1st Private Lesson

BuddehJuS

Registered User
Nov 25, 2006
2,472
0
Today, I had my first private lesson. I've been open skating since July and playing open hockey at least twice a week for 3 months and just felt I needed a good kick in the butt to get better and boy did I get it. I've never had any formal training or coaching, everything was self-taught through books and such.

Well, I get there early to stretch out fully. So, I gear up and head out on the ice, and we do a few warmup laps then step right into skating drills. Then, he asks to see my stick and looks at it and asks me "What's wrong with this picture?" I give a blank stare and he tells me how my stick is way too short and that I could hurt my back from bending over too much to compensate for it. The guy at the proshop where I bought it, says it would be a could size to help teach me to bend my knees.

I'm a very weak skater , but he was really helpful in doing drills to help me become better. We focused on a lot of edge work.I fell once after slipping on a crack in the ice then the next time, my legs gave out on me and I crashed into the boards, I was okay though. My legs are quasi sore right now but I know I will feel it in the morning. Anyway, the long and short of it, I'm glad I did it and plan to do more, though it is very expensive.

Well, I just wanted to share my 1st private lesson story and hopefully get some other stories from you all on private lessons! :teach:
 

EmptyNetter

Registered User
Jun 22, 2006
7,541
1
North Shore, MA
I've never had private lessons, but I went through a "learn to play hockey" course through Hockey North America. I'd say 75% of the class was about improving our skating -- forward, backward and crossovers for every direction, stopping, turning, going down on one knee, going down on two knees. I can't tell you how much it helped improve my skating. I wish we had done more work with stickhandling and shooting, but it was still more than I had done previously.
 

Xega

Registered User
Feb 27, 2004
24
0
Did you feel that the Hockey North America program was worth the money? I am just learning to skate now and would like to start in a beginner league in the fall. I am looking for something in the Cleveland area and they have a program there. Couldn't find any other beginner leagues there, does anyone know of any other beginner leagues in the Cleveland area?
 

EmptyNetter

Registered User
Jun 22, 2006
7,541
1
North Shore, MA
I got a lot out of the class, however I was already comfortable with lap skating at a local rink and I had played a bit of pickup hockey. I really wanted to improve, though, and that's where they helped. They won't teach you how to skate if you've never done it before. It was more geared for someone who wants to take the next step toward playing hockey -- developing agility, stopping, passing and playing positions. Every class (10 classes) ended with a 20 minute scrimmage game.

IMO if you're just starting on skates it's too early to take the HNA course. Get comfortable with the basics -- skating forward, turning, stopping and skating backward. Build up your leg and core muscles and find your balance. There were one or two students (out of 15-20) in the class who were shaky on skates, they found the drills very challenging and they didn't get the kind of personal attention they probably needed.
 

Xega

Registered User
Feb 27, 2004
24
0
My plan was to take a few learn to skate classes this summer/fall and then try to start in one of the beginner leagues if I felt I could skate halfway decently.
 

BuddehJuS

Registered User
Nov 25, 2006
2,472
0
My plan was to take a few learn to skate classes this summer/fall and then try to start in one of the beginner leagues if I felt I could skate halfway decently.

PLaying pickup hockey is a great way to get comfortable playing in a league. I'd highly recommend that before joining a league.
 

Nbr-17

Registered User
Aug 15, 2006
516
3
Stouffville, ON

Nbr-17

Registered User
Aug 15, 2006
516
3
Stouffville, ON
I'm in Cleveland, Ohio.

Oh well, my tip was pretty useless then :blush:
The only to consider about playing pickup is that you should try find out the level of the other players. In my experience there're often good players in those games that make you look like a pylon. In my experience though, try to get as much Icetime as you can get.
Good luck and enjoy.
 

Impact

Registered User
Did you feel that the Hockey North America program was worth the money? I am just learning to skate now and would like to start in a beginner league in the fall. I am looking for something in the Cleveland area and they have a program there. Couldn't find any other beginner leagues there, does anyone know of any other beginner leagues in the Cleveland area?

I HATED HNA!!! I took the beginner program in Baltimore and it was horrible. We had guys from Towson University as our "coaches." They basically used the time as free ice time for them. I've heard better things about the DC program but I have no idea what Cleveland is like. You should probably try to find out from people who have gone through it recently. I had heard that in the past, the Baltimore program was much better. They canned it the following season and rolled the couple of Bmore teams that hadn't bailed HNA into the DC league.
 

BuddehJuS

Registered User
Nov 25, 2006
2,472
0
Oh well, my tip was pretty useless then :blush:
The only to consider about playing pickup is that you should try find out the level of the other players. In my experience there're often good players in those games that make you look like a pylon. In my experience though, try to get as much Icetime as you can get.
Good luck and enjoy.

I follow the idea, that if you play against better people you can only become better yourself! I stink it up on the ice all the time, but everygame I'm noticing small things that I am getting better and better at.
 

Xega

Registered User
Feb 27, 2004
24
0
I HATED HNA!!! I took the beginner program in Baltimore and it was horrible. We had guys from Towson University as our "coaches." They basically used the time as free ice time for them. I've heard better things about the DC program but I have no idea what Cleveland is like. You should probably try to find out from people who have gone through it recently. I had heard that in the past, the Baltimore program was much better. They canned it the following season and rolled the couple of Bmore teams that hadn't bailed HNA into the DC league.

Thanks, that helps. So the question now is anyone here have experience with the Cleveland HNA beginner program?
 

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad

-->