After being a hockey fan for over a Decade, I finally Ice Skated for the first time.

[Hatter of the Beach]

Hey all,

Not really sure if this is thread worthy, but I just wanted to share. As a non traditional hockey fan background (black, lower middle class, military brat when growing up), I always felt a bit apprehensive about starting to skate. While I would consider myself a fairly gifted athlete, having played football at a D1 Collegiate program, the concept of that level of balance and foot speed scared me, as I'm the type of guy who could barely stay on a skateboard before bailing.

Combined with it being cost prohibitive until fairly recently in my life, and not living in an area with many rinks, hockey always seemed destined to be a sport I could enjoy as a spectator but never a participant. Thankfully however, another hockey fan at work found out I liked it, and after a bit of coaxing, convinced me to go to an open rink with him... and it was a blast.

I was nowhere near as fast as I wanted to be, and probably looked like an idiot when trying to stop (I actually fell several times lol), but the rush of the cold air hitting your face as you hauled (or in my case, attempted to) up and down the ice was an adrenaline rush I hadn't gotten since my last snap my senior year on the field.

I actually plan on trying to go at least twice a week from now on, both as a form of cardio (lineman diet and officestyle life = me being a lard ass right now), and with the eventual goal of hopefully being competent enough to play on a beer league team.

Again, not sure if this is thread worthy, but I just wanted to share my story of another long time fan finally getting to experience aspects of the game. If anyone cares, I will keep you updated. My goal is to be a good enough skater in three months to at least play a defensive defenseman role without being a complete oaf.

Click to read more...

 

[JMCx4]

@21 Savage : Welcome to the ice! All I can offer for thought is that casual skating (e.g., circuits of the rink during public sessions) will help you improve balance, but the aerobic & leg/core strength benefits are minimal. So any time you can find "open ice" take advantage of it. Either reading up or engaging someone for hockey-specific training techniques would also be a good idea. Good luck.

 

[puckpilot]

Many people start playing later in life, so don't worry about looking like a noob. If you ain't falling, you ain't trying. :p

If you're looking for coaching tips, YouTube has a lot of great videos on technique. If you start off with good fundamentals, your hockey life will be a lot easier. There's a guy at a rink I frequent, he got some good tips when he was starting out and he went from a floppy mess when he started to a guy doing wicked slide turns and ripping snapshots top shelf in about a year.

Not the typical example, but it's an example of what can happen with dedication and good fubdimentals. On the flip side I play with guys who have been on the ice for 20 years and they still look like noobs.

Any way, best of luck to you.

 

[Spirit of 67]

For sure, threadworthy. Great that you got out there.
There's no better way to appreciate and understand the game than to play it. Keep going.

I will share this story that I thought was pretty cool though: about 10 years ago I started playing with a group of guys I had never met before. One of the goalies, a rather linebacker-ish black guy, son of immigrant parents, etc, you know, non traditional back ground, decided that in his mid 20's he wanted to pick it up. He figured goal would be easier since he couldn't skate.
He's been playing about 5 years when, one night, he and another player switched positions. He'd never played out before and lo, and behold, he scored. He did not enjoy playing out and said he'd never do it again.
The man will have scored 1 goal playing hockey in his life. I thought it was cool that I got to be a part of it.
Even if I hate the other team, I love seeing kids get their 1st. It's always special.

Anyway, hope you keep playing. It's awesome.

 

[Bear of Bad News]

Glad to see you're getting out there!

 

[Yukon Joe]

Congrats on getting out there!

I just signed up for an adult learn to play hockey program. We had our first session this week and it was such a blast getting out there on the ice. I don't know where you live, but perhaps ask or google around to see if they have anything like that in your area. I imagine in particular in non-traditional markets where they are trying to grow the game they may have something.

Going out to a public skate is fun, and still something I enjoy doing, but when you have such a large number of people, with greatly varying skill levels, you really can't push yourself very hard. And it's a world of difference between just going out for a skate, and strapping on some pads and practicing for hockey.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Hey all,

Not really sure if this is thread worthy, but I just wanted to share. As a non traditional hockey fan background (black, lower middle class, military brat when growing up), I always felt a bit apprehensive about starting to skate. While I would consider myself a fairly gifted athlete, having played football at a D1 Collegiate program, the concept of that level of balance and foot speed scared me, as I'm the type of guy who could barely stay on a skateboard before bailing.

Combined with it being cost prohibitive until fairly recently in my life, and not living in an area with many rinks, hockey always seemed destined to be a sport I could enjoy as a spectator but never a participant. Thankfully however, another hockey fan at work found out I liked it, and after a bit of coaxing, convinced me to go to an open rink with him... and it was a blast.

I was nowhere near as fast as I wanted to be, and probably looked like an idiot when trying to stop (I actually fell several times lol), but the rush of the cold air hitting your face as you hauled (or in my case, attempted to) up and down the ice was an adrenaline rush I hadn't gotten since my last snap my senior year on the field.

I actually plan on trying to go at least twice a week from now on, both as a form of cardio (lineman diet and officestyle life = me being a lard ass right now), and with the eventual goal of hopefully being competent enough to play on a beer league team.

Again, not sure if this is thread worthy, but I just wanted to share my story of another long time fan finally getting to experience aspects of the game. If anyone cares, I will keep you updated. My goal is to be a good enough skater in three months to at least play a defensive defenseman role without being a complete oaf.

Try getting yourself a pair of rollerblades if you can. It’s a great way to learn most of the technical stuff anytime you want.

Stopping is much different on ice than with rollerblades, just as a heads up though.

Even if you just stick to practicing on ice, I’ve seen people make big leaps in a year... from looking like total goobers, to pretty decent skaters.

 

[Pez68]

Hey all,

Not really sure if this is thread worthy, but I just wanted to share. As a non traditional hockey fan background (black, lower middle class, military brat when growing up), I always felt a bit apprehensive about starting to skate. While I would consider myself a fairly gifted athlete, having played football at a D1 Collegiate program, the concept of that level of balance and foot speed scared me, as I'm the type of guy who could barely stay on a skateboard before bailing.

Combined with it being cost prohibitive until fairly recently in my life, and not living in an area with many rinks, hockey always seemed destined to be a sport I could enjoy as a spectator but never a participant. Thankfully however, another hockey fan at work found out I liked it, and after a bit of coaxing, convinced me to go to an open rink with him... and it was a blast.

I was nowhere near as fast as I wanted to be, and probably looked like an idiot when trying to stop (I actually fell several times lol), but the rush of the cold air hitting your face as you hauled (or in my case, attempted to) up and down the ice was an adrenaline rush I hadn't gotten since my last snap my senior year on the field.

I actually plan on trying to go at least twice a week from now on, both as a form of cardio (lineman diet and officestyle life = me being a lard ass right now), and with the eventual goal of hopefully being competent enough to play on a beer league team.

Again, not sure if this is thread worthy, but I just wanted to share my story of another long time fan finally getting to experience aspects of the game. If anyone cares, I will keep you updated. My goal is to be a good enough skater in three months to at least play a defensive defenseman role without being a complete oaf.

That's awesome. If you can, try and find some adult learn to skate and learn to play. Not sure what area you live, but they are all over the place in the Chicago area.

It will be tough to be a good enough skater to play in three months, without some kind of formal instruction. Staying on your skates in open skate is one thing. Staying on your skates while actually playing hockey is an entirely different thing. The formal instruction will go a LONG way towards making you a good enough skater to play. A few good lessons from someone who knows what they are talking about when it comes to skating, will make a world of difference.

 

[RandV]

That's awesome. If you can, try and find some adult learn to skate and learn to play. Not sure what area you live, but they are all over the place in the Chicago area.

It will be tough to be a good enough skater to play in three months, without some kind of formal instruction. Staying on your skates in open skate is one thing. Staying on your skates while actually playing hockey is an entirely different thing. The formal instruction will go a LONG way towards making you a good enough skater to play. A few good lessons from someone who knows what they are talking about when it comes to skating, will make a world of difference.

Yeah this. I had always lived near a rink and skated all my life, thought I was a pretty good skater but when I started actual ice hockey at 27 I really wasn't and the beginner power skating classes really helped.

The good news is if/when you get over that skating hurdle it's actually pretty easy to break in to hockey in particular because being a winger beer league, especially low level, is a very easy position to play. A good bit more challenging to play defense or center, but a winger is easy mode: at the most basic level just cover the point in your own zone then skate hard and crash the net on offense. Only hard part is getting the puck out of your own zone when the dman passes it up to you.

And of course once you get started ice hockey is a real blast to play. It has a pretty unique combination of fast paced high intensity and always being involved in the play even if you don't have the puck/ball/whatever.

 

[Laodongxi]

Being able to just get up and down the ice first time out is pretty incredible! Be careful though - it's a very addictive sport.

 

[KirkOut]

Hey all,

Not really sure if this is thread worthy, but I just wanted to share. As a non traditional hockey fan background (black, lower middle class, military brat when growing up), I always felt a bit apprehensive about starting to skate. While I would consider myself a fairly gifted athlete, having played football at a D1 Collegiate program, the concept of that level of balance and foot speed scared me, as I'm the type of guy who could barely stay on a skateboard before bailing.

Combined with it being cost prohibitive until fairly recently in my life, and not living in an area with many rinks, hockey always seemed destined to be a sport I could enjoy as a spectator but never a participant. Thankfully however, another hockey fan at work found out I liked it, and after a bit of coaxing, convinced me to go to an open rink with him... and it was a blast.

I was nowhere near as fast as I wanted to be, and probably looked like an idiot when trying to stop (I actually fell several times lol), but the rush of the cold air hitting your face as you hauled (or in my case, attempted to) up and down the ice was an adrenaline rush I hadn't gotten since my last snap my senior year on the field.

I actually plan on trying to go at least twice a week from now on, both as a form of cardio (lineman diet and officestyle life = me being a lard ass right now), and with the eventual goal of hopefully being competent enough to play on a beer league team.

Again, not sure if this is thread worthy, but I just wanted to share my story of another long time fan finally getting to experience aspects of the game. If anyone cares, I will keep you updated. My goal is to be a good enough skater in three months to at least play a defensive defenseman role without being a complete oaf.

Welcome to the ice man! And just remember, every person who has ever played hockey has fallen on their ass countless times when they were first starting out. It's a rite of passage haha. I definitely recommend trying to go to as many stick time / stick and puck (whichever they call it where you live) as you can. Work on your skating with and without the puck. Talk to the other people there. A lot of rinks have adult developmental programs intended for beginners. It's typically a once a week thing where they'll have an hour of drills and instruction from coaches and then a half hour scrimmage, or something along those lines. If you can find one of those type things it will really help getting your feet wet, by working on your skating and skills and then getting into game situations against other beginners as opposed to a normal beer league where you might find yourself up against more experienced guys from the start.

Have fun!

 

[Lil Sebastian Cossa]

Hey all,

Not really sure if this is thread worthy, but I just wanted to share. As a non traditional hockey fan background (black, lower middle class, military brat when growing up), I always felt a bit apprehensive about starting to skate. While I would consider myself a fairly gifted athlete, having played football at a D1 Collegiate program, the concept of that level of balance and foot speed scared me, as I'm the type of guy who could barely stay on a skateboard before bailing.

Combined with it being cost prohibitive until fairly recently in my life, and not living in an area with many rinks, hockey always seemed destined to be a sport I could enjoy as a spectator but never a participant. Thankfully however, another hockey fan at work found out I liked it, and after a bit of coaxing, convinced me to go to an open rink with him... and it was a blast.

I was nowhere near as fast as I wanted to be, and probably looked like an idiot when trying to stop (I actually fell several times lol), but the rush of the cold air hitting your face as you hauled (or in my case, attempted to) up and down the ice was an adrenaline rush I hadn't gotten since my last snap my senior year on the field.

I actually plan on trying to go at least twice a week from now on, both as a form of cardio (lineman diet and officestyle life = me being a lard ass right now), and with the eventual goal of hopefully being competent enough to play on a beer league team.

Again, not sure if this is thread worthy, but I just wanted to share my story of another long time fan finally getting to experience aspects of the game. If anyone cares, I will keep you updated. My goal is to be a good enough skater in three months to at least play a defensive defenseman role without being a complete oaf.

This is pretty awesome actually. Always good to hear about new people trying it out.

And you'll be way further ahead than most. It's a unique skill to get down, but you've had to do some things that required a ton of balance already with football. Just give it some time and you'll pick it up. I was a terrible skater when I started and now in net, I move better than 90% of goalies in the league, even in crap gear. Hell, look at a guy like Darren Helm. He's one of the best couple hundred hockey players on the face of the planet right now and he falls all the time. You only look stupid when you fall if you don't get back up again.

E: Also, I know you from the Wings board, are you anywhere near SE Michigan?

 

[Hatter of the Beach]

Hey all, thanks for the encouragement and kind words. I went again with my work friend and stayed for about an hour. Progress is slow, but I finally was able to stop on my own accord instead of waiting for my speed to run down bracing myself on the board, and fell down a bit less. My friend brought a hockey stick and I shot a few stationarys. Hard but inaccurate (think Martin Frk lol), and was only manage to skate a few strides with the stick, but I bought some roller blades and plan on practicing in my off days in my basement. Still hopeful, though I may have to adjust the timeline.

Looking to buy my own gear soon and continue. I looked and unfortunately not many beginner skating leagues, but I googled some drills on youtube and will try to coach myself. Thank you all for the encouragement, and hope one day I'll be able to know what it feels like to play in a (albeit very low talent level) game!

This is pretty awesome actually. Always good to hear about new people trying it out.

And you'll be way further ahead than most. It's a unique skill to get down, but you've had to do some things that required a ton of balance already with football. Just give it some time and you'll pick it up. I was a terrible skater when I started and now in net, I move better than 90% of goalies in the league, even in crap gear. Hell, look at a guy like Darren Helm. He's one of the best couple hundred hockey players on the face of the planet right now and he falls all the time. You only look stupid when you fall if you don't get back up again.

E: Also, I know you from the Wings board, are you anywhere near SE Michigan?

Hey man, thanks for the encouragement and great mindset. Yeah, I'm not afraid of falling as long as progress being made, I just look funny when I do, but I'll get over it.

I actually am in the suburbs of Atlanta now, hence not a lot of rinks. The reason I cheered for the Red Wings is my parents are originally from Southfield, so after catching a few games and realized the then Thrashers sucked, felt the Wings would be my team. I didn't get super into it until streams were getting more and more common place though, as I could normally always catch national games.

 

[Hatter of the Beach]

Hey all, thanks for the encouragement and kind words. I went again with my work friend and stayed for about an hour. Progress is slow, but I finally was able to stop on my own accord instead of waiting for my speed to run down bracing myself on the board, and fell down a bit less. My friend brought a hockey stick and I shot a few stationarys. Hard but inaccurate (think Martin Frk lol), and was only manage to skate a few strides with the stick, but I bought some roller blades and plan on practicing in my off days in my basement. Still hopeful, though I may have to adjust the timeline.

Looking to buy my own gear soon and continue. I looked and unfortunately not many beginner skating leagues, but I googled some drills on youtube and will try to coach myself. Thank you all for the encouragement, and hope one day I'll be able to know what it feels like to play in a (albeit very low talent level) game!

This is pretty awesome actually. Always good to hear about new people trying it out.

And you'll be way further ahead than most. It's a unique skill to get down, but you've had to do some things that required a ton of balance already with football. Just give it some time and you'll pick it up. I was a terrible skater when I started and now in net, I move better than 90% of goalies in the league, even in crap gear. Hell, look at a guy like Darren Helm. He's one of the best couple hundred hockey players on the face of the planet right now and he falls all the time. You only look stupid when you fall if you don't get back up again.

E: Also, I know you from the Wings board, are you anywhere near SE Michigan?

Hey man, thanks for the encouragement and great mindset. Yeah, I'm not afraid of falling as long as progress being made, I just look funny when I do, but I'll get over it.

I actually am in the suburbs of Atlanta now, hence not a lot of rinks. The reason I cheered for the Red Wings is my parents are originally from Southfield, so after catching a few games and realized the then Thrashers sucked, felt the Wings would be my team. I didn't get super into it until streams were getting more and more common place though, as I could normally always catch national games.

 

[Dueling Banjos]

Get a hockey pad for off ice stick handling drills and for shooting. You ll obviously also need a couple of pucks for shooting and a green biscuit puck for stick handling.

It's a lot of fun, mainly for a beginner and you ll progress much faster.

 

[Lil Sebastian Cossa]

Hey all, thanks for the encouragement and kind words. I went again with my work friend and stayed for about an hour. Progress is slow, but I finally was able to stop on my own accord instead of waiting for my speed to run down bracing myself on the board, and fell down a bit less. My friend brought a hockey stick and I shot a few stationarys. Hard but inaccurate (think Martin Frk lol), and was only manage to skate a few strides with the stick, but I bought some roller blades and plan on practicing in my off days in my basement. Still hopeful, though I may have to adjust the timeline.

Looking to buy my own gear soon and continue. I looked and unfortunately not many beginner skating leagues, but I googled some drills on youtube and will try to coach myself. Thank you all for the encouragement, and hope one day I'll be able to know what it feels like to play in a (albeit very low talent level) game!



Hey man, thanks for the encouragement and great mindset. Yeah, I'm not afraid of falling as long as progress being made, I just look funny when I do, but I'll get over it.

I actually am in the suburbs of Atlanta now, hence not a lot of rinks. The reason I cheered for the Red Wings is my parents are originally from Southfield, so after catching a few games and realized the then Thrashers sucked, felt the Wings would be my team. I didn't get super into it until streams were getting more and more common place though, as I could normally always catch national games.

Seriously, do not worry about falling at all. Guys in Never-ever leagues or beginners leagues? They are awful at hockey. I don't mean this as a bad thing, though. They're all learning and jumping in just like you. Most people in the league you'd find are just trying to stay on their skates, same as you.

Definitely take advantage of any drop-ins you can find. Most guys who play hockey are cool with helping new people and you can tell the dickheads who will give you crap from a mile away.

 

[tarheelhockey]

This is particularly cool because of the cross-sport angle. HF sometimes has threads about what it would be like for [insert sport] athletes to try hockey, but we rarely get to see someone actually make an effort to do it. Your experience is going to end up being very interesting.

 

[cowboy82nd]

Hey all, thanks for the encouragement and kind words. I went again with my work friend and stayed for about an hour. Progress is slow, but I finally was able to stop on my own accord instead of waiting for my speed to run down bracing myself on the board, and fell down a bit less. My friend brought a hockey stick and I shot a few stationarys. Hard but inaccurate (think Martin Frk lol), and was only manage to skate a few strides with the stick, but I bought some roller blades and plan on practicing in my off days in my basement. Still hopeful, though I may have to adjust the timeline.

Looking to buy my own gear soon and continue. I looked and unfortunately not many beginner skating leagues, but I googled some drills on youtube and will try to coach myself. Thank you all for the encouragement, and hope one day I'll be able to know what it feels like to play in a (albeit very low talent level) game!



Hey man, thanks for the encouragement and great mindset. Yeah, I'm not afraid of falling as long as progress being made, I just look funny when I do, but I'll get over it.

I actually am in the suburbs of Atlanta now, hence not a lot of rinks. The reason I cheered for the Red Wings is my parents are originally from Southfield, so after catching a few games and realized the then Thrashers sucked, felt the Wings would be my team. I didn't get super into it until streams were getting more and more common place though, as I could normally always catch national games.

Where in ATL do you live and what rink do you skate at? I live in Newnan and try to get to the Ice Forum every now and then.

 

[RibFrabcus]

This is cool man, keep us updated. Nothing like playing your first game.