Starting to skate

[Noob59]

I’ve just started hockey and skating and I’ve gone to a couple pickup hockey sessions and milled around. The guys I’ve played with are pretty good about giving me advice but it’s mainly with passing skills and stuff like that. My biggest concern is skating but I’m also a veterinary student so funds are tight and I can’t afford a skating class. YouTube has been some help but I can’t always do any of those simple drills during pickup hockey. Any tips? Am I just going to have to pay an extra $9 a week for the sticks and puck session?

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[Fremitus Borealis]

I mean, $9 for stick & puck will start to add up, but if you're starting out from square one, it's more worth your time/money than jumping right into pickup hockey. Depending on where you live, I'd ask around (maybe the guys at the rink box office, or someone from pickup) and see if they or someone they know wouldn't mind coming out to a few stick and pucks to help you out while working on their own stuff. There are some great online video series out there to help, but nothing will ever beat having a live human being there with you who can give you suggestions realtime. Actual lessons are obviously the best way to do this, but as you say, those are cost-prohibitive for a lot of us. But like I said, ask around, you never know, and in my experience, most adults who bother going to stick and puck time are happy to help a n00b out, whether it's genuine kindness or liking to show off maybe depending on the person

 

[Noob59]

Yeah maybe I’ll ask around. And I figured $9-$10/week for awhile would replace beer night for awhile haha. Also any tips for sore feet? I’m a plus size ex college football player and even when I take breaks my feet are on fire.

 

[Noob59]

Thanks for the advice!!

 

[EightyOne]

Yeah maybe I’ll ask around. And I figured $9-$10/week for awhile would replace beer night for awhile haha. Also any tips for sore feet? I’m a plus size ex college football player and even when I take breaks my feet are on fire.

You'll be better served going to stick and pucks and just finding an area to focus on skating for a hour than getting zero experience at pick up games. Don't even worry about shooting or puck handling--in fact, learn to skate better WITHOUT a stick--I love skating with a stick but that is because I can cheat and use it for counter balancing. Skate without it when learning.

$10/week is nothing. If you eventually get into a real rec league, that is gonna cost you at least double that for 1 game a week.

Hockey is expensive. Full stop. You need ice and you gotta pay someone for it. Ain't no $25 football that lasts 10 years of street games.


As a big dude who just started skating again after a 10 year gap...your feet are gonna hurt a certain amount for awhile. You are using muscles and bones in ways that are new. You shouldn't be crippled after a session, but significant discomfort might be normal. If after a good chunk of hours 5-10, you are having similar or worsening conditions, it might be improper form or skates or just need to lose some extra weight.

 

[beakerboy]

I don't know where you go to school, but if your school has a rink, you might be able to get reduced price or free skating as a student. Back in the days of the dinosaur when I went to school, the public skates were basically empty and I'm sure I would've been able to take a stick and puck out there if I talked to the attendant.

As for the rest, I'd definitely say get out to an open skate (cheaper than stick and puck) and just work on edgework, transitions and quick starts and stops. Those things will help you a lot more than any stickhandling or passing drills you might do at a stick and puck.

 

[SeanConn]

bend your knees... by far the best advice one can give a new skater.

 

[Yukon Joe]

New to hockey this last year, but I'd been sporadically skating the last 5 years or so.

OP, the cheapest option (depending on where you live) is next winter to just head to outdoor ice. It's free. Failing that try to find just some public skating - no sticks or pucks. It's often free as well, or should be even cheaper than stick and puck.

Just go out and skate. Don't worry about a stick and puck at all. Work on starts, stops, turns, backwards, edgework - all the stuff from the Youtube videos you've seen.

I don't want to discourage you from playing pickup hockey - that's still lots of fun. But yeah it's hard to play hard when you're worried you won't stop going into the corner, so working on your skating is important in getting the most out of the game.