Beginners: The Hockey Noob Chronicles II (Beginners' Thread)

[steev182]

How was the fall? Did it hurt with all the padding now?

 

[bigduga]

How was the fall? Did it hurt with all the padding now?

Not to speak out of turn, but - in my experience - falling on purpose while padded-up doesn't really hurt at all. It's the ones that suprise you that hurt, because you're not braced and ready for the impact.

There's a certain kinesthesia to being an ambulatory human being that just tells you how to fall. Where you find trouble is that odd bit where you don't get deep enough and the wrong edge finds a rut and sends you flailing before your brain knows what happened.

That hurts less with pads, but it still usually hurts.

 

[steev182]

Ah yeah. I found bad edges snowboarding and taken falls that aren't expected!

In other news, my pads, practice jersey, helmet, pants, gloves, stick and everything just got delivered

Can't wait for my first lesson now

 

[BigDuke6]

I would have to agree with bigduga in that you can't really recreate a fall. When I fell on purpose it didn't hurt. For the most part the falls don't hurt when you have all the gear on.

I have fallen backwards a few times, the absolute worst, and those can hurt. But, when you are working on tight turns or cross overs and lose an edge that doesn't usually hurt all that much.

One of the things I had to get over when I started last year was trying not to fall. Everyone falls, NHLers fall all the time, it happens. As someone else said, if you aren't pushing yourself and getting outside of your comfort zone, you won't make as much progress.

 

[TickleMeYandle]

One of the things I had to get over when I started last year was trying not to fall. Everyone falls, NHLers fall all the time, it happens. As someone else said, if you aren't pushing yourself and getting outside of your comfort zone, you won't make as much progress.

I watched a game once specifically looking for falls. I figured that if I saw how often the pros fall, it wouldn't make me feel so bad. I noticed that they often fall - but they get up very quickly, so you don't notice it unless you're looking for it. Or, unless they fall very frequently. I forget which game it was, but there was a player who was falling constantly. That was noticeable.

It's sometimes the stupid stuff that we worry about as beginners. I felt stupid because I couldn't reach down and just pick up my stick - I always had to take a knee to be able to grab it. Then I saw Giroux do this exact same thing at a game the other day. I said "oh wow! So that's how you're supposed to do it?" My husband laughed at me and asked what I thought I was supposed to be doing to pick it up. I told him I had thought I was just really inflexible, or poorly balanced that I couldn't get low enough to pick it up without going onto a knee.

I know he thought I was crazy, but it's those things that worry n00bs a lot, I think. I know I'm going to be bad at playing hockey - but I don't want to look silly doing the little things like coming over the boards onto the ice, picking up a stick, etc.!

 

[nightfighter]

One of the things I had to get over when I started last year was trying not to fall. Everyone falls, NHLers fall all the time, it happens. As someone else said, if you aren't pushing yourself and getting outside of your comfort zone, you won't make as much progress.

The key is not so much the falling but learning how to get up quickly, especially when your body is still sliding on the ice. I've had trouble with this in the past but slowly I'm able to get more balance and the leg strength to stand up quickly while I'm sliding on my knees or something.

 

[hockeymass]

I watched a game once specifically looking for falls. I figured that if I saw how often the pros fall, it wouldn't make me feel so bad. I noticed that they often fall - but they get up very quickly, so you don't notice it unless you're looking for it. Or, unless they fall very frequently. I forget which game it was, but there was a player who was falling constantly. That was noticeable.

It's sometimes the stupid stuff that we worry about as beginners. I felt stupid because I couldn't reach down and just pick up my stick - I always had to take a knee to be able to grab it. Then I saw Giroux do this exact same thing at a game the other day. I said "oh wow! So that's how you're supposed to do it?" My husband laughed at me and asked what I thought I was supposed to be doing to pick it up. I told him I had thought I was just really inflexible, or poorly balanced that I couldn't get low enough to pick it up without going onto a knee.

I know he thought I was crazy, but it's those things that worry n00bs a lot, I think. I know I'm going to be bad at playing hockey - but I don't want to look silly doing the little things like coming over the boards onto the ice, picking up a stick, etc.!

Scott Hartnell falls so often they have a website that tracks it:

http://hartnelldown.com/

And he played in the All Star game this year.

 

[Knight]

So I played my 6th ever game this Wednesday. We were down 6-0 after two periods, and lost 6-5. It was almost a historic comeback! It was a pretty fun game. I think I'm really getting the hang of this.

And speaking of falling down, I took a nasty fall at the end of the game. Stepped right on a guys stick and instantly lost my balance. My ass was destroyed, but after waddling around for a few days, it's feeling much better, so I guess nothings broken

Here's a few clips of the game I put together, including the spill:

https://vimeo.com/41513556

 

[steev182]

That's awesome! Had to turn my volume way down to watch it, but can't complain about that.

What do you use for your camera? Isn't it distracting knowing you have that attached to your helmet? It was great seeing you tip in a goal though (so it probably isn't that distracting!).

 

[dpressma]

https://vimeo.com/41513556

"yea I'm alright... think my ass is broken" lol

Awesome video man, great positioning for that goal. I can't wait to get good enough at skating so I can get in some games, but that's a long way down the road. Keep making some videos if it isn't too much trouble!

 

[neksys]

Speaking of falling, I'm taking a stickhandling class through the city. Lots of puck and skating drills, but every class we spend a few minutes learning something about falling.

Sometimes its just falling to your knees and keeping control of the puck, other times its flat on your belly, keeping control that way. But the big thing is what I learned about getting back up: use your stick.

It sounds simple, but almost no-one does it - even the experienced players in our group had a "whoa" moment. All you need to do is get one knee up, rest your stick across it, and push yourself up with your opposite hand on your stick. If you're right handed, get your left leg bent. Put your stick across it, and put down on it with your right hand to spring right up.

You spring right up and sure enough, I see the pros do it all the time.

Maybe you've all figured it out, and maybe we're all dummies in my class, but it's been a huge help to me.

 

[Knight]

What do you use for your camera? Isn't it distracting knowing you have that attached to your helmet? It was great seeing you tip in a goal though (so it probably isn't that distracting!).

I bought a Veho Muvi camcorder off of Amazon, it was perfectly priced for a starving college student, it was only like $40-50. It's not HD quality by any means, but it certainly gets the job done. I superglued a strip of velcro to the front of my helmet, and the back of the tiny camera. So I just velcro it on for gametime It's really tiny, like 2x1", it's barely noticeable.

That was my fourth goal of the season! Three of them were basically that, me mucking around the front of the net, the other was a zero-angle softie. Since I just started in Nov., I still have a lot of time before I'm picking the corners . It's funny, I'm really fast when I get going, but I cough up the puck SO easy.

I guess I'll post a game clip here every week! (And I'll lower the volume too, I forgot about that...)

Oh, and that's a good idea about using the stick as a crutch to get up speedily, I'll remember that next time.

 

[BigDuke6]

Speaking of falling, I'm taking a stickhandling class through the city. Lots of puck and skating drills, but every class we spend a few minutes learning something about falling.

Sometimes its just falling to your knees and keeping control of the puck, other times its flat on your belly, keeping control that way. But the big thing is what I learned about getting back up: use your stick.

It sounds simple, but almost no-one does it - even the experienced players in our group had a "whoa" moment. All you need to do is get one knee up, rest your stick across it, and push yourself up with your opposite hand on your stick. If you're right handed, get your left leg bent. Put your stick across it, and put down on it with your right hand to spring right up.

You spring right up and sure enough, I see the pros do it all the time.

Maybe you've all figured it out, and maybe we're all dummies in my class, but it's been a huge help to me.

Oh yeah, I remember starting out last fall we did the drill where we are just supposed to touch one knee and then pop back up while skating. I'm ok when I touch my right knee down, but always use my stick as leverage when I have to touch my left knee down.

That drill is great comedy for beginners. 75% of the skaters end up on their butt spinning around.

 

[dpressma]

Was my 3rd time out on the ice today. So far both the second time and today when I first step on the ice the first 30 minutes or so is completely useless. I feel like I always regress to the point of not being able to do a single thing without the comfort of the boards. the session is 12:30-2:30 and by 2:00 I usually have the ice to myself or maybe 1 or 2 other people which is really nice. So around 2:00, after spending the entire session up against the boards trying hockey stops with extremely minimal success I decided that now that everybody's gone I'm gonna go try hockey stops out in open ice with no support from the boards. The hardest thing by far for me was just that mental aspect of completely losing it and crashing into the ice in an uncontrollable fit. Well after doing that a couple times I really just didn't care anymore about falling which allowed me to just focus on stopping.

The rink is overlooked by the Flyers pressbox, meeting rooms, training rooms, coaches office and a hallway that connects them all. Well at this point I'm going from red line at center to the blue line trying to do a stop at one line then going to the other stopping, etc... While I'm doing my "drill" I keep seeing Giroux and Briere walking back and forth from one room to another. Coolest thing ever. Also saw all of the reporters and cameras sitting in on Laviolette's conference today which was cool. Anyway, by 2:30 I could do a hockey stop on my left side perfectly roughly 50% of the attempts with the other 50% a combination of falling on my ass or stopping but not by ways in which I intended. I still can't do any stops with my right side. Maybe this is common sense but I stopped focusing on turning my feet into position and rather focused on really rotating my hips forward and suddenly I was able to get really good stops with a little bit of a slide and good foot placement. Stopping as I found out today is all in the hips. Wish I figured that out prior to the last 20 minutes of the session, but whatever.

 

[qmechanic]

So around 2:00, after spending the entire session up against the boards trying hockey stops with extremely minimal success I decided that now that everybody's gone I'm gonna go try hockey stops out in open ice with no support from the boards.

It's actually safer to practice hockey stops away from the boards. I once did a hockey stop near the boards, lost an edge, and slammed my knee into the boards. I couldn't stand up and someone had to drive me to a hospital. I wasn't able to bend my knee for a month.

 

[BigDuke6]

Was my 3rd time out on the ice today. So far both the second time and today when I first step on the ice the first 30 minutes or so is completely useless. I feel like I always regress to the point of not being able to do a single thing without the comfort of the boards. the session is 12:30-2:30 and by 2:00 I usually have the ice to myself or maybe 1 or 2 other people which is really nice. So around 2:00, after spending the entire session up against the boards trying hockey stops with extremely minimal success I decided that now that everybody's gone I'm gonna go try hockey stops out in open ice with no support from the boards. The hardest thing by far for me was just that mental aspect of completely losing it and crashing into the ice in an uncontrollable fit. Well after doing that a couple times I really just didn't care anymore about falling which allowed me to just focus on stopping.

The rink is overlooked by the Flyers pressbox, meeting rooms, training rooms, coaches office and a hallway that connects them all. Well at this point I'm going from red line at center to the blue line trying to do a stop at one line then going to the other stopping, etc... While I'm doing my "drill" I keep seeing Giroux and Briere walking back and forth from one room to another. Coolest thing ever. Also saw all of the reporters and cameras sitting in on Laviolette's conference today which was cool. Anyway, by 2:30 I could do a hockey stop on my left side perfectly roughly 50% of the attempts with the other 50% a combination of falling on my ass or stopping but not by ways in which I intended. I still can't do any stops with my right side. Maybe this is common sense but I stopped focusing on turning my feet into position and rather focused on really rotating my hips forward and suddenly I was able to get really good stops with a little bit of a slide and good foot placement. Stopping as I found out today is all in the hips. Wish I figured that out prior to the last 20 minutes of the session, but whatever.

Stopping on the right side has always been a challenge for me. I've worked on it a ton in the last month and it is finally getting to the point where I feel like the work is paying off. You are right about the hips.

 

[TrueBlue86]

Stopping on the right side has always been a challenge for me. I've worked on it a ton in the last month and it is finally getting to the point where I feel like the work is paying off. You are right about the hips.

what do you guys consider 'on the right side'

i have problems stopping with my left foot out front

 

[BigDuke6]

what do you guys consider 'on the right side'

i have problems stopping with my left foot out front

Not sure if this is correct, but I have trouble stopping when my right skate is out front or the lead skate. I have always called that a right foot/right side stop. My left side is my strong side and I've always been better stopping with my left skate out front/leading.

 

[TrueBlue86]

Not sure if this is correct, but I have trouble stopping when my right skate is out front or the lead skate. I have always called that a right foot/right side stop. My left side is my strong side and I've always been better stopping with my left skate out front/leading.

yea that's how i call it too

i have trouble stopping on my left side aghh sucks

 

[Wilch]

It's been almost 8 month now and I still don't really stop on my weak side.

I do, but it's off one foot. I can't do a full two foot hockey stop on my weak side yet.

Also... Got a question for the guys. Is it me, or does your thighs sometimes turn into a nutcracker when you do explosive crossover starts without wearing a jock?

 

[MortUWary]

Okay, I've done enough lurking on this (and the previous iterations of this) thread, I feel that I need to "share my story" with the group...

I grew up playing rollerhockey in my neighborhood. Never ice skated or played ice hockey. After recently losing a family member at the end of 2011 and turning 34 in February, I told myself that I need to start living and doing what I've always wanted to do: play ice hockey.

I had gotten skates last year, had them baked and sharpened and never used them. Enough was enough. I called the local rink and got matched up with a great hockey coach to work on my skating. He was pushing me from the first lesson to leave my comfort zone and work on hockey stops, edges and proper technique for skating backwards. He was tough, but encouraging and EXTREMELY patient.

Two weeks ago, I learned that another rink does an Adult Clinic on Tuesday nights, which included 20 minutes of skating drills, 20 minutes of stickhandling drills and a 40 minute scrimmage. I was curious to see if I could hang or if I would be completely out of place, so I went to check it out. The guy who runs it immediately quelled my fears, explaining that everyone is here to get better. Skill levels ranged from novice (like me) to college players in their off-season to some 40-somethings sharpening their skills. I was sold.

Last Tuesday, I packed up the equipment that I had been accumulating during recent sales/deals off of icewarehouse, hockeymonkey and hockeygiant. I read threads on getting dressed, stick-taping methods, etc... It was a long and unproductive day at work, as I was waiting for 10 pm to come. I got to the rink early (around 9:30) to give myself enough time to dress. I was able to do it in about 10 minutes. Small victory.

I hit the ice and try to stickhandle for the first time since playing organized rollerhockey in college. What a difference. Forget about keeping my head up, I need to get comfortable keeping control of the puck first! I take a few laps handling the puck and get the courage to rip a few wrist shots from 15 feet out. Not completely horrible. I was encouraged. Coach blows the whistle and lines all 25-30 guys up at the goal line. Time for drills.

As the drills started, I reverted back to my first skating lesson 8 weeks earlier: hesitant and not breathing. I was so concerned about failure that I wasn't engaged in the drills. One of the coaches pulled me aside and I told him this was my first time on the ice. He reassured me and told me to keep things simple. Focus on working on one thing at a time and HAVE FUN. Good advice and probably what I needed to hear at that moment.

After making it through 5 or 6 drills, we split up into white vs. non-white jerseys to scrimmage. Instead of seizing up like I did with the start of drills, I decide to think of my journey and how this is the beginning of what I hope to do in the Fall: play in a men's league. When my line is up, I was playing LW and I had a very non-descript shift. Focused on holding my position and making short accurate passes. It was only a 60 second shift, but I was gassed when I got to the bench. Heartrate was already elevated from the excitement and I definitely needed the short shift (all other shifts were whistled in 2 minute increments by the ref).

Things got interesting at the end of my second shift (playing RW) when I chipped the puck off of the left defenseman's stick at the blueline in our defensive zone. I heard my bench yelling "SKATE IT OUT!" and I decide to push as hard as I could. I glance up and see the right D closing in on me at center ice and my left winger tapping his stick. I pull the puck to my right and sweep a backhand pass right to the LW's tape. I almost stopped skating and admired the luck of that accuracy, LOL. It was such a fluke. He ended up blowing the shot, but I got some kudos when I got to the bench. Definitely started enjoying myself.

As we played on, I got to take a few draws (went 4 of 5!) including a defensive zone draw, which I won a little too strong and put on our goalie. Luckily, he was paying attention! The ref calls out for the final shift and I'm on the ice. They start cycling the puck and I notice their right D pinching, so I go to the slot where their center is parked and awaiting a pass. As I get behind him, I see the pass released and time a perfect stick lift. The puck went right across us. No doubt, I had a Kool-aid smile going on after that one. So play goes on and the ref starts counting down from 10. The puck goes behind the net and I head to the corner by the blue line. The d-man passes along the boards and I go to stop the puck and skate it out to ice the victory, except... I started skating a little too soon and deflected a perfect pass to the opposition. As I crossover to backcheck, I faceplant and get to watch a clear breakaway as the ref stops counting at 4. Our goalie doesn't bite on the deke and the shot is released -- hits the crossbar! We won.

I was exhilarated and exhausted. Got some pats on the head for the stick lift and chop to the shins from the goalie for causing the breakaway at the end, which was completely deserved. All in all, it was a blast. I'm getting ready to go back tonight and I'll keep you guys (and girls) posted on my progress. Thanks for the stories and letting me share mine.

 

[SiberianBull]

MortUWary - great story man! I wish i didn't live in such a hockey-barren town... from your descriptions those adult clinics are just what I need. My skating is def stronger than my stick handling/hockey sense, and it's hard to combine the two in the absence of in-game situations.

dpressma - I am in the same boat as most other posters... no problem doing hockey stops with right foot leading, but having trouble with left foot leading. Same with crossovers and c-cuts - stronger going left but feels awkward going right. I think the only answer is practice, practice, practice. Yesterday I just did blue line to blue line sprints/stops alternating stopping with my strong side and weak side. The biggest problem I am having on my weak side when stopping is rotating that back foot over and using its outside edge.

 

[donkers*]

When you skate your warm up laps go clockwise instead of counter clockwise. Sounds like you just need to skate on your right outside edge more.

 

[TrueBlue86]

When you skate your warm up laps go clockwise instead of counter clockwise. Sounds like you just need to skate on your right outside edge more.

yea i've noticed this too

too bad public skates flow to the left 95% of the time

at my university's public skate we're supposed to switch half way through but it's more like 75% counter clockwise and sometimes no switching at all

but yea, turning to the right def does help weak side crossovers a lot

 

[qmechanic]

too bad public skates flow to the left 95% of the time

at my university's public skate we're supposed to switch half way through but it's more like 75% counter clockwise and sometimes no switching at all

You can still work on your "bad" edges, even if you're skating counterclockwise around the rink. Check out these videos from m2hockey.





Try doing these while skating around the rink. (But be careful not to collide with anyone coming from behind you!) Good luck.