The curved hockey skates felt odd the half dozen times I gave them a chance.
3) I like the idea of simplicity. Keep the puck from getting past you at all costs. I've been paying more attention to hockey games and its really neat how goalies plan ahead on how to defend the net. Also cool is how they follow and control rebounds.
4) No shortage of ice time! As someone else said, its way more fun to shoot at a goalie than an empty net, even if the goalie is terrible.
5) Reading #4 again, yeah, crazy. "Cool! Please fire hard rubber pucks at me!"
So I figured out that if I upload to Vimeo instead of youtube, the quality is WAY better, which is great.
Here are two goals I scored last week, the second is the prettiest thing I've ever done. I normally just shoot at the pads, but I decided to nut-up and try something different
I'm 33 M 220lbs, i could be in better phisical condition if i made a hobby out of fitness, but i haven't gone pear-shaped yet.
Plus one for aspiring goalie crazy. I'm also just starting on ice after an extensive background rolling around on inlines. Bought the skates two weeks ago, been on the ice four times in my life (once on rentals about seven years ago, then tree times in the past two weeks on my own boots). I'm pretty convinced i'll end up playing goal - i was also a baseball catcher for a time. I just always wanted to be the guy wearing all the special equipment.
Absent any classes starting soon, the path i've outlined for myself involves all the open skates i can manage and a ton of leg training and youtube instruction until i can reliably go forward, backwards, stop on both feet and in both directions, and cross-over on both legs, forward and backward.
I've got forward and backward nailed, along with right over left forward cross overs. I'm far too weak on my outside edges at the moment and as a result left over right forward crosses are iffy at best for now. I can slow down reliably, and occasionally stop going forward. Backwards stopping and crossovers are currently a danger to myself abd anyone within my fallout radius. I'm a bad skater,but improving steadily. Last weekend i spent two hours working on stops and another hour on outside edges, with marginal - but noticeable - benefit.
I'm slowly becoming less-constantly worried about crashing into small children, which is nice.
Moving forward i hope to take my eventually competent skating to a drop in, or an instructional class, and probably go goalie from there. Right now it's very long term, but it's very much started. I'm determined to get a two footed stop as soon as i can, and i can hardly wait for the weekend to get here so I can get back to working on it. (and outside edges which are less exciting, but i have a feeling i'm going to need those edges very badly, very soon).
It was fun picking out skates and talking with the salespeople. They said it was amusing that if someone played catcher in baseball they usually went for goalie.
I'm trying to find places that have more open skates. Jeez I didn't realize how many ice rinks are completely booked. My girlfriend might kill me if I'm off skating at 8:30 on a friday night
Huh, I've always been a goalie (and catcher) and want nothing of being a hockey goalie. Looks like fun, but too rich for my blood. Guess for once I don't want to be hit by something. Maybe I've had enough rubber thrown my way as a lacrosse goalie.
I used to love playing goalie in soccer and if I had ever played baseball I certainly would have wanted to be a catcher, but I'd rather be the person doing the scoring for once. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love it when a goalie shows up for my pickup games, but I just don't want anything to do with it myself.
I'm trying to find places that have more open skates. Jeez I didn't realize how many ice rinks are completely booked. My girlfriend might kill me if I'm off skating at 8:30 on a friday night
The lack of ice time is the thing that pushed me to jump in with both feet and get the equipment, etc.
The rink I used to skate at 3-4 times a week cut back their public session times about 3 years ago. I had forgotten just how bad it was - I found out in January 2004 that I was pregnant and had to quit skating, then tried to start up again after my daughter was born. The skates didn't fit right but it wasn't worth it to replace them with the horrible lack of public skates.
Looking at the schedule now, it hasn't changed. The only public sessions I could ever make would be Friday afternoons. They have an evening session Wed/Fri and afternoons on Sat/Sun, but those are always packed and not so good for working on things. But when I looked at the stick time and pick-up - heck, they have at least one session per day that I could attend! But no stick time without gear, so I went and got the gear.
I haven't had my first class yet, that will be on Sunday. Once I do that, my options will open up because I can do either stick time OR public session. I'm hoping to do one stick time, one public, and then the class on Sundays. I won't even think of doing pick-up until I know what I'm doing! Monday night they do have a beginner's pick-up, so maybe once I've done the class for a while I'll try it. They used to have a women's pick-up once a week but I don't see that on the schedule any more.
You guys are lucky!!! The nearest rink to me is over an hour away and depending on traffic two hours away. But what can you do when you got the bug. I'm 46 and just starting to skate. I can't explain it but skating gives me a freedom feeling. It awesome!!!! Now I just need to take lessons so I don't look like Bambi on ice.
I played hockey from ages 4-12, but took 7 years off. I'm playing beer league at university now.
I was a defenceman my last few years and started out doing that this year. I was recently moved up to winger and I feel out of place.
I don't know where to stand in our zone, how to handle a rush when someone else has the puck and where to stand in the offensive zone. I still managed 2 assists last night, but it's frustrating not knowing what to do.
im dipping my toes into roller hockey to start with. i dont really have any issues with skating (did aggressive inline) but the last time i held a stick i was like 12 or something and it was plastic. and since i havent bought one yet, i cant visualize myself handling a puck well at all. so im ready to get a stick and a puck and start practicing.
im dipping my toes into roller hockey to start with. i dont really have any issues with skating (did aggressive inline) but the last time i held a stick i was like 12 or something and it was plastic. and since i havent bought one yet, i cant visualize myself handling a puck well at all. so im ready to get a stick and a puck and start practicing.
Good to see im not the only aggro to hockey skater on HF(i believe aggressive skater is out of fashio nowadays, the more proper word is ''freestyle skater'', which sounds less wannabe anyway).
Anyhow, the fact that you did grinds and jumps will defenitely make you more agile, but you will probably have to rebuild leg muscles. One glaring difference is the skates. It's a lot faster, turns much better, overall its just much more performance you get out of a hockey rollerblade, while a freestyle skate needs to be heavy and solid to take the hits it receives when grinding and landing jumps.
Good to see im not the only aggro to hockey skater on HF(i believe aggressive skater is out of fashio nowadays, the more proper word is ''freestyle skater'', which sounds less wannabe anyway).
Anyhow, the fact that you did grinds and jumps will defenitely make you more agile, but you will probably have to rebuild leg muscles. One glaring difference is the skates. It's a lot faster, turns much better, overall its just much more performance you get out of a hockey rollerblade, while a freestyle skate needs to be heavy and solid to take the hits it receives when grinding and landing jumps.
Anyway, let me know how it goes.
right now the biggest hurdle is the distance. ill hopefully be living in roseville, ca in the summer but the closest is in woodland, ca which will probably be a solid 30 min drive once a week. cant seem to find any outdoor rinks to practice in so ill just find a street somewhere i guess lol.
ive been playing soccer my whole life so hopefully there isnt too big a jump to skating. and hopefully indoor soccer has given me a little insight into some of the gameplay ill need to be aware of. either way itll be a learning curve!
I played hockey from ages 4-12, but took 7 years off. I'm playing beer league at university now.
I was a defenceman my last few years and started out doing that this year. I was recently moved up to winger and I feel out of place.
I don't know where to stand in our zone, how to handle a rush when someone else has the puck and where to stand in the offensive zone. I still managed 2 assists last night, but it's frustrating not knowing what to do.
On a break away, if you are trailing your teammate with the puck you have many options. Safest is to go wide toward the other side of the net to get rebounds. If someone is covering your teammate then stay behind and yell that you got their back so that you can recieve a drop pass. Basically, you just have to know the "hockey" characteristics of the person you are playing with. It takes a few games for all of you to act as a line should. Whatever you do, don't bunch up. Nothing is worse than a team that looks like a school of fish.
3 weeks ago i decided that this was the year for me to start playing hockey after talking about it for the past few years. i had very little experience (skated 4 or 5 times when i was a youngin) but some buddies needed an extra man for the team they joined so i said why not. played in my first scrimmage last night after going to a handful of stick n pucks and i did rather well, i couldnt be more stoked on the sport. anyone can do it for sure
You're probably all sick of these, but this one's appropriate!
Lol, first skating lesson today. Going to be interesting! I can be a lot more aggressive with knee/elbow/head protection. The first thing I might do is pick up a ton of speed and throw myself on the ice. Dead serious!
I also found a ice rink within walking distance of my apartment with an open skate on Sunday afternoons.
I cannot wait until I get to feel the difference between dull rental skates and my very own brand new freshly sharpened One60s!
Spring break ends tomorrow and I'm happy to say that I've accomplished a lot over the break. I've been the three public sessions, I bought my skates and other equipment, and I've got my first hockey class tomorrow. We get double ice time tomorrow, then they'll be separating us into two groups for the rest of the weeks. While on the ice I've got my balance back (that came back pretty quickly!), I've worked on stopping (had it just fine on the rental skates, but on my own skates it seems I have to really turn more and put more 'bite' into the ice), going backwards (I was able to go across the red line from the board to the crease the first time, now I can go from board to board, so quite a bit further without taking a ridiculous amount of time), and amazingly enough...I even did a few crossovers! For me, that's huge - when I was learning to speedskate it took a good 6-7 MONTHS to really get to the point where I had the courage to attempt them and could work on the technique, rather than just trying one here and there. I imagine with all of the padding and a stick, it may just come a little faster.
When going backwards - is it normal for the balls of the foot to hurt? I notice that the muscles in that part of my foot are hurting after I go backwards for a little bit. I'm not sure if it's technique, or if it's just that those particular muscles are out of shape. I never had to learn to go backwards much before, so I never practiced it enough to really find out. As soon as I turn around and go forwards a little bit, the pain goes away.
), and am just getting back into the great sport. Just finished getting all my equipment up to date (in the time I was off, I'd grown almost a foot and gained 80lbs or so). Hopefully by this time next year I'll be playing in a Rec League.
