I am planning to go into a hockey league next year (minimal contact league ... only one i could find)
Of course a lot of cardio and a good bit of weight training are in order but is there anything I am missing?
I can skate fairly well, stopping is a bit of a problem as the trust of skates isn't very well.. haha, but balance is a bit off which is understood for more of a "new" skater so in that case, is there any great way to get better balance for on-ice off-ice?
Thanks.
Getting into Hockey...?
Moderators: Boss Man, cassiegose
Re: Getting into Hockey...?
I think conditioning/resistance exercise can help with that.
I think Swanso can help with ideas or you can check out some Youtube.
I think Swanso can help with ideas or you can check out some Youtube.
Re: Getting into Hockey...?
God damnit. LOL. I guess it is pretty bad when you fully wipeout when you try to stop with the two legged way like yee-old NHL players doo, And youtube videos are the reason i somehow magically wandered into doing crossovers... LOL but stopping seems to be different cuz as much as i like falling and laughing while falling, i don't tend to trust ability to stop
Re: Getting into Hockey...?
Don't worry about it I was in the same situation a few years back its not that big of a deal. I was always a fast skater but lacked control and the ability to stop, bad combination.
For me it was mostly a mental challange, I watched a lot of games just to watch players skate and visualise their movements and once I knew what I had to do it was just a matter of taking it slowly and building up to full speed stops.
What ways can you stop or want to learn to do?
Best to start with just dragging one skate perpendicular to your direction (facing out not in), its not very effective and can be killer on your groin but its a good way to get control and balance as well as to slow you down.
Next step is to build up speed then favouring your weight on one leg turn the other one in this time and apply a little weight this is similar to the first one however more effective once you can do it switch to the other leg then if you feel ready both at the same time. I have a friend who used to play goal and used this a lot now he has switched to playing D and uses it a lot its pretty good but doesnt stop you dead like a full on spray.
Next step is to go for a full on spray. There is no one way to do it but I found it easiest to start slow and kind of hop into it. glide slowly until you feel good, bend your knees then lift your weight as you twist sideways and lean back. You may just stop dead without even spraying at first but it gets you used to the movement just build it up bit by bit until you become more confident.
Don't worry if it comes time to train with a team and you aren't confident yet. first ever training session i was only 16 but training with a senoir team (3 of them knew I wasn't 18 but kept it secret) i fell twice pretty hard but i got more into as i went on and it got easier although i still came close a few times. I found that actually playing with a team helped a lot more as sometimes you are forced to have to stop so just have to go for it.
I hope this helped and wasn't insulting if you've now done it all by now just thought I'd let you know how i learned, hope it helps. =)
For me it was mostly a mental challange, I watched a lot of games just to watch players skate and visualise their movements and once I knew what I had to do it was just a matter of taking it slowly and building up to full speed stops.
What ways can you stop or want to learn to do?
Best to start with just dragging one skate perpendicular to your direction (facing out not in), its not very effective and can be killer on your groin but its a good way to get control and balance as well as to slow you down.
Next step is to build up speed then favouring your weight on one leg turn the other one in this time and apply a little weight this is similar to the first one however more effective once you can do it switch to the other leg then if you feel ready both at the same time. I have a friend who used to play goal and used this a lot now he has switched to playing D and uses it a lot its pretty good but doesnt stop you dead like a full on spray.
Next step is to go for a full on spray. There is no one way to do it but I found it easiest to start slow and kind of hop into it. glide slowly until you feel good, bend your knees then lift your weight as you twist sideways and lean back. You may just stop dead without even spraying at first but it gets you used to the movement just build it up bit by bit until you become more confident.
Don't worry if it comes time to train with a team and you aren't confident yet. first ever training session i was only 16 but training with a senoir team (3 of them knew I wasn't 18 but kept it secret) i fell twice pretty hard but i got more into as i went on and it got easier although i still came close a few times. I found that actually playing with a team helped a lot more as sometimes you are forced to have to stop so just have to go for it.
I hope this helped and wasn't insulting if you've now done it all by now just thought I'd let you know how i learned, hope it helps. =)