Jump to content
Slate Blackcurrant Watermelon Strawberry Orange Banana Apple Emerald Chocolate Marble
Slate Blackcurrant Watermelon Strawberry Orange Banana Apple Emerald Chocolate Marble
Reviews wanted! ×

beerleaguecaptain

Senior Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Content Count

    2129

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    72

  • Feedback

    100%

Posts posted by beerleaguecaptain

  4. Posted · Report reply

    21 hours ago, ParabolicActivity said:

    Oh man. Prepare for the anti-True crowd to bombard you for drinking to kool-aid.

    I am one of the people you would say is "anti-true" and I posted no such thing - in fact I seconded West Side Skate as the place to go for his fitting.  All we did is make a fair accounting of the issues that have been reported.  And if you read the last few pages in the thread you will see them posted by True owners themselves.  

  10. Posted · Report reply

    On 4/13/2018 at 12:56 PM, RayJ24 said:

    Thanks for the link within the previous response regarding those timeless drills and activities.  When it comes to player rotations, can anyone share some of their lessons learned when it comes to meaningful or equal playing time ?

    Thus far, I've watched minutes very closely wanting to protect that aspect, which has been a distraction during play, making my teaching pretty choppy during the first couple of months.

    I coached kids for about 10 years and always felt y job was first and foremost to give every player an experience they enjoyed and second that they grew up a bit and earned about themselves and the game.  To that end I always made it a habit to make sure minutes were evenly distributed.  As the kids got older the only caveat was if we were trying to win a playoff game we might make some power play or penalty kill choices late in a game but thats about it.  To me if I played weaker kids at the end of a game down a man early in the season than they knew I trusted them and they learned to to do it when we really needed them to late in the season.  That type of growth is priceless.

    • Like 1

  11. Posted · Report reply

    15 minutes ago, Nicholas G said:

    3/8" is a very aggressive hollow for your weight and especially since you have such a short blade/steel. I would likely put you in a 12' profile with a 1/2" and see how that feels. 13' profile is not outrageous and many people who are strong skaters use such a profile but I dont think it would be good for you. 

     

    14 minutes ago, Nicholas G said:

    Define "normal profile." If you mean out of the box, which is roughly a 10', you will see a HUGE difference with nearly any Quad, Combo, or even single 12/13' radius applied. 

     

    13 minutes ago, Nicholas G said:

    If you like the Quad 2 you might want to consider the newer Quad .5

    I am a huge advocate of the Quad 2 and recently we got the new .5 template and found it allowed the same amount of powerful strides and stability but also allowed slightly more agility. 

     

    11 minutes ago, Nicholas G said:

    A GOOD shop SHOULD blend the toe and heel. I would personally never profile a skate and not blend such. 

     

    6 minutes ago, Nicholas G said:

    Do a blind test. I recently had a player from the WHL come in to get a profile. We took 4 sets of steel and did 3 different profiles and left one "stock" and had him perform a series of skating challenges. We timed him and also asked him which felt best. He repeated the challenge 3 times with each set of steel. We switched up the order in which he tested the steel as well. It was no surprise that the "stock" steel he had the worst times and disliked the most and a Quad 0 is what he preferred. His second best times and ranking was with the Quad 2. 

    For some, it can be a placebo, but there is absolutely science behind it. Can everyone benefit from switching from a single radius to a quad? No! There is nothing that says a quad is better than a tri, dual or single radius. Each player is different and you need to find what fits his/her style best. 

     

    4 minutes ago, Nicholas G said:

    Typically, yes. Equipment managers dont want to mess with any of that technology though unless enough players ask for it. We do a bunch of WHL players skates because the veteran equipment managers won't bother with profiling since they have little experience with doing such. The younger equipment managers are more open-minded though. 

    Multiquote......  

    • Like 1

  16. Posted · Report reply

    36 minutes ago, badger_14 said:

    So there's a broad spectrum of neurological issues that can affect a player, including what is typically called mental illness, but it depends on what you're asking about.  Certain learning disabilities such as dyslexia can make learning things like "right" and "left" difficult, as well as pattern recognition.  Autism spectrum disorders and sensory processing disorders can have an effect on how a player interprets external stimuli (instructions, whistles, lights, etc) as stressful or confusing.  Many learning disabilities (language based and nonverbal) affect gross and fine motor control.  For example I know some people who, because of their particular wiring, have a very hard time with things like swimming because it's difficult for them to coordinate a pattern of movement (treading water, stroke-breathe-stroke, etc) as well as being a sensory-disorienting environment. 

    What are typically called mental or psychiatric illnesses, such as depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder, are generally considered to have a genetic component that causes a miswiring in the brain, much the same as the above disorders.  Sometimes, these are co-morbid, meaning a person with ADHD can have anxiety, or someone with dyslexia can have depression or bipolar disorder.  Unfortunately, substance use or misuse is also often co-morbid with mental illness, in part due to lack of access to appropriate support, treatment, and education. 

    First good tactic is get to know your players.  Especially young players - let them engage you in conversation, connect with them.  Having a good, stable connection to a supportive person does wonders for folks with neurological differences (as it does for most people, but especially important).  An added bonus here is that young people with disabilities/mental illness are at significantly higher risk for abuse, and connecting with a trustworthy adult makes them that much less vulnerable.

    Have clear, consistent expectations.  Doesn't mean you have to have the ice-hockey Code of Hammurabi in stone at your rink, but come up with some basic expectations for both you and your players.  If you have a formal team format (vs. the free for all of a learn to play), feel free to write them down and distribute them.  Things like treating each other with respect (don't call names, no hurting people on purpose, etc), following the rules of the game, being good listeners, are things that apply to player and coach.  If you don't follow your own rules, no one will feel like following them either.  Consistent, but flexible.  Mean what you say - if you say "I will give you two warnings [for behavior] and on the third, you sit on the bench/on the side for [x] minutes", then follow through. 

    Relatedly, change is hard for folks with learning disabilities and mental illness, who may already feel extra stress from trying to navigate neurotypical norms and internal chaos.  Come up with a plan - today we will have 5 stations, and we will rotate every 10 minutes (do the math as you like), explain the plan, confirm the plan.  When players arrive at a station, be ready, explain, and give appropriate warning when you're going to switch - "in 2 minutes, Coach Bob will blow the whistle, and everyone will go to Coach Jen's station".  Having clear plans and expectations is far less anxiety provoking than surprises (tho again, being flexible and asking for input from players is good).  In my magical imaginary world, there's about a 3:8-12 coach to player ratio (depending on age and player need - younger players need a higher coach-to-player ratio), so you can have someone who explains verbally, someone who demonstrates, and someone who can physically go through and help players with the exercise.

    Back to learning your players - in a team format where you can wrangle them in a locker room, go over a practice.  What was the best thing?  What was the worst thing?  Open the lines of communication - maybe they really liked something that you didn't expect, or maybe someone has an idea.  Watch them, and pick up on things like who the leaders are, and who the more shy kids are, who the disruptive ones are.  Kids with ADHD can be easily overstimulated but when they like something, they can hyperfocus on it for hours.  Give your disruptive kid something to do - say, ok, Teddy, you're going to help me demonstrate.  Or, Kate, Liam, Sean, your job today is to pick up all the cones at the end of practice, and bring them to the bench. 

    Talk with parents, too.  Just like you would for a child with diabetes or asthma or a severe allergy - connect with the parents and say, hey, what works for your kid?  What can I do that will make things consistent?  Is anything going on, anything changing like medication or a new therapist or a new school?

    I think the meat of it honestly is communication and connection.  Understand that some people will get more easily overwhelmed, and be ready to adapt to that.  Use your players' strengths and give them agency and keep them from feeling isolated. 

    close topic... perfect answer....

    • Like 2

  17. Posted · Report reply

    18 hours ago, IPv6Freely said:

    Doctor prescribed and supervised NutriMed for 20 weeks. 5x shakes a day, zero food. Have to do weekly classes, blood draws, blood pressure and weight check ins to make sure it stays healthy. 

    This is so far (started Feb 28). Under 60lbs to go, which will be 80 lbs total less than I was at Winterfest.

     

     

    Thats great!!!  Keep up the healthy path!  Once you get there you should look into Isagenix.  2 shakes a day, healthy dinner.  Cleanse/Fast twice a month for two days each.

  19. Posted · Report reply

    On 3/16/2018 at 11:48 AM, IPv6Freely said:

    That was always my issue in beer league. I knew where to be, I just didn't have the speed or skating ability to get there. Of course that made people give me funny looks when I'd tell them where they should be. Can't blame them, I guess. 

    Lunges, squats, dry land training with sprints and shuttle runs!  I expect you faster than greased lightning by SJ!!!

  20. Posted · Report reply

    11 hours ago, 215BroadStBullies610 said:

    Yea, I see it differently but I know I'm in the minority when it comes to wing play haha. When the winger comes to "help" with the attacking forward walking from the boards/low corner, that seems to create more time for the attacking team because the defending team doesn't know how to recover from the double team created by the winger's presence. 

    I agree with you.  Most beer league players dont have the awareness to be in that position or the speed to get up and down.

    • Like 1

  22. Posted · Report reply

    23 hours ago, Healthyscratch said:

    Thanks for the recommendations. I’m looking for 3.5 and 4 (jr size; D width), much appreciated. 

    I was considering VH, but I can justify that price tag for a 11 year old. He plays at a high level and uses them 3-4 a week, but I just can’t fathom spending $800 on growing feet. 

    At 10 years old my best advice to you is to transition him to a mid level big brand skate that will be around for a while... he will get used to it.  He's 10!!!  

    • Like 1

  23. Posted · Report reply

    3 hours ago, boo10 said:

    TL:DR...Bauer fanboy comes into True thread to complain that True fanboys aren't impartial.  True fanboys say shut up poopie head!

    All kidding aside, True, Bauer, CCM and even Graf have positives and negatives.  Just accept that everyone has different preferences and priorities.  It's great to discuss gear and give our opinions, but stop telling people they're wrong, as it serves no purpose other than to make you look like a jerk.

    Been around here for along time and at my age I’ve learned some important lessons in life. One of them is that people who call others names aren’t worth my time.  

    • Confused 1
×
×
  • Create New...