Power Skating or Summer Hockey?

[Reaper 0]

First, some background. I'm a 32 year old rec player that has been playing for two years. I'm a below average player in the lowest division of our league.

With the season coming to a close this week I have to make a decision between Summer Hockey or Power Skating. I can only afford one of the options and I need to pick the best option for improving myself as a player.

Power Skating would be from April 18 to June 21 with one session per week.

Summer Hockey would be from the middle of May until the end of August with one game per week.

I'm leaning towards Power Skating right now as my skating is probably the one thing that hinders my game the most.

[UMWhockey 0]

there are also adult camps you can go to. I work with weekend warriors, www.weekendwarriorshockey.com

they camps are a lot of fun and we try to pack a lot of information into a 12 hours of ice. If you are looking to improve and have to choose between summer hockey or power skating though, go with power skating as long as the coaching is good.

[jjtt99 0]

I subscribe to the European mind-set and that's practice more and play less. In North America it's the opposite.

I too started playing the game as an adult and I focused on my skating, sacrificing play time for positive skate time. Now a few years later I'm one of the best skaters on my team. Now it's time to start working on these hands of stone!

[ctaz 0]

I agree with Jjtt99's pro-European mind-set in this case. As a player that learns as adult doesn't get the benefit of learning to skate during peewee practices as well as games where the game was more about getting to the puck than it was about this offensive/defensive concept or that one.

Take the power skating it will improve your game the most at the very least by increasing your confidence that you can make that move when you play your next season. If I was in your situation that's what I'd do.

[hockeyherb 1]

I totally agree. The best players in our beer league are the guys that you can tell spent a lot more time learning skating when they were younger.

[analog999 0]

I say find a way to make both work that way you can develop your skill at the class and test it out at the game. If you need extra money, go sell some crap on ebay or something.

[Reaper 0]

If you need extra money, go sell some crap on ebay or something.

I'm pretty sure I've sold off most of the things I can afford to sell. It's how I managed to afford my latest pair of skates. :(

[analog999 0]

what do you do for a living? (I'm not asking to be mean or trying to get info on you, I'm just wondering if maybe we can come up with additional income ideas for you..)

[Reaper 0]

what do you do for a living?

I'm a Community Support Worker.

Social services = low pay

[analog999 0]

So you have free time after work then, right? What about getting a part time job somewhere? Working for a relative on the side?

[myst3ry 0]

I'd do the power skating.. Atleast then you are getting the full hour's worth of ice time to work on your skating, and dont have to worry about sitting on the bench for 2/3 of the time you've got (depending on how many lines you'd have with summer hockey).

*EDIT* To add to this, I would also consider doing some public skating even, a cheap affordable way to get some extra ice time if skating is the main issue.

[AlabamaICE 0]

I agree with your idea about power skating. Also, lots of stick and puck.

[Ti-girl 0]

Well from personal experience I say go with the Powerskating.

I got back from Mexico in January and hadn't played since April of last year and had reconstructive surgery on my knee so I wanted to get back on skates.

I paid $90 for half the season of powerskating and its amazing. I went from 3rd or 4th liner to top line, PP and PK, just in 6 weeks.

True, I have been playing hockey for a while now, but we've been working on things like fast back starts, the transitions and what not. I love it and Im going to do more of it this summer.

[ktang 34]

Power skating, so you can get to where you need to get facing the proper direction.

And, lots of practice each week to increase the improvement rate.

Once you can get open for passes and cover people then you can improve your other skills. But if you're always out of the play you're just watching the game from a moving vantage point.

[Reaper 0]

So you have free time after work then, right? What about getting a part time job somewhere? Working for a relative on the side?

Actually, I'm already overworked as it is. To boot, being a single car family makes it difficult to pick up an extra job.

Fortunately, the Powerskating Class is 1.5 hours long and includes 3 on 3 scrimmages in the final 20 minutes of each session.

I think that is the route I am going to try and take.

[analog999 0]

Yeah, I'd definitely recommend power skating over team play, but if you *could* do both, then I say do it! :)

[Chadd 916]

Power skating will benefit you more than playing in a rec league. Assuming you have good instructors, and it's primarily powerskating, you will see a significant improvement. I've seen some rinks that run "powerskating clinics" that were just a basic skills class, make sure that's not the case.

[Reaper 0]

The class I want to take is from a reputable group and they will give you one to one instruction if that's what you require. From what I understand, on the first two nights they have a 1:1 instructor student ratio.

[cause4alarm 6]

I've always wanted to go back to take another Power Skating clinic myself, but I was sort of worried that I'd be the only guy there who was older than 14. I just thought that that stuff was directed more towards the kids. Let me know how your first class goes. (I'm assuming you're going with the skating since 100% of your responses recommended that.)

[ctaz 0]

I've been there, when I started playing goalie, so I could backup for my high school team. I was the only person there that was almost 18 everyone else was under 14 'cept for one kid. Honestly though, the point of taking the power skating is to improve yourself as a player, if that's your goal then you really shouldn't really be concerned with how awkward you look or feel out there with those kids. Instead worry more about the results.

I wish I had the $179 to spend on Laura Staam when it comes into town, but I don't right now nor will I have the time. Unfortunately, it can't be a top priority for me.

[jcp2 2]

I agree on the power skating. An adult clinic would be a good choice too, if they work on fundamentals. That's what I do. Playing drop in and sticks and pucks is not too bad, since ice time is always good.

[biff44 0]

There is one danger for teenagers taking one of those clinics called "overspeed". If you go thru a big growth spurt (it is not unusual for a teenager to grow 1" in a week), then your bones have grown but your muscles have not yet stretched to the longer shape. If you are out there power skating at 105% for a full hour under this condition, then you can start having real trouble with your leg tendons! The problem is called osgood schlatters. It is less of a problem during the regular season, because you are skating every day and get to stretch the muscles out. But during the summer, you go out there for your once a week clinic, skate really hard, and "pop".