Beer league mistakes and tips

[Pog Form]

Of course I'm open to all feedback, but I think this is directed to more experienced players--guys who have played higher level hockey in the past--but are spending their days on the beer league circuit now. I got this idea from reading through some other threads in this forum and thought it might be worthy of its own space.

What are some common mistakes that you notice guys making in lower level (C,D) beer leagues? And what are some simple tips for these types of players to remember when they're out on the ice that might help improve their game?

I'm talking simple, fundamental, things that guys who went through the hockey system growing up would just take for granted, but guys who picked up the game later on (and maybe never received any coaching) might have trouble with or not even think of.

I'm trying to think of an example but I'm having trouble (probably because I'm one of the benders I'm trying to help with this thread!). Maybe something like, "Remember to have a look around you before you go into the corner to retrieve the puck".

Fire away.

Click to read more...

 

[Sharp Skates]

Don't play the puck when the guy coming at you has his head down.

 

[9Rocket]

Don't make rink turns.

 

[Hockeyfan68]

Stop on the puck ... every pro does it and it is so simple to do you do not have to know anything more than how to stop on your skates.

When you lose the puck STOP and go back in the direction it is going to try and get it back from the guy who took it.

I see lots of people lose a puck or make a bad pass to the other team and give up a 3 on 1 or whatever. When they do this they make a wide turn looking at the ceiling in disgust instead of STOPPING and getting back in the play.

The quickest way back to the puck is stop and go that way where it is now going.

Many time you can help out the mistake you made this way by getting in the play, picking up a man by back checking and maybe even causing a turnover and YOUR team goes down and scores.

But yeah it is called "stopping on the puck" and that is what it means. It is simple to do and will make you a better player.

Good players don't look at the ceiling and sigh and moan after they lose the puck, they go get it back. The time you waste making a big circle trailing the play and watching your puck you just gave up is a huge waste of time and space.

This also applies to scoring chances where the goalie makes a save and if you had stopped on the puck you would have been there for the reboiund instead of in the corner of the rink looking at the ceiling in disgust.

 

[TheSandman]

Stop on the puck ... every pro does it and it is so simple to do you do not have to know anything more than how to stop on your skates.

When you lose the puck STOP and go back in the direction it is going to try and get it back from the guy who took it.

I see lots of people lose a puck or make a bad pass to the other team and give up a 3 on 1 or whatever. When they do this they make a wide turn looking at the ceiling in disgust instead of STOPPING and getting back in the play.

The quickest way back to the puck is stop and go that way where it is now going.

Many time you can help out the mistake you made this way by getting in the play, picking up a man by back checking and maybe even causing a turnover and YOUR team goes down and scores.

But yeah it is called "stopping on the puck" and that is what it means. It is simple to do and will make you a better player.

Good players don't look at the ceiling and sigh and moan after they lose the puck, they go get it back. The time you waste making a big circle trailing the play and watching your puck you just gave up is a huge waste of time and space.

This also applies to scoring chances where the goalie makes a save and if you had stopped on the puck you would have been there for the reboiund instead of in the corner of the rink looking at the ceiling in disgust.

That's a great tip - perfect for this thread. I think this has to do with inherent laziness; it's easier to keep on coasting than it is to stop all of your hard earned forward momentum and pump your legs to get going the other way again.

 

[BadHammy*]

1) Don't skate past the net- stop right in front of it and stay there.

2) Stick handle with your HEAD UP. I've seen plenty of concussions, in non-checking leagues, due to this. Teammates and the boards will end your beer league career if you don't learn to do this.

3) AGILITY. So many C'ish level players are plenty fast, but don't particularly turn or skate backwards nearly as well. Obviously, as a forward, backward skating is less important, but work hard on crossovers and stopping at full speed and with the puck.

 

[Hockeyfan68]

That's a great tip - perfect for this thread. I think this has to do with inherent laziness; it's easier to keep on coasting than it is to stop all of your hard earned forward momentum and pump your legs to get going the other way again.

That is true what you said and you reminded me of something else you see too much of and that is a guy who isn't skating sees a loose puck and he would have been there if he had been skating.

You see it often, a guy coasting and the play changes and a puck comes loose and THEN he throttles up and skates hard more often than not too late to do anything with it.

Also ... in beer leagues you see guys out there too long and not fresh which makes them less effective ... relatively speaking. Someone should be able to play all out for a 2 minutes shift in a beer league and then change. If you are out there for longer than that you are ice hogging.

Guys always "want their ice" so they think staying out there all day is getting their money's worth. If they (EVERYONE playing) had changed more often they would have as much time out there and a better quality shift which equates to more fun.

I don't know how being out of gas when you could have scored and didn't could possibly be any fun at all.

 

[predfan24]

I've been on so many teams where if they could do these fews things the team would be infinitely better and would be more fun to play with.

- Keep your head up. Learn to handle the puck with your head up. Stop trying to deke everyone with your head down all game. You suck and your going to lose the puck.

- Learn to find the open man and make a good pass to him

- Catch the puck

- Freaking Skate! I've been on so many teams with lazy forwards. Never backcheck and leave the D-men on an island by themselves and when we do get the puck with time to make a good breakout pass everyone is standing around not making themselves available. What are forwards good for if they don't skate? Move your lazy ass.


These simple things will make you a 100000 percent better beer league player. Especially if your a C or D leaguer. If you can do these things you will be the "man"

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Of course I'm open to all feedback, but I think this is directed to more experienced players--guys who have played higher level hockey in the past--but are spending their days on the beer league circuit now. I got this idea from reading through some other threads in this forum and thought it might be worthy of its own space.

Fire away.

Improve anticipation

Anticipation is what separates good players from avg. ones. When you are on the bench, imagine you are on the ice and place yourself in a teammate's skates - what would you do if you were him on each particular play?

- If he makes a mistake, learn from it and figure out what you would have done differently.

- If he makes a good play, keep it in your memory banks for when you are in a similar situation.

Improve your on ice vision

Most avg. players can see one teammate and one defender at any one time. To improve your on ice vision, get in the habit of scanning the entire ice every shift. You should be able to quickly glance around the ice and anticipate where everyone is going, without having to take your eyes off the puck.

It sounds simple, but very few people can see the ice very well. This skill alone will make you a much better player.

Train with your opposite hand

Almost every player, including pros have a weaker skating side.

If you are lefty, skate around with a right handed stick or vice versa. Practice your stops and crossovers on your weaker side this way. It will dramatically improve your weaker skating side when you do it consistently.

You are essentially training your brain to make your weak side a strength.

 

[rinkrat22]

always try to be an option for a teammate with the puck...and being an option for your teammate might take you away from a scoring area, puck possesion is more important at this time.puck support and how you skate with out the puck is just as important as how you skate with the puck.

skate with your stick on the ice, if I rip a pass to you it helps to have a target where you want the puck.also I may have a split second to decide to pass or not, if your not ready for it the chance may evaporate that quickly too.

stay with your check in the d-zone dont chase the puck all over, many times I have had a teammate decide to leave his man in front of the net to "help" cover a player in the corner leaving somone alone in front of our net.

 

[CaptBrannigan]

Know where you're supposed to be and what you're supposed to be doing during and right after every faceoff. If you're suposed to cover a point, do it quick. If you're supposed to get in fornt of the net, get there quick.

I also see a lot of guys never go into the circle to help the center on a neutral draw. If the puck is for grabs, get in there.

 

[mooseOAK*]

Biggest mistake I see at the lower levels is that when one guy gets the puck then the rest of the team tends to stop and watch instead of trying to move to a position to help and that is offensively and defensively.

For a tip, remember to bring the beer!

 

[NewFang]

It's been said already, but give your teammates options when you don't have the puck, and KEEP YOUR STICK ON THE ICE. People need to know where to pass the puck.

 

[Devil Dancer]

Two tips for beginners:

1. Keep your shifts short. Two minute shifts piss off your teammates and hurt your effectiveness.

2. Forget the one-timer. Stop the pass and take a little more time to set up your shot properly. At the C-D level your one timer probably sucks, and you're more likely to shank the puck and cause a turnover than you are to get a decent shot off.

 

[Jarick]

Biggest things I see are:

- players don't get themselves open, and often they'll skate behind the other team and call for a pass

- players are either chasing the puck around in the D zone or out in no man's land, either play your zone or play your man

- not moving the puck in the O zone, especially when the points are open, a lot of times they just dump it towards the goalie and nothing happens

- getting sucked in too deep resulting in odd man rushes the other way

- bad line changes, I often see guys stuck on the ice for 2-3 minutes because they want to score when they come up the ice rather than going off for a change, then they get stuck in their end when the puck goes the other way

- generally bad skills, poor puck handling, weak shots, soft passes, bad skating, etc...that can always be improved

 

[CanadaBacon]

The biggest mistake you can make in beer league is taking it too seriously. It is suppose to be fun, not the minor pros.

 

[BadHammy*]

The biggest mistake you can make in beer league is taking it too seriously. It is suppose to be fun, not the minor pros.

To me, that's the big problem. Some guys are playing every game like it's game 7 of the Cup Final while some are completely goofing off. It creates real tension, fast.

 

[Mo Show]

When you have the puck you have way more time then you think.

 

[K-PAX*]

slap shots 5ft+ off the ground with traffic in front of the net

i dont like it when goalies whine when you shoot it high but when theres guys in front of the net keep it low al macinnis

 

[BadHammy*]

When you have the puck you have way more time then you think.

Good tip- don't rush decisions with the puck. But don't get too comfortable either.

 

[Steelhead16]

Dump and chase. Most beer league guys can skate a lot faster without the puck. And many of the defenseman have trouble transitioning from backwards to forwards skating. Hit the red line, dump the puck in the corner and get going. 90% of the time you will blow right and regain control of the puck. What is your percentage of keeping the the puck when you carry it in? Make sure your linemates bust into the slot and you will get a lot more scoring chances.

 

[nullterm]

In the defensive zone, don't start skating out or past the hash marks until the breakout starts moving the puck up and out of the zone. Be there as support to give the defense options to pass to to be able to start the breakout.

The classic mistake is "Oh, the D-man has the puck!" and the forwards all skate to the neutral zone while it's still deep in your zone. Which is bad if the other team has a decent forecheck.

 

[noobman]

In the defensive zone, don't start skating out or past the hash marks until the breakout starts moving the puck up and out of the zone. Be there as support to give the defense options to pass to to be able to start the breakout.

The classic mistake is "Oh, the D-man has the puck!" and the forwards all skate to the neutral zone while it's still deep in your zone. Which is bad if the other team has a decent forecheck.

It annoys me when I'm on D and I see all three of my forwards standing at the opposing blueline waiting for the stretch pass. One guy needs to stay close as the conservative passing outlet. I make sure that I'm *always* that guy as a forward.

Ironically enough, I never get the puck standing in this position, because the D would apparently rather force a stretch pass with no passing lane than try a conservative breakout

 

[rinkrat22]

In the defensive zone, don't start skating out or past the hash marks until the breakout starts moving the puck up and out of the zone. Be there as support to give the defense options to pass to to be able to start the breakout.

The classic mistake is "Oh, the D-man has the puck!" and the forwards all skate to the neutral zone while it's still deep in your zone. Which is bad if the other team has a decent forecheck.

its great as a dman when you get a loose puck near your net turn to go behind the net for an escape move you look up and see all 3forewards backs as they leave the zone. I mean we're not playing football and Im not Favre so going deep usually dont work boys.

 

[Bob Cole]

be PATIENT with the puck...take a look before you pass or decide to just shoot it down the ice.