Beginners: Tips for Beginners

[The Spicy Shrimp]

It's all about looks. Get a sweet tinted visor, get some nice white skates (tongues out), get some flashy gloves (white preferably) and really work on your toe drags. The rest will take care of itself.

You forgot yellow laces. And your gloves had better be Warrior Hitman or better. How else will people know you're badass?

 

[FiveAndAGame]

You forgot yellow laces. And your gloves had better be Warrior Hitman or better. How else will people know you're badass?

Definitely need Warriors. Don't forget the latest Warrior stick with all the stupid graphics. Maybe even consider a mirrored visor so your opponents can watch themselves get beat by your amazing moves.

 

[kr580]

Definitely need Warriors. Don't forget the latest Warrior stick with all the awesome graphics. Maybe even consider a mirrored visor so your opponents can watch themselves get beat by your amazing moves.

Fixed. Great advice.

 

[Headcoach]

Go with a street hockey puck.

Depends. If you have time to get out to a rink and skate then don't worry about roller blading. If you don't, well, any skating is better than no skating. The thing to remember though is that on roller blades, the edge is about 5 times bigger and you can't stop.

Yeah, I wish I had nothing but roller hockey kids on the ice as my team! Why? Because they don't know how to stop! Trying to get my players to keep moving their legs instead of coasting or standing still can sometimes be a pain in the....

I don't know how many players I have seen over the years that get blown away as someone passes by them with the puck and they are standing there looking, wondering where did that guy come from...that look on their face.

If you are at a stand still, you are going to waste more energy getting back up to speed, then if you had just kept your feet moving. To catch up and back checking, is going to deplete what energy you just had, coming off the bench.

No, I'm not saying that this is going to happen on your first shift. But, a lot of players don't know how to conserve their energy, and coasting and standing around is not one of them. Now, will you have to stop? Yes, that's part of the game. But, for some odd reason, in-line players really know how to use that disadvantage of not knowing how to stop when they are on the ice. It saves me a lot of time teaching these players how to cycle.


Head coach

 

[PerpetualTankYear]

Hey guys, Im young. 14. And play D.
I use a 87 flex Bauer x60 with a Malkin Curve.

Im 5'11 (off skates) but only 135 LBS. But im pretty strong for my age.

Do you guys think that the 87 flex is a bit much?

I like it, more than my 75 flex and 65 flex sticks. But just looking for others oppinions.

Thanks in advance.

 

[budster]

Well the idea you shouldn't stickhandle with a ball for one. Think Crosby avoided playing street hockey because it might mess up his stickhandling? Doubt it. Or picking a hockey stick based off your weight with no regard to height or stick length. Or taking up some kind of off-ice training program (remember...it's beginners, not people trying to make the travel team).

If I were to pick four skills essential for hockey, it'd be skating, puck handling, passing, and shooting. You want to work on those. The best way to work is to just play as much as possible. Get a Smart Hockey ball and stickhandle on a tennis court. Bounce a tennis ball off the garage door in your driveway. Get a bucket of pucks and shoot at a net, or a tarp, or a board.

Mainly, just play and have fun and don't worry about the details!

Man I looked at this and thought I must have written it...Jarick you and I see eye to eye. I CANNOT stand it when people discourage new players from the sport because they don't have all the perfect equipment or set up. If Jamaica listened to this kind of advice they would never have formed a bobsled team!

 

[pass the bisk]

You guys realize that I started this thread as TIPS to beginner players. I'm not saying they have to do things listed, they are suggestions that will help players get into the fast lane when developing as a player.

 

[Defgarden]

I'm a pretty new skater. Haven't played any games beyond the pickup that the clinics would do. I will say though that since I started a skating class, my skating skills have picked up dramatically. I'm not even through with it, but it's so much better having someone there who can critique your skills and give you feedback, as well as show you how things are supposed to be done.

If you can't skate very well or at all, I would suggest a class if one is available to you! It's like night and day for me. The best part is I know exactly what to work on when I go to public skates now.

 

[izzy3]

You guys realize that I started this thread as TIPS to beginner players. I'm not saying they have to do things listed, they are suggestions that will help players get into the fast lane when developing as a player.

with all due respect, there is no fast lane, don't tell anyone, there is. in nothing, not just hockey. any player will develop fast, if he puts in the hours of practice. no player, not even the most talented one will develop fast without sweat and hard work. i don't think there is a secret formula to anything. oh there is: PRACTICE, and that's it.

i love the advice on these boards, because it helped me not to make the same mistakes as my buddies when learning to play, but any "fast lane" formula proved to be false.

as for the ball vs puck debate: well i'd like to hit the ice everyday too, but i see no ice in the summer, so i played inlinehockey with both ball and puck. it did help me to develop my stick feel (eg i can now catch the ball/puck midair about 20% of the times, vs 0% in the spring) i developped on my hockey sense in a way that i never thought was possible, and can actually keep my head up for about 20% of the time i handle the puck.

I use a stickhandling ball and i use a green bisquit, and while it's not a real icehockey puck feel, these are proven tools to help you with your stickhandling, and i am sure i'll be better when getting on the ice this thursday, than all my "hardcore" buddies, who did not want to screw up their skills, and played soccer all sommer.

 

[izzy3]

You forgot yellow laces. And your gloves had better be Warrior Hitman or better. How else will people know you're badass?

what's wrong with warrior? it's just another company making equipment. i happen to have warrior hitman gloves which i got for cheap on sale, going with my other stuff from ccm, reebok and bauer.

being a reverse snob is not better than being one.

 

[ponder]

Hey guys, Im young. 14. And play D.
I use a 87 flex Bauer x60 with a Malkin Curve.

Im 5'11 (off skates) but only 135 LBS. But im pretty strong for my age.

Do you guys think that the 87 flex is a bit much?

I like it, more than my 75 flex and 65 flex sticks. But just looking for others oppinions.

Thanks in advance.

It's personal preference. Like pretty much all 14 year olds you're pretty thin, but with your height still have the leverage to get a good flex in it with proper technique, and you don't have to cut the stick down too much. I personally like sticks on the whippy side, but I know a 5' 6" guy who loves his 110ish flex sticks (obviously way stiffer than 110 when cut down, and it's not like this guy is just clueless, he played Junior A in Vancouver), it really does differ from person to person. At 14 you will quickly be getting bigger and stronger, the x60 is a great stick, it should be fine for you now and especially good as you grow into it (assuming you don't break it too quickly). Besides, if you like your 87 flex more than your 75 and 65 flex sticks it sounds like you've answered your own question!

 

[Jarick]

I hear ya. If I made 80k a year or didn't have a young family to feed I'd probably be rocking ridiculous amounts of custom gear. Last I checked, the guys at the hockey shop didn't ask me how many goals I scored before they sold me something.

If you've got the money and want to splurge, go ahead and do it. You're still doing what you enjoy and doing something with your life rather than sitting around like an a-hole.

Hey guys, Im young. 14. And play D.
I use a 87 flex Bauer x60 with a Malkin Curve.

Im 5'11 (off skates) but only 135 LBS. But im pretty strong for my age.

Do you guys think that the 87 flex is a bit much?

I like it, more than my 75 flex and 65 flex sticks. But just looking for others oppinions.

Thanks in advance.

It's my opinion that stick length is the #1 factor to look at when picking a flex. For your height, if you use an average length stick, 87 flex can work. If you use the flex and have good technique, that is. If you're just powering through the shot and not getting some flex, you may be leaving power on the table, but most importantly, you've tried other flexes and are using what works best for you.

 

[pass the bisk]

with all due respect, there is no fast lane, don't tell anyone, there is. in nothing, not just hockey. any player will develop fast, if he puts in the hours of practice. no player, not even the most talented one will develop fast without sweat and hard work. i don't think there is a secret formula to anything. oh there is: PRACTICE, and that's it.

i love the advice on these boards, because it helped me not to make the same mistakes as my buddies when learning to play, but any "fast lane" formula proved to be false.

as for the ball vs puck debate: well i'd like to hit the ice everyday too, but i see no ice in the summer, so i played inlinehockey with both ball and puck. it did help me to develop my stick feel (eg i can now catch the ball/puck midair about 20% of the times, vs 0% in the spring) i developped on my hockey sense in a way that i never thought was possible, and can actually keep my head up for about 20% of the time i handle the puck.

I use a stickhandling ball and i use a green bisquit, and while it's not a real icehockey puck feel, these are proven tools to help you with your stickhandling, and i am sure i'll be better when getting on the ice this thursday, than all my "hardcore" buddies, who did not want to screw up their skills, and played soccer all sommer.

That is so false that it is stupid.

 

[beth]

Boys...boys...this is a good thread. Don't fight! As a beginner, it's nice to hear specifics about what to work on. And as an adult, we can better scrutinize our technique, so it's good to hear why something might work or not.

Yesterday I was at the rink working on my transitions and stops. I realized that I was making transitions a lot harder on myself by thinking of moving in a straight line. But if I switched from front to back to front making little "3's" on the ice instead of going straight, my body could figure out where to shift the weight. I started off just barely moving, just spinning from frontwards to backwards and frontwards again, just figuring out where all the weight needed to be and what edge to be on. Then, as I practiced, I could do it moving faster. It was like night and day from the way I was doing it before.

Also, I had a total mental block for stopping on my weak side. But yesterday, I zig-zagged *cross-ice* stopping at the red line and blue line, alternating sides. Something about going across the ice rather than down, and thinking I was moving sideways helped to remove that block. I still suck at stopping, but I'm getting better!

 

[trtaylor]

Boys...boys...this is a good thread. Don't fight! As a beginner, it's nice to hear specifics about what to work on. And as an adult, we can better scrutinize our technique, so it's good to hear why something might work or not.

...

I still suck at stopping, but I'm getting better!

Keep working on that stopping!

I recently had the chance to attend a Flyers training camp practice. I was there for 45 minutes and saw them run three drills. The rest of the time they did variations of this:

 

[budster]

I recently had the chance to attend a Flyers training camp practice. I was there for 45 minutes and saw them run three drills. The rest of the time they did variations of this:

I think they call that conditioning. Hehe

 

[beth]

I recently had the chance to attend a Flyers training camp practice. I was there for 45 minutes and saw them run three drills. The rest of the time they did variations of this:

Yep, that looks sorta familiar! I need to figure out how to get both feet involved, and be more confident about it.

 

[nystromshairstylist]

Yep, that looks sorta familiar! I need to figure out how to get both feet involved, and be more confident about it.

Watch this superb video, and practice it over and over and over at public skates until you can stop on either side without thinking.

Go to public skates at off hours which are usually cheap, to get in more ice time. Off-ice training is very helpful but nothing beats being on the ice skating as a means of building up your "muscle-memory."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4f19ZQj_fak

 

[beth]

Watch this superb video, and practice it over and over and over at public skates until you can stop on either side without thinking.

Go to public skates at off hours which are usually cheap, to get in more ice time. Off-ice training is very helpful but nothing beats being on the ice skating as a means of building up your "muscle-memory."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4f19ZQj_fak

Yep, I have seen that one! I can snowplow stop on both sides, I just gotta get that back foot to get involved in the stop. It is not cooperating. I also tend to try to dig in too much too, but I'm slowly getting the angles right.

I go to public skate twice a week during the day and it's 5 bucks. Usually its just me and maybe a few figure skaters at the most. A lot of times I have the ice to myself. Though sometimes I worry that I'll knock myself out somehow and noone will be around to save me.

 

[izzy3]

That is so false that it is stupid.

then why did you shoot 500 pucks a day if there's a fast lane? that sounds a lot of work, when you can just cut corners...

 

[izzy3]

Yep, I have seen that one! I can snowplow stop on both sides, I just gotta get that back foot to get involved in the stop. It is not cooperating.

what helped me achieved that is this small drill of crossovers and then a stop on both sides, like in the intro of youngblood at about 2:20. it will also help your overall balance and crossovers.

 

[kr580]

then why did you shoot 500 pucks a day if there's a fast lane? that sounds a lot of work, when you can just cut corners...

I think you're looking at that the wrong way. The fast track is with practice and a little effort. 500 shots a day seems to be the faster way to learn how to shoot than a few shots at a pickup game once a week. Nothing in hockey will come to you automatically, it takes some work.

Like OP suggested, 100 shots a day will do wonders. I've been playing hockey (and skating) maybe 1/3 the time all my other hockey friends have played and I'm better than most all of them because I put in some effort to practice a little bit and read/watch videos on how to better myself as a hockey player. It doesn't take much more effort but the payoff is that much more rewarding.

 

[beth]

what helped me achieved that is this small drill of crossovers and then a stop on both sides, like in the intro of youngblood at about 2:20. it will also help your overall balance and crossovers.

I've been thinking that I need to try something like that, but was worried I'd trip myself. I'll make myself go do it today.

 

[Copeland]

Speaking of shooting 100 pucks a day... There was a thread where someone mentioned a cheap alternative for those shooting boards or whatever they're called. They said they found it at Home Depot, but I can't remember what it was called or in which thread it was. Anyone remember? I decided to go for puck practice at a tennis court today and, well... the bottom of my blade is veeeery smooth now.

Oh yeah, question... when doing snowplow stop (which I can't do yet, sigh...), are you supposed to use the outside edges or the insides?

 

[beth]

Speaking of shooting 100 pucks a day... There was a thread where someone mentioned a cheap alternative for those shooting boards or whatever they're called. They said they found it at Home Depot, but I can't remember what it was called or in which thread it was. Anyone remember? I decided to go for puck practice at a tennis court today and, well... the bottom of my blade is veeeery smooth now.

Oh yeah, question... when doing snowplow stop (which I can't do yet, sigh...), are you supposed to use the outside edges or the insides?

The cheap alternative I've seen mentioned was whiteboard panels, though I didn't see any at Lowe's when I was there. But funny you should mention it, I stopped by the plastic store today and picked up a sheet of HDPE (sized to fit under my couch). It was $5-something a square foot, though. I haven't had a good chance to test it out yet.

Use your inside edges on a snowplow stop - I'm not even sure you could use the outside edges when your toes are in like that! You'd just pitch yourself right over.

I tried that crossover/stop drill today, and it was hilariously slow. BUT my transitions are getting faster - I made myself switch when I had some speed and amazed myself by remaining upright. Also tried to really focus on getting my ass lower today, and it really helped out my backwards speed - I'm sooo close to my forward speed - I never thought I'd be skating backwards this fast.

I found out that another mom on my son's hockey team is an ex-hockey player who has been wanting to get back into it but was too shy. So I think I may have found my first hockey friend! We're going to talk at practice this weekend and hopefully get together for a skate here soon.