How to get your team to take shorter shifts

[W.Heinle 0]

Send them this:

13 Signs Its Time For a Shift Change

1. If on the fourth face-off of your shift you think you recognize your own center forward from the first face-off: Change

2. Have you skated the length of the ice twice? Change

3. "But I'm not tired" Then you didn't skate hard enough, so Change so that someone who is going to hustle gets a chance to play.

4. Have you been hemmed in your end from the opposing team applying ridiculous pressure? Change

5. "But I didn't touch the puck" Doesn't mean you deserve more ice time, so they can apply more pressure, so you can NOT touch the puck even more, so Change.

6. After 30 seconds of offensive pressure in their zone, they get the puck out and force a face-off in our end. Change.

7. "But it was only 30 seconds!" Yah, but THEY changed. They now have fresh legs in our end against a soon-to-be-bagged line that won't be able to clear the puck because after 20 more seconds they're winded and wished they could get off the ice: So change.

8. After 45 seconds of play in our own zone the puck finally gets cleared: Change

9. "But I thought I could get the puck and have a chance on goal." No, you are too damn tired from playing positional and aggressive defense to skate faster than them. They will get the puck, control it, move it into our zone and you will be trapped again for another minute, lungs and legs burning and completely useless, simply hoping they don't score: So Change

10. 45 Seconds has elapsed. Change

11. "But I'm not tired." Good! Before you get tired, and before you make mistakes because you are tired: Change.

12. The bench is hollering stuff like. "Lets get some fresh legs out there" or "If you're tired get off" or "Change-Up" or "Get the hell off the ice!" Change

13. "I didn't know they were talking to me." They are ALWAYS talking to you, so change.

;)

[BucksAway 16]

I play roller hockey and we only have a total of 5 players

I get no breaks or anything...i think you should all do some extra training and become more fit

I skate hard the whole time i play, i can barely stand after the game

You can't be serious, can you? There've been a couple nights at drop-in when we had 10 or less skaters and 2 goalies. Either you go 3-on-3, 4-on-4, or even move the nets up to shorten things up. Unless you want to slow down so much that by the end of the game you can't hardly move. It's not any fun to be stuck out there like that if you truly put even any effort into the game. And you sure don't do yourself any good with that kind of punishment.

I dont feel its punishing, i like to push myself to the limit, from my personal experience i dont get any better unless i put everything in. No pain no gain

[dsjunior1388 81]

I play roller hockey and we only have a total of 5 players

I get no breaks or anything...i think you should all do some extra training and become more fit

I skate hard the whole time i play, i can barely stand after the game

You can't be serious, can you? There've been a couple nights at drop-in when we had 10 or less skaters and 2 goalies. Either you go 3-on-3, 4-on-4, or even move the nets up to shorten things up. Unless you want to slow down so much that by the end of the game you can't hardly move. It's not any fun to be stuck out there like that if you truly put even any effort into the game. And you sure don't do yourself any good with that kind of punishment.

I dont feel its punishing, i like to push myself to the limit, from my personal experience i dont get any better unless i put everything in. No pain no gain

Your completely missing the point.

[BlackIce 1]

Yup, this is a great thread. I am seeing this problem on both of my teams. Hey, I am not perfect as every now and again, I take a longer shift than I should. However, what pisses me off is the few guys on the team that are habitual about it. It doesn't help the situation when your team is getting their ass wooped. It can really get people on edge and angry at one another.

[RecLeagueHero 0]

This another reason I don't do beer league anymore. You really have two possbilities:

1.If the players are of a skill level to know what a proper shift lenght is and stay out longer it's obviously just a choice. It's unlikely that it will ever change, everyone's trying their best to get their money's worth.

2.I have noticed, as the OP pointed out his was a beginner level team, lower level skaters often have trouble skating hard enough to get themselves exhausted in a 60-90 second time frame. That could be worked on if the team is willing to do so. Of course, it could just be the whole money's worth thing that won't change.

[cptjeff 0]

Best way to keep them reasonable is to hop over the boards when there's a faceoff and you want a change. When they see you heading towards the faceoff circle they'll get the message. While it doesn't always work with play going on for a while, it helps get people in a rhythm.

But do remember that in the pros players go all out because they're able to- a guy who doesn't have the technique won't be able to go all out, and he'll last longer, and guys who are better skaters don't go all out becuase the game is a lot slower because the other team has bad skaters too. Also remember that pro shifts last 45 seconds stop clock- something most rec leagues don't have. If you're insisting on 45 second shifts in a rec league, that's too short. 80-90 seconds is more ideal at lower levels, taking the clock and slower speed into account.

[87vert 0]

Shorten the bench

[jeffw 1]

We had the opposite problem. By the middle of the second guys were begging to come off with their tongues dragging and the guys on the bench barely had time to get a drink. :lol: Usually only had 7-9 show for games though.

[cptjeff 0]

I've had that happen. Playing two centers with 3 sets of wings, and the other guy hasn't been on the ice for a few weeks. I'm recovering after a 2 minute PK shift or something, and he comes off in 30 seconds.

Those are always fun.

Of course, the best is when only 6 or 7 guys show. I've stayed out for an entire period, that's not fun.