Is it rude to practice where private lessons are being held on the rink?

[Ducksgo 0]

The admission is 12$ to do stick and puck, or stick time for Californians. It seems EVERY time i go out on the ice half the rink is taken by some dumb @$$ goalie being coached. And the other half is also being used because another goalie is being shot by a round robin of players who is also being coached. So the public are forced to play in the neutral zone the 15 of us. Yah imagine! hectic right?

So how would they feel if I practice in one end of the ice and not giving a care that the coach is coaching, am I in the wrong for feeling this way?. Im paying good money to, a matter of fact im prolly paying more than the rink is getting from the coach and player. So what the heck?

[chippa13 1844]

Sounds like the folks doing the coaching are the ones being the dicks. Stick and puck is for the public to shoot and skate around. If some guy wants to do some coaching then he should get his own sheet.

[Fire0nIce228 1]

Sounds like the folks doing the coaching are the ones being the dicks. Stick and puck is for the public to shoot and skate around. If some guy wants to do some coaching then he should get his own sheet.

Skate and shoot your heart out, just make sure you follow the stick and puck dos and dont's tips in the other thread haha.

Seriously though, I hate when that shit happens. Its cool to take up a little space on the side in the nutral zone if you want to work on skating or a stickhandle drill or something confined, but..

[rachael7 1]

A lot of rinks that have stick/puck time post "No private lessons" signs, so I think you're in the right on this one. Everyone pays the same, everyone has the same rights and plays by the same rules. Let the lesson-takers go to a clinic if they want uninterrupted space.

[nickerjones 8]

A lot of rinks that have stick/puck time post "No private lessons" signs, so I think you're in the right on this one. Everyone pays the same, everyone has the same rights and plays by the same rules. Let the lesson-takers go to a clinic if they want uninterrupted space.

Here is what sucks about my stick and puck. We have been doing it every friday for a long time from 530- 715 ish... We used to always have the rink to ourselves... Since school has been letting out it is getting ridiculous ... Now on Friday nights they are letting a whole team of kids like 8 yr olds come to stick and puck .. there are like 20 of the, and they take up half the ice scrimmaging. The other half has kids firing slapshots and not caring if someone is behind the net or not... its getting crazy!!! I think its crap!

[shotty 7]

A lot of rinks that have stick/puck time post "No private lessons" signs, so I think you're in the right on this one. Everyone pays the same, everyone has the same rights and plays by the same rules. Let the lesson-takers go to a clinic if they want uninterrupted space.

yes. every rink i've every dropped in at has that or a similar rule. stick and puck sessions usually prohibit goalies, purely to take away the competitiveness that most people tap into when there's someone filling the net (and not everyone is wearing gear). any kind of formal instruction is prohibited as well. if its just a dude teaching a friend (or child) they should be the ones in the neutral zone... and typically are, where i play

[kovyperron5727 0]

Sounds like the folks doing the coaching are the ones being the dicks. Stick and puck is for the public to shoot and skate around. If some guy wants to do some coaching then he should get his own sheet.

Damn right. To the OP, its the same thing in DFW.12 bucks to play in a phonebooth. Everytime this happens to me, I go up and get my money back. I wouldn't pay 5 bucks to skate in that

[GuitarAwesome 1]

Defintely not fair to you. Why should you pay full price, and not get the same rights as them? I would defintely tell someone about it, here we have a strict rule about not taking up the ice, people have to keep in motion, and respect the rules.

[frankie56 0]

Holding lessons on part of the ice during stick and puck is common practice in Cali rinks. Most rinks don't have enough open ice for just one or the other. Since it's a regular practice, I don't think there is any deception involved.

[TheGasman 0]

They always seem to do this at our local rinks during the busiest sticktimes too. They usually leave us half the ice. Maybe I am a dick but I always make it a point to throw some pucks on there end and skate really slow to grab it.

[shute 4]

what i'm surprised at is the fact you have to pay $12 for stick and puck... let me guess somewhere in the US... thank god i live in Canada... $4.50 for drop in and free stick and puck most of the time.

[JoeyJ0506 192]

They always seem to do this at our local rinks during the busiest sticktimes too. They usually leave us half the ice. Maybe I am a dick but I always make it a point to throw some pucks on there end and skate really slow to grab it.

Over Christmas at the local rink my buddies and I got up one morning and went to the local rink for drop-in. When we get the rink's travel team has their entire squad there practicing during the drop-in time to warm up for a tournament. Then, as the 2 hour session time was nearing a half an hour old, all the people with their kids and their brand new equipment (see Christmas gifts) started to show up. We were told by the rink manager to stop playing our half-ice pickup game (at drop-in mind you) and allow it to become a stick and puck time; all this while the travel team is still running half-ice drills on the other end.

All ten of us, and our goalie skated off the ice, got out of our equipment, and proceeded to demand our money back... We had not paid to share the rink with literally 30 other people and an entire hockey team. They gave it back, apologized, and wrote us out free passes to the next drop-in session we came to.

[chk hrd 164]

it seems alot of rinks let thier coaches, friends and employees use stick & puck time for privites. That way it doesn't cost them money to rent a sheet and they get to make a few bucks extra. I don't mind if it's one coach working on skating and only uses one small area, but if it's taking up a good portion of the ice I'll be in the pro shop complaining and getting my money back. I've had parents who tried to comandeer part of the ice and get mad at my kid because he skated threw a drill to get his puck, that didn't go over to well. At our rink the older kids usually take one blue line to the boards for a 3v3 or 4v4 pick up game. They are pretty good about letting anyone play. That leaves the neutral zone and other end for everyone else.

[jeffw 1]

At our rink the older kids usually take one blue line to the boards for a 3v3 or 4v4 pick up game. They are pretty good about letting anyone play. That leaves the neutral zone and other end for everyone else.

That's how it goes at most of the places I've skated. Half ice game at one end while the other end is left open for those who just wanna work on their skills. Never been to a rink that allows private lessons during stick time.

[biff44 0]

It cuts both ways. Yes, if it is stick and puck time feel free to use the full surface of the ice, especially if BOTH nets are occupied by "lessons". But don't go out of your way to be a D**k about it.

On the other hand, if you ever tried to get some private lessons to improve your skills, you would quickly find that the instructor might cost $50, but the ice time to rent the surface would add another $350 to the hour...obviously not affordable. So, there is an obvious economic reason they are out there on the stick and puck time, and it might be YOU getting the lesson someday.

My son took technical skating lessons from a figure skating instructor...best instruction he ever got for hockey! But she would have the lessons on the skate time for the local figure skating club. Boy, did he get about a hundred dirty looks every time. On the other hand, there were always at least 10 hot girls out there watching him skate around, so he did not mind at all!

[motalare 0]

what i'm surprised at is the fact you have to pay $12 for stick and puck... let me guess somewhere in the US... thank god i live in Canada... $4.50 for drop in and free stick and puck most of the time.

I guess it is around $12-$15 out here (so.cal). At my lhs, it is $10 for the early (6am) session, and $15 for later in the day. At another local rink, it is $14 per session--each session lasts an hour. So, if you want to do a second hour, you have to pay another $14---it gets pretty expensive.

[TheGasman 0]

It cuts both ways. Yes, if it is stick and puck time feel free to use the full surface of the ice, especially if BOTH nets are occupied by "lessons". But don't go out of your way to be a D**k about it.

On the other hand, if you ever tried to get some private lessons to improve your skills, you would quickly find that the instructor might cost $50, but the ice time to rent the surface would add another $350 to the hour...obviously not affordable. So, there is an obvious economic reason they are out there on the stick and puck time, and it might be YOU getting the lesson someday.

Im usually not a complainer and I just go with the flow but this is the one thing that pisses me off everytime. The rinks around here have there own times reserved for lessons and clinics. My time is just as valuable as theirs and nothing pisses me off more then making a 45 minute journey to the rink to find out they are going to cram 20 of us in between the blue lines. Its probably not right for me to ruin the guys lesson but something is not right here. My favorite one to do is to go weave through their cones and shoot on their goal. I do it really slow too.

[joeyisfunny 0]

You have every right to ruin that lesson. Its an open ice time, not a private practice time. Go up to them and tell them that, and make sure they know youll be skating in their area and shooting on their goal because its a public practice time. If they have any problems with it, tell them to take it up with the manager because he'll have your back. They should reserve private lesson time.

[chk hrd 164]

You have every right to ruin that lesson. Its an open ice time, not a private practice time. Go up to them and tell them that, and make sure they know youll be skating in their area and shooting on their goal because its a public practice time. If they have any problems with it, tell them to take it up with the manager because he'll have your back. They should reserve private lesson time.

except most of the times the person giving the lessons is buddies with the managers. It usually ends in if you don't like it don't skate argument.

Since alot of instructors are buddies with the rinks they should all get together and do thier lessons at the same time on the same sheet. Let them bump into each other for a change.

[TheGasman 0]

except most of the times the person giving the lessons is buddies with the managers. It usually ends in if you don't like it don't skate argument.

Since alot of instructors are buddies with the rinks they should all get together and do thier lessons at the same time on the same sheet. Let them bump into each other for a change.

Well said. The hockey director at our rink is usually out there skating with us when it happens so he knows and nothing is done. I have been out there before when there is 4 goalies on one side of the ice all having to take turns. Good thing they skate for free or that would really suck.

[Ducksgo 0]

It cuts both ways. Yes, if it is stick and puck time feel free to use the full surface of the ice, especially if BOTH nets are occupied by "lessons". But don't go out of your way to be a D**k about it.

On the other hand, if you ever tried to get some private lessons to improve your skills, you would quickly find that the instructor might cost $50, but the ice time to rent the surface would add another $350 to the hour...obviously not affordable. So, there is an obvious economic reason they are out there on the stick and puck time, and it might be YOU getting the lesson someday.

My son took technical skating lessons from a figure skating instructor...best instruction he ever got for hockey! But she would have the lessons on the skate time for the local figure skating club. Boy, did he get about a hundred dirty looks every time. On the other hand, there were always at least 10 hot girls out there watching him skate around, so he did not mind at all!

I actually do take private lessons with an instructor and we simply take up the corner along the boards, leaving almost 3/4 of free ice to everyone else. What's different about this is that the travel team that plays at the arena will take up each end of the ice to the blue line to simply work on goalie skills with their coach. While leaving 15 poeple approximately 180$ of good money with nothing but neutral zone to work with.

So being new to hockey, i am not to sure if this is common practice or not across the nation or nations including Canada, "since we have some posters from there". Or am I in the right to actually see this as a problem.

[iceNsteel 0]

A couple of the local rinks allow approved coaches to give private lessons during stick and puck sessions. Of course the rink people are pretty strict and do not allow them to take over the ice, they have to work in and around people just like everyone else.

[IniNew 53]

It is definitely frustrating going to Stick & Puck and having goalie lessons going on. I usually get there early enough to claim a side of the ice and eventually we get a blue-line pick up game going on that net. But I feel bad when I see 6-7 people just skating in the neutral zone 'cause theres a game they're afraid to jump into on one half and a single goalie and 2 coaches on the other.

[eric42434224 1]

Arent there a ton of things a goalie can work on without using a net? I am sure these goalies and coaches could be just as effective up against the boards in the neutral zone. Sounds shitty to me if I paid to use that ice.

[Fire0nIce228 1]

I hate when people start pickup games at stick and puck. Thats not the purpose of it either. Just as rude and not any better than the lesson givers either in my opinion. If you feel bad doing it, you shouldn't do it.