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Beginners
We have special empathy for beginners. The beginning player will be initially overwhelmed. Too much to remember! If you are brand new to hockey and have never even picked up a stick we suggest you look at our Getting Started page. We provide you with a few suggestions on easy ways to get into the game.
Once
you begin to play regularly we think the best way to
improve is to concentrate on one skill area in each game.
The beginner can ask a friend on the team to watch them and provide
feedback.
Here is a list of
game skills which can help the beginning adult hockey player
immediately:
Game
1 -
Offensive
positioning
(am I in the right
place
to score, or to pass?)
Game
2 -
Defensive Position (am I in the right place to defend or break
out?)
Game
3 -
Passing (Can I make my passes without an interception?)
Game
4 -
Skating (Can I make quick turns and speed changes to break free
from opposing players?) Game
5 -
Skating ( Can I skate backwards effectively to stay with the
other team’s attackers?)
Game
6
-
Shooting (Are my shots low and at the corners of the net?)
Game
7
-
Fitness (Am I able to skate strongly in the third period?)
Game
8 -
Stick handling (Can I skate with my head up and pass to open
teammates without watching the puck?)
Every
player will be a member of a team that has a bad year.
By concentrating on an individual skill every game,
a player can improve and have fun even if their team is losing. A beginning player can improve his or her game immediately by improving their skating skills. Work on your skating at open skating at an ice rink or anywhere with your in-line skates. Focus on balance, edges and turning. Skating is neglected as the beginning player attempts to integrate all the skills and aspects of the game. But like babies--you must walk before you can run (or sometimes crawl before you can walk) and the same is true in hockey. A tip here--whatever skills you are working on--do it slowly many times and then pick up speed. So if you are working on turns or crossovers, take them slowly and then increase your speed. "I remember my first organized game as an adult. I played left wing and could not understand where to go on a face-off. I did not realize that those little cross-hatch lines under the ice were where I was supposed to stand. I remember a lot of waving and shouting from my bench . . . ." - Mark |
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