Help! I've been guilt of forcing plays

[JSchultz 25]

So some team-mates have addressed me (constructively though!) telling me I panic with the puck in our own zone, and tend to force stupid plays or make bad passes.

How can I alleviate this? Many times, I have room but don't want to skate it up. I like to look for a breakout pass to team-mates curling off the boards. I've been told to skate head up (which I do) and look for that open man to hit. If not, curl back around and re-group.

The only thing is, I feel bad having to pull the forwards who are already deep, back in. I know patience and discipline make for good hockey, but some of my forwards get pissy for not giving them the long bomb lazer pass.

Also, as far as working it down low, my defensive line-mate tells me that many times as I'm going to recollect the puck, he is behind me in case anything happens, if not, he is on the far boards waiting for a pass off the boards...is this the absolute right thing to do? I want to be able to effectively control the puck between myself and the other defenseman, all the while staying safe from forecheckers and looking for a good outlet pass.

Thanks!

[sdcopp 1]

you have to mentally tell yourself to relax and take a moment, only when you have it of course. Patience is a key, but so is just doing it. It sounds like you are overthinking and then rushing yourself. Keep it simple, but keep it moving.

[All Torhs Team 0]

and rollers a game of possesion. unlike ice you dont wanna do some sort of dump and chase like offense. ( dont know if you do but you said stupid plays) but its good that they werent jerks about it, and they wanna make it better.

[sdcopp 1]

and rollers a game of possesion. unlike ice you dont wanna do some sort of dump and chase like offense.

good point, I think something else that may help is your offense not looking for the hail mary coast to coast pass every time. It's alot easier to make many smaller passes as pairs or a unit, and it throws goalies off with the puck moving that much. If you can keep possession and move the puck well between one another it will greatly improve your game. Throwing the puck end to end is begging the other team to take it and score on a breakaway to your end while your offense is deep waiting for said hail mary pass.

[Sassmasta 0]

The only thing is, I feel bad having to pull the forwards who are already deep, back in. I know patience and discipline make for good hockey, but some of my forwards get pissy for not giving them the long bomb lazer pass.

Skating is part of the game, so if your forwards dont want to comeback when you pull the puck out, that is their problem for playing like a-holes. Dont ever feel bad, the most important part of roller hockey is puck posession, so if it means your gonna have to pull back and possess it in your end to set up a play by all means you should do it, and dont ever let them give you lip for it.

Some help with the confidence...I recently went through it when I jumped skill levels. Dont force the play, if you pull it back and you get stripped that is much better than sending a stupid pass through the middle to nobody. At least you were TRYING to do the right thing. Another helpful thing to do is relax, (easier said than done) if you see a lane, skate it and keep your head up so when the lane closes, you can send someone the puck, if you dont see a lane, find a safe pass and make it. You dont have to look to hit a homerun all the time. Its like in football, short passes/running the ball sets up the deep pass. Same idea.

Lastly, when my team practices or plays against teams that are worse than we are, we make sure that before the puck crosses teh red line, it has touched at least 3 of our sticks. It helps with passing and general knowledge of where each other are going to be.

[All Torhs Team 0]

I know patience and discipline make for good hockey, but some of my forwards get pissy for not giving them the long bomb lazer pass.

"its offfense that wins games and defense that wins championships"

or something like that

if theyre bitchin about you not making a risky pass that could be really pretty but could hurt you guys too, just get that point through there heads. if you dont make the pass you can always say "what would you say when it gets picked off"

[Chadd 916]

As a guy who has played and coached defensemen my motto is: "Take the first good play you see and don't wait for the perfect play."

If you pass up that first good play, you might not find a better play and the first one probably isn't going to be there when you come back to it.

[gavin 0]

I only play ice hockey, and I'm only learning how to do the fine art of defence (I guess learning D is a lifelong persuit), but I'd like to say that if you collect the puck in your own zone, the defensive pairing should be IN FRONT OF GOALIE and you can

1) Skate it out, avoiding the front of the net if possible.

2) Quick pass within your zone

3)Skate the goalline looking for that sweet neutral zone pass to a forward skating a great angle

4)Make it look like you're doing #1, but then cut close to the net and skate right in front of the open space created by your defensive pairing.

Option #4 is pretty dangerous, even with your defensive pairing sitting right there and your goalie. Just remember, if you have possession in your own end, have one of the defense sitting a little in front of the net just in case the play breaks down before you clear the puck.

[hockeyherb 1]

If you watch NHL players they pass among the D way more than you ever see rec league players do and there's a good reason they do it.

If you're going into the corner to collect the puck and know you have a forechecker right on your tail your D partner should be ready to take a pass from you behind the net because that's probably your safest pass right off the bat.

If you have time, then go collect the puck and take the time to turn around and have a look up ice. A pass across to your D mate might still be the best move if a forechecker is coming in fast, otherwise a pass up off the boards usually gets the puck out of your zone if there is no good pass to make.

If your forwards are down the ice waiting for bombs all the time, then it's time to have a constructive discussion with them!

I've never played roller hockey but last week in my beer league we played a team of former roller hockey players. I've never seen so many cherry pickers in my life! Maybe that's a common strategy in roller hockey but I see it as a high risk one.

[technophile 0]

I've never played roller hockey but last week in my beer league we played a team of former roller hockey players. I've never seen so many cherry pickers in my life! Maybe that's a common strategy in roller hockey but I see it as a high risk one.

Yeah, the "roller hockey team" got a lot of discussion in the locker rooms at the Learn To Play Hockey classes last season. Nobody seemed to like them much. ;) Actually, ISTR they played C league last season; maybe I'm wrong.

Cherry-picking is a very common strategy in roller hockey; if you see a forward who never comes back further than the red line, it's good odds he started in roller.

[technophile 0]

Also, the worst thing a D can do in his own zone is a blind pass. You have to get your head up and figure out where everyone is. That tells you what your options are.

If you're all alone, skate it up.

If there's a forechecker on you, look for an open pass (your partner, a winger) -- but try not to pass up the center of the ice.

If you're under pressure and there's no open passes (because your forwards didn't come back to help out, or the other team is forechecking hard) put it out of the zone high off the glass. (If the other team is forechecking that hard, a fast winger has a good chance at a breakaway in that case).

You have to get over your fear/dislike of skating it if you have room. Skating the puck does two things for you: first, it forces the other team to pressure you, which keeps them from double-teaming anyone else. Second, it forces them to do something, which can result in them making a mistake.

Try to pass before you get too pressured, but if you can't get a good pass away, at the absolute worst you can pin the puck up against the boards and wait for help. Worst case, if someone strips you, your partner (and hopefully some backcheckers) should be there to help out.

[jay 1]

I've pretty much turned into a stay-at-home defensemen over the years and can offer a couple things to practice that might help. First, work on chipping the puck up the boards high off the glass on the forehand and backhand. If your wingers are positioned properly, not only is it effective in clearing the zone, but it can also make for a solid breakout play. Also, try to practice stickhandling and making passes while skating backwards.

The suggestion about d to d passes was a real good one. One d to d pass can easily be the difference in breaking out 4 on 4 vs 4 on 3. If your style means you're not going to be an offensive threat think safe play first. It might not be the right thing but It's never the wrong thing to just get the puck out of your end either. Especially if you don't see an immediate opportunity.

And one last thing, if your forwards are all on the other side of the red line, facing you and standing still, you should be the one yelling at them for being a bunch of typical lazy ass inline players.

[Crazy Otto 0]

The longest pass isn't always the best one. A lot of times, even if you make the pass right on the tape your forward ends up going 1-on-1 or even 1-on-2 and even in most 1-on-1s, the odds favor the defenseman. The attacking team's odds of scoring go up when you can bring the puck into the zone with two or more forwards skating together.

In rec league hockey there is always the tendency to think that you have to create a scoring chance on every shift, so a lot of guys try to create something on their own with no support. Sometimes it just isn't there right away but if you keep possession of the puck the chances will come.

[Jason Harris 31]

How can I alleviate this? Many times, I have room but don't want to skate it up. I like to look for a breakout pass to team-mates curling off the boards.

I understand about looking for the breakout pass. I do that a lot myself, often quite successfully, but just yesterday I had the puck stolen from me as I was waiting for someone to move to hit them with a home run pass. As I was skating to the bench, I realized I should have looked for a shorter pass, although my memory is that every one was fairly covered.

Anyway, going back to your post and the bit about having room but not wanted to skate, one thing I've noticed is that starting to skate with the puck puts you in a better position to pass. In other words, it gets you crouched more, so your stick is lying at a better angle than if you are standing up waitin for someone to move. So you might only skate seven feet, but I think you'll be able to make better passes.

[hockeyherb 1]

I've never played roller hockey but last week in my beer league we played a team of former roller hockey players.  I've never seen so many cherry pickers in my life!  Maybe that's a common strategy in roller hockey but I see it as a high risk one.

Yeah, the "roller hockey team" got a lot of discussion in the locker rooms at the Learn To Play Hockey classes last season. Nobody seemed to like them much. ;) Actually, ISTR they played C league last season; maybe I'm wrong.

Cherry-picking is a very common strategy in roller hockey; if you see a forward who never comes back further than the red line, it's good odds he started in roller.

I think you're right - from what my teammates told me they were in C league last year. They have some decent guys if they can learn to play a little more disciplined.

What team are you on?

[Jason Harris 31]

The longest pass isn't always the best one. A lot of times, even if you make the pass right on the tape your forward ends up going 1-on-1 or even 1-on-2 and even in most 1-on-1s, the odds favor the defenseman. The attacking team's odds of scoring go up when you can bring the puck into the zone with two or more forwards skating together.

I understand what you are saying, Otto, but I don't fully agree. I think you are saying that having numbers in the attacking zone allows a team to have more puck movement to increase scoring opportunities. However, a lot of times, connecting on a long pass springs an offensive player with much more speed than the defensive player.

There's no doubt that sometimes he still comes one-on-one against the d-man and has no moves -- (raising hand :D) -- but other times the offensive player has more momentum and can beat the d-man.

[technophile 0]

I think you're right - from what my teammates told me they were in C league last year. They have some decent guys if they can learn to play a little more disciplined.

What team are you on?

If it is the same team, they were repeatedly referred to as "ringers" in the C League, so I'm glad they've moved up to B. :)

I'm on McNearney. First game was a 2-2 tie (other team tied it with 1.5 seconds left to play ), so was the second (we came back from being down 2-0).

[Chadd 916]

Jason, he's on my team and I can't recall the last time we scored on a one on one. I'd have a lot more assists if we did.

[JSchultz 25]

Guys,

thanks for all the tips so far. I'm going to have a talk with my forwards before next game and tell them that they need to be in our own zone to pick up a pass, and that's the first order of business.

I think that once that happens, I'll feel A LOT more comfortable. Like I said, in 90% of cases, it's just myself and the other defenseman in our own zone, and I'm faced with either a long bomb pass, or *I* skate it out of my own zone, over the redline, and into their zone.

And I somehow wonder how the whole 'roller hockey' cherrypickers thing came about anyways? It is true though. A lot of forwards don't want to skate, but would rather just camp out. That doesn't take ANY discipline whatsoever.

[technophile 0]

And I somehow wonder how the whole 'roller hockey' cherrypickers thing came about anyways? It is true though. A lot of forwards don't want to skate, but would rather just camp out. That doesn't take ANY discipline whatsoever.

I'd heard it was because there's no offsides or two-line pass in roller hockey.

[JSchultz 25]

And I somehow wonder how the whole 'roller hockey' cherrypickers thing came about anyways? It is true though. A lot of forwards don't want to skate, but would rather just camp out. That doesn't take ANY discipline whatsoever.

I'd heard it was because there's no offsides or two-line pass in roller hockey.

Well, this is true..but that was meant to open the game up a little bit...i bet they never anticipated cherry picking, lol.

[technophile 0]

They should have. Forwards are $%&!#@ lazy.

;)

(It's the offsides that really hurts, IMO--the two line pass I see as opening up the ice without necessarily encouraging excessive cherry picking.)

[clarko_99 1]

I think that a lot bears on your first shift and warm up.

I always play my best when I have a proper warm up and really get into my stride, start the game really loose and relaxed so when u start moving your legs dont feel like lead.

On your first shift be aggresive as you can, get to every puck first, giving yourself early touches of it to boost your confidence...some games il be playing the first few shifts hardly getting a touch, in a few shifts time you may find yourself under a lot of pressure as the game gets going and still feel like your still in second gear.

Another thing i feel is to get that early boost in confidence just do the basics, and do them well. Sometimes you can overcomensate, especially if you have had a few quiet shifts, if your a player that feels like you rush a lot - which sometimes happens to me i just try and get the puck in D and take a few seconds to slow the game down, really think about the play and jus play a basic pass out or slow skate into space. I find that this really slows the game down in your mind and you get the basics right - working your way into the game. When i do this in the first few shifts i find that i feel much more comfortable throughout the game.

hope this helps!

[hockeyherb 1]

Guys,

thanks for all the tips so far. I'm going to have a talk with my forwards before next game and tell them that they need to be in our own zone to pick up a pass, and that's the first order of business.

I think that once that happens, I'll feel A LOT more comfortable. Like I said, in 90% of cases, it's just myself and the other defenseman in our own zone, and I'm faced with either a long bomb pass, or *I* skate it out of my own zone, over the redline, and into their zone.

And I somehow wonder how the whole 'roller hockey' cherrypickers thing came about anyways? It is true though. A lot of forwards don't want to skate, but would rather just camp out. That doesn't take ANY discipline whatsoever.

See if they'll play a few shifts back on D and let you play forward a bit. Then maybe you'll both get a little better understanding of what's going on.

[Jim A 4]

I think for roller...you need to be able work with your D partner and at least one forward..

one thing to remember, unless your playing against the big boys you either have a mix of 3 strides or 3 seconds to make a play..

in my rec league..my partner and I each have a spot we can toss the puck to as an "out" for one another...away from the play and not just behind the net if its cluttered...

I don't like to skate it up, but ..sometimes you have to..we stress to our forwards that one of them has to be in our zone..about half to 2/3 of the way in a spot to get a pass...(can't be skating away not looking etc..) if they get collapsed on..they either can move it forward to their linemate or back to us and then it gets reversed out the other side...

if you can the forwards moving in your zone ..it makes the whole game of roller more enjoyable...get them coming back and curling behind the net for the breakout, etc. play as a unit of 4...