Does anyone know what I was doing wrong?

[Masao]

I'm not playing anymore, but when I was, it was elementary school bullying out there. You know those bullies in elementary school who steal a kid's lunch box and throw it around? The kid's trying to get it back and runs to whoever has his lunchbox, and when he gets close the bully throw is to another bully, and the cycle continues.

Well when I was playing that was the way it was. I would see the player on the other team who had the puck, and I would skate toward him as fast as possible, but as soon as I got near him he passed the puck to someone else. So I would skate toward that new player as fast as possible, and when I got near him he also passed the puck to someone else. After a shift I was just exhausted, I had spent 1 minute running around at full gear trying to get the puck but it was just being passed around like elementary school bullies throw a kid's lunch box.

Obviously there's got to be some kind of trick, since there were guys on my team who'd score at least one or two goals per game... for some reason they would find a loose puck or something, but when I was on the ice it seemed like magically the puck was never loose... it was just being passed back and forth and I was running ater it the whole time...

I was playing left defense by the way.

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[vexXed]

I also play left D, and I know the feeling. One of our drills was to have three or four guys stand around one of the faceoff circles and pass to each other, while the a player in the middle had to break up and steal the pass. It was tiring, and at times seemed impossible, but it's a good drill as you learn better stick placement on the ice, reading the other players body, and how to fake out the passer. In that situation I just paced myself as going 100% all the time was just a waste of energy. You gotta save the burst of speed when you know for sure that you will get the puck. When you glide instead of charge towards the player you give yourself more time to read his play. Block the passing lanes, force him to pass it the way you want it to go and go from there.

Anyway why aren't you playing anymore? I could understand if you were still playing and wanted help on this matter but why ask after you stopped?

 

[BNHL]

I'm not playing anymore, but when I was, it was elementary school bullying out there. You know those bullies in elementary school who steal a kid's lunch box and throw it around? The kid's trying to get it back and runs to whoever has his lunchbox, and when he gets close the bully throw is to another bully, and the cycle continues.

Well when I was playing that was the way it was. I would see the player on the other team who had the puck, and I would skate toward him as fast as possible, but as soon as I got near him he passed the puck to someone else. So I would skate toward that new player as fast as possible, and when I got near him he also passed the puck to someone else. After a shift I was just exhausted, I had spent 1 minute running around at full gear trying to get the puck but it was just being passed around like elementary school bullies throw a kid's lunch box.

Obviously there's got to be some kind of trick, since there were guys on my team who'd score at least one or two goals per game... for some reason they would find a loose puck or something, but when I was on the ice it seemed like magically the puck was never loose... it was just being passed back and forth and I was running ater it the whole time...

I was playing left defense by the way.

Hockey ain't just skating your ass off,it's anticipating,thinking and evaluating. You gotta really relax and have some fun,play your position and allow your teammates to play theirs. Try to get your brain in sync with your feet.

 

[Masao]

Anyway why aren't you playing anymore? I could understand if you were still playing and wanted help on this matter but why ask after you stopped?

Well I had knee problems which stopped me for a while, then I lost interest in actually playing. I'm asking because... well I don't know, I guess somehow hockey's still a part of me even if I don't play anymore.

 

[bosstown]

We've probably all had shifts or games where we've felt like that. Somebody above said to "play your position", and that's probably the best point.

To elaborate a little, it's more about understanding your role. Speaking generally, your objective is not to get the puck on every shift. As a defenseman- it's about covering your check, keeping it out of your net, and clearing the zone. Easier said than done, especially if you were playing pick-up or open hockey; notoriously difficult as players often don't attempt to play anything close to a given position.

If you are interested in getting back in the game, it would probably benefit you to find a league that you are comfortable playing in. Even if it's a beginners league, as your teammates play their positions it will help to define yours. Hope that makes sense...

 

[triggrman]

Hockey is a team sport, you have to maintain your position and not chase the puck I promise, you'll rarely catch it. Play the man, even if not physically stay on him, take away his lanes force him to the outside.

 

[Inklings]

A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be. ~ Wayne Gretzky

 

[frito]

Well I had knee problems which stopped me for a while, then I lost interest in actually playing. I'm asking because... well I don't know, I guess somehow hockey's still a part of me even if I don't play anymore.

Man, pick up the skates and get back out there. There is no better sport and no better form of exercise. I actually play with a bunch of guys who switched from sports such as softball because hockey isn't has hard on their joints.

 

[Danglefish]

From the sounds of it, your problem wasn't the work ethic...but one of the best things a coach ever told me was to "work smart, not hard" meaning don't just go flying around the ice at 100mph trying to do everything at once...take a second to thing about what you're doing first...don't just speed over to the guy with the puck when u can move about half way, force him to pass it off and then shadow him towards the net or whatever. It's alot less work than racing back and forth after the puck, and it also makes you do the right thing more often than not...and you will also no longer look like a chicken with its head cut off haha

 

[arcticwinter]

everyone else was scoring because you were pressuring the defensemen to hurry there passes.it's called forechecking.

 

[wolfgaze]

play positional hockey... You don't have to attach the player with the puck directly... Just stay between him and the goal and take away his passing options by playing the angles between him and the open man...