What I need to do to make this team..

[lotus 2]

edit: (okay, this looks longer than it is due to spacing, but it's still long :P)

Alright, this might turn into a rather lengthy post but this has had my attention for a while and there are some answers I simply cannot come up with, and some things I just need to hear someone other than myself say. So thanks ahead of time for the read or response. It's pretty hard to keep this short so I'll asterisk the paragraphs that can be my cliffnotes B)

*** I'm 19 years old and I will be transferring to a different college after the summer. My goal is to make the club team. This is going to be a real challenge, I know that, and it's something I want to prove to myself. Plus I think if I could make the team it would motivate me to keep my grades up.

Restricted time is something I'm used to. I play 5 days a week, have a girlfriend, take a 23 credit semester, and I did this while working 20 hours a week for a while. So I don't think it could possibly do the inverse.

** The challenge presents itself even if you have never seen me play. I am 5'10 155, tops, and that is probably very generous. I never played Ice hockey all through high school. The past 2 years I have been however. From a very young age, and all through high school, I was a roller hockey player. Why I didn't play hs ice hockey is a story in itself.

**Anyways, obviously there is no contact in roller hockey. I have never played full contact, am rather small, and my roller hockey skills don't exactly translate onto the ice as much as I would like / need them to.

The puck feel is so different, it moves quicker, and so much else. This is my biggest problem anyways, the stick handling.

* But back on subject: I have the summer mostly free, and it's time that I realized making this team is a stretch. But I won't simply not try, so this summer will be very dedicated to improving my skills, positioning, and conditioning. Basically everything. I would to hear what anyone has to say, here is a list of what I have planned so far towards the final push at making the jump.

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a) quit roller hockey, or make it minimal. I seriously feel like it messes me up, I keep trying to force the puck while stick handling as if there is friction. And whether or not it messes up my skating, I guess that's opinion. I'm still unsure, and kind of don't want to chance it.

b.) power skating lessons. Something that can always be improved at my age. I'm not sure if it will be covered, but I definitely need to learn to be stronger on my skates.

c) good balance of cardio + strength training. I'm very lost here actually. I'm mostly just praying that an answer will come to me in my sleep. Balancing it with how much hockey I play is rough.

d) good diet. Another thing I'm just hoping for an answer to. I pretty much have to eat whatever my parents throw at me. Which isn't always the healthiest. But I've convinced them to make the switch to a lot of whole wheat things. I actually like the taste better anyway.

e) better sleep schedule, minimal drinking. I'll be getting more sleep when I'm not up all night doing homework or studying anyway. And if I get a job that lets me work mornings then that will be nice, otherwise I won't bother at all. My last one had me working 6-2am friday and saturday nights. fuck that! >.<

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Anything else, or any advice on those would be phenominal. My confidence has been pretty wrecked as of late, and I'm normally a very confident person. So if anything I'm at least looking for some agreements or support here. This is very important to me so I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't try, no matter how intimidating it is.

Now that I have gone the whole post without saying it: I consider my skill level to be on par with some club players, and below most.

Many thanks again if you made it this far through my life story.

[sinkhole84 0]

Get a coach to help with the checking, its going to be touch as hell to try club ice without some knowledge of checking.

[lotus 2]

Get a coach to help with the checking, its going to be touch as hell to try club ice without some knowledge of checking.

Yeah I'm really going to need to find help with that. Lucky for me the school I'm going to, I know a kid on the team. So I might try to get in touch with him over the summer or when I get up there. See if he can litterly pound it into me hahah.

I've been deathly afraid that since I've never played contact, the first hit I throw the elbow will come up or some crap. I'm really going to have to keep telling myself tuck the elbow and don't turn away. I wouldn't think to do that, but instinct tells you to during that split second before you get hit.

[sdcopp 1]

first off, don't quit playing. If you can get ice time then great, otherwise keep playing roller as most of it is still the same game. For the stickhandling, shell out $100 and get the Sean Skinner DVDs, pay attention to the dryland training one as well as the agility skills disc. There are tons of ways to improve strength and skill, and the DVD covers quite a few to do both at the same time. I don't know what your budget is over the summer for improving your game, but here's what I would throw out there as you are entering the world of crossover play:

Stickhandling beyond belief DVD set - $100

Sprung chassis - $120-$125 plus mounting fees

Propuck for outdoor inline play - $8 (these things play heavier than 4oz, closer feel to ice and they move well on concrete)

Smarthockey ball - $6 (same weight, bounce, etc etc as an ice puck)

Wooden ball - $3 (moves faster, great for softer touch)

you can also look at Flypucks, stick weights, etc., but I'd get the above to make the transition easier and give a little more detailed instruction.

hit the gym, play as much as possible and get checking instruction. You sound motivated and hungry enough, just keep wanting it and you'll succeed. Remember to train smarter, not harder.

[strosedefence34 175]

just to let you know it can be done. As a freshman in college I was 5'10" 150lbs, now still 5'10" 160lbs. I wanted to play hockey on my schools club team actually ended up becoming friends with the captions sister she then lead me to the caption he told me when to sign up and try out I told him I never played ice before and that this was going to be a first time. I went to the first try out and I picked up on the game really quick. Stick handling and puck shooting all down by the end of the warm up period. Stopping a whole other story. I went from being the best player on a roller team in high school to being a decent player on an ice team. Winter break came I played open hockey 2 to 3 times a week got my skating and skills up and became one of the best on the team.

moral of the story practice. Hit open hockey and puck shoots like its your job.

[GretzisGod 0]

I'm sorry, what is "Club Hockey" at a college level in the US? I am Canadian and this foreign to me. Depending on the level I would say go for it, this hockey does not sound that good as one poster said he made the team not being able to stop. One the other hand if this is a team that the college recruits for nationally and internationally then I would use caution. In college I was 6'4, 235lbs, I seperated one guys shoulder and concussed one guy, on my own team in practice. Imagine what I would do to you in a truly competative situation where we both trying to make a team. Oh, and the guys I hurt were not small or inexperienced.

[lotus 2]

haha yeah this isn't nearly as intense. Still competitive. It's hard to explain it to you since I really can only compare it to other U.S. things :P

So I'm not too worry about getting killed, just about not having the skills or confidence to make it.

[mcr11 0]

im trying to get back in shape to try out for a d2 club team next year. i have 15 years of experience at a high level so i guess i dont have the same issues. I have been away from competitive contact play for about a year, so im trying to get used to that again. my plan for the summer is:

-skate at least twice a week

-do a power skating clinic

-play in a summer jr aged league

-off ice strength and biking stuff

[lotus 2]

Thanks for the advice and stories everyone, it's all helpful.

Anyone else back the Skinner DVDs? I'm considering them, and was thinking about the new Kovalev DVD before that.

$100 is a lot to drop on DVDs. My budget is enough to spend on things like that, but I need to try and save whatever I can.

The only thing I've been using for stick handling practice is a golf ball on a carpet >.<

[AnthonyJTa 0]

Thanks for the advice and stories everyone, it's all helpful.

Anyone else back the Skinner DVDs? I'm considering them, and was thinking about the new Kovalev DVD before that.

The Kovalev dvd is pretty "beginner to intermediate"... basic skills stuff, just scratching the surface on game-situation type stuff.

[lotus 2]

ahh alright. I consider stick handling to be one of my strong points when it's on, I'm very inconsistent.

But doing it at full speed is a rough task any day. Same goes for my snap / slap shot. At full speed its nothing special =p

[Kevin 5]

1. You need to get stronger and bigger---being stronger will make you a faster skater

Lift seriously--lots of squats and deadlifts.

Sleep a lot.

Eat well--if you cannot get adequate proetein/cals with real food, buy some protein powder/weightgainer.

2. Work on skating on ice--power skating lessons would be good.

3. Do not worry about checking--have good equipmet, a top of the line helmet, and a properly fitted mouthpiece. Keep your head up. Based on your experience and size, you will likely never be a good checker.

4. Based on your height and weight, I assume you have little fat, but are not the quickest skater (can't have developed legs/butt at that weight)--do not worry about cardio too much--do sprints.

5. Do not worry about puck skills--this is usually the strengh of roller players

[sdcopp 1]

The puck feel is so different, it moves quicker, and so much else. This is my biggest problem anyways, the stick handling.

5. Do not worry abot puck skills--this is usually the strengh of roller players

He's clearly identified this is an issue though. At a bare minimum, go get a wooden stickhandling ball and a Smarthockey ball.

The wooden ball moves a lot faster than any puck, so you can work on hand speed with that, it'll help when you use the ice puck and it seems to glide along quicker. The Smarthockey ball has the weight, height, roll coefficient, bounce, etc of an ice puck. Just using those two for 15-20 minutes a day will help the feel, in both ice and roller.

I agree though that skating is more important, particularly being smaller as you are. Skate as much as possible, ice or roller, just get out and do it. Interval training and plyometrics are going to be the best immediate things you can do supplemented with weight training to focus on the muscle groups used. Weights will make you stronger, plyo and intervals will make you more explosive.

I think the most important thing here is, don't overdo the training. Hit the gym only as often as needed to see results. Grinding yourself out in front of weight machines is going to lose it's luster, and if you aren't skating frequently enough it can be akward to adjust back to game specific needs rather than just hitting the weights trying to get bigger and stronger.

You've gotten a lot of opinions already from some very different sources, take what you need to suit your own progress and generate the best results for you and throw the rest out. Good luck.

[Kevin 5]

He has played years of roller hockey--he should have puck skills.

He needs to translate those skills to the ice--maybe play some ice hockey in the summer or go to stick practices on ice.

I don't think off-ice drills puck drills should be his priority.

I know he thinks it's his "biggest" problem, but I highly doubt it.

[lotus 2]

He has played years of roller hockey--he should have puck skills.

He needs to translate those skills to the ice--maybe play some ice hockey in the summer or go to stick practices on ice.

I don't think off-ice drills puck drills should be his priority.

I know he thinks it's his "biggest" problem, but I highly doubt it.

It probably isn't my biggest problem, not nearly as much as it is the most frustrating problem. Either way I think I'll substitute my golfball for the wooden/smarthockey ball. I stickhandle for 20 minutes a day as is, but it's by no means priority. I have actually been told my hands are one of my strong parts to my game. The problem isn't in doing basic things, it's stuff that I can do on roller that I try on ice and look like an idiot. I'm assuming they will all translate in time and practice.

I agree though that skating is more important, particularly being smaller as you are. Skate as much as possible, ice or roller, just get out and do it. Interval training and plyometrics are going to be the best immediate things you can do supplemented with weight training to focus on the muscle groups used. Weights will make you stronger, plyo and intervals will make you more explosive.

I definitely want to be the best skater I can possibly be, as physical play will not be a strong suit. I need to follow the whole "you can't hit me if you can't catch me" mentality. I have read Pete Twists book front to back twice and have the dvd to go along with it, demonstrating the exercises. I have a brother that may or may not be home in the summer. He isn't a hockey guy by any means, more of a power lifter, but he can make sure I'm doing a proper squat or power clean, etc. Otherwise I'll have to just ask someone else.

Plyos and interval training is something I'm very interested in but as with weight training, I don't know how to set up a proper workout routine. What to do when to do it.

You've gotten a lot of opinions already from some very different sources, take what you need to suit your own progress and generate the best results for you and throw the rest out. Good luck.

Indeed I have, it's all been great. I just need to set it all up as something for me to follow. I need to have everything written down clearly or I won't do it haha. Learned that part of myself the hard way through high school.

Sleep is getting better, I'll be upgrading the equipment soon. Probably one90 stuff.

Think the NBH 5050 will protect my think-maker enough?

Working on the eating, again it's something I kind of need to write down. Once I write that down I can see if determine I will need protein powder.

Power skating lessons are coming once in June and if I like them enough, again in July. It's the Laura Stamm clinic.

[Super Star 0]

The best thing you could do is just skate with your head up so you could see the play and see guys that are coming at you. I know a guy who started playing checking (he never played checking before) and he played with his head down, on his first shift he go the puck and started skating up the ice and got clocked with a shoulder in the head and was out with a concussion. Not to scare you or anything but most important thing is awareness, if you see it coming you can do something about it even if you are a bad skater, if you don't see it coming thats where injuries happen.

[lotus 2]

Yeah I hear that. I need to play a higher level rec league over the summer. A lot of the people I currently play with put passes into my skates or send them way too slow. As a result, I'm not exactly practicing keeping my head up.

I can't stand slow passes =[

[thor von clemson 0]

My two cents:

1. I played club hockey in college as a goalie. I'll get more to what club hockey is in a minute.. After college, I stopped playing in net and started skating out in competitive leagues. I had to learn to skate in normal skates (something I still can't do and have essentially given up on) and take/administer hits. I found that you HAVE to keep your head up or you will get clobbered. Also, I found that I already developed a lot of the upper body/leg strength to brace myself for hit. The combination of having the strength and keeping my head up definitely helped me from getting killed. The biggest hits occur when people have their head down. As someone eluded to earlier, that is when people get hurt. You may not be the biggest or strongest guy out there. Use the strength you have developed over the years and other weightlifting methods to strengthen the muscles needed to strategically play the body. You don't have to clobber anyone.

I also had a lot of the balance and hand-eye coordination required to shoot, stickhandle, and pass accurately. It seems like you should have developed a lot of the skill needed to hold your own; and you could translate these from roller to ice hockey. Stickhandling/building hand-eye coordination can be practice easily off ice imo.

Otherwise, and I am sure this is nothing new, practice building your hand-eye coordination, eat well, work out wisely, and have fun! :D

About club hockey- I played for two separate club teams. One was a highly competitive club team that was highly affiliated with the school I was at. It was considered a club team, though we were part of the ACHA I believe.

The other was also very competitive, there was no checking allowed. It was less affiliated with the school and more a separate club or group to join. The competition was fierce. We had try-outs, etc, etc. We still played other colleges, but we also played local junior teams. I met my wife at one of our games Long story short, I think the definition of a club team varies depending on who you ask.

It seems like you should have developed a lot of the skill needed to hold your own. Stickhandling/building hand-eye coordination can be practice easily off ice imo.

Good Luck!

[lotus 2]

Thanks Thor :D

The general consensus seems to be get stronger and keep your head up. Go figure :P I need to get to work on that asap though, I don't have a ton of time. I'll write up a schedule soon and put it here, see what you guys think if it's too much too little, etc. I have minimal experience lifting. And none with HIIT and Plyo training.

[ramensandwich 1]

don't mean to threadjack, but what would you guys consider on par with ACHA division 3? im looking to play div3 club next year, i currently play jr. b. what do you guys think?

[dangler16 0]

Thanks for the advice and stories everyone, it's all helpful.

Anyone else back the Skinner DVDs? I'm considering them, and was thinking about the new Kovalev DVD before that.

$100 is a lot to drop on DVDs. My budget is enough to spend on things like that, but I need to try and save whatever I can.

The only thing I've been using for stick handling practice is a golf ball on a carpet >.<

IF you are looking to save get the Turcotte Stickhandling Video. It gives you good ideas for moves and the successful way to perform them. Skinner worked for Turcotte before he broke off and started his own company. Skinners DVD would be an upgrade of the Turcotte IMO, Skinners is longer and a little more detailed. Either is good buy. Both guys are highly respected throughout the hockey world.

[mcr11 0]

don't mean to threadjack, but what would you guys consider on par with ACHA division 3? im looking to play div3 club next year, i currently play jr. b. what do you guys think?

i would compare the good teams to maybe a bad tier I/II midget major team. most of the teams i played (siu, nku, eku, case, others around the midwest) were pretty bad. most of the teams had one good line, then the talent dropped off pretty big after that.

[dangler16 0]

don't mean to threadjack, but what would you guys consider on par with ACHA division 3? im looking to play div3 club next year, i currently play jr. b. what do you guys think?

You'll probably be fine. I've seen Hockey Canada Jr. B players go straight to Major Junior Clubs. ACHA D3 teams are mostly comprised to club hockey players so if you have played past midget tier hockey you'll be OK.

Keep in mind ACHA teams are typically run by the players, so get to know the guys in charge.