Advice or thoughts on private lessons

[nickerjones 8]

So as I near the big 3-0 my wife is asking me what I want for my birthday. After the obligatory smart ass adult responses I mentioned maybe some private lessons. I have been skating for a little over a year. I have made big strides from then since I had never been on skates. However now I feel like I am kind of at a plateau. Its hard learning hockey in Oklahoma because there isnt much ice time to be had to practice. When I started playing I just got my gear went to the rink and tried to stay upright. I started two teams ( one league and a tournament team) that are still going . I get to play 1 game a week and then a weekend tournament every other month. Obviously these arent enough to really become a good skater/player.

There is a local ex pro guy ( won 3 stanley cups) who teaches our pee-wee/midget guys and also gives out private lessons. My question is would taking private lessons help ? I know a big thing I need to work on his skating. Like I said I had never been directed how to do this or that, I just got on the ice and tried not to fall. A few problems I have: I have a really hard time with being on my right foot's outside edge. This makes cross overs and sharp turns on that side ridiculously hard to do but funny to watch me do. While I can skate backwards I cant really move backwards with any speed or acceleration.

Anyway do you think private lessons would be something to look into or would I need to do some kind of powerskating thing? The only thing with powerskating is I would have to go Dallas which is 3 hrs away to find anything like that. I am serious about improving myself so traveling that far isnt out of the realm of possibility but if the lessons would do the same thing id rather stay local.

[regularjoe 1]

Private lessons are a good idea. You may want to see if there is a skating instructor in your area so you can refine your edgework - nothing wrong with taking those lessons from a figure skating instructor.

I'm sure if you took private lessons with the ex-pro and only wanted to work on skating, he would accomodate but that might not be the best use of your $$$.

[number21 3]

I don't see how either could hurt?

Since the ex-pro is local I would opt for that. You could always contact him first about what you are looking to accomplish and all that.

I would love to do something similar. I started hockey and really skating in my mid-20s with only help from friends and hockey clinics, so I am sure my skating technique is very flawed. Maybe when the money situation is better I can look into it.

[Bimmer 0]

Private lessons helped me immensely (and are helping my son). While expensive, I was able to get real time advice on particular issues I was having..Well worth the money (as long as you have a good teacher!!)

[HattrickSwayze 3]

Yeah private lessons are great because they're just that, private. Power skating clinics aren't bad, but rarely do you get a lot of one-on-one time. Remember, at a clinic they have 20+ people to look over. I've taken some private lessons before and they helped me quite a bit. It's the little things that make the difference. An experienced skater watching you can find what you are doing wrong and point it out to you. Maybe you're leaning too far, or your shoulders are not staying square, or not enough knee bend, or too much bend in your ankle, etc, etc. Now mind you, this is all dependent on the person being a good teacher. Being a good skater doesn't make you a great teacher, so if you can find someone who's both, it's a double bonus.

I say go for it. What's the worst that could happen?

[Bimmer 0]

Just out of curiousity, how much are you looking at for private lessons? An hour or half hour? The ones I go to and so does my son is $30 for 30 minutes..A little steep, but both of us have developed our skills by leaps and bounds by taking them..As Hattrick noted, they can pick out the little things you might be doing incorrectly that is hindering your development..

[flyers10 57]

I take a private lesson about once every quarter. Wish I could do more but it is expensive. Really helps to have someone knowledgeable help you past sticking points and point out small technique flaws so you can correct them and really see improvements. Sometimes the big classes just reinforce bad habits if you don't get enough personal attention. Key to the private lessons is to make sure you practice what was taught on your own before your next lesson.

[SouthpawTRK 1]

I have take a total of three lessons in the short time that I decided to take up ice hockey; power skating, basic hockey fundamentals and a shooting clinic; all were basically one on one. Although, the lessons have not made me a great skater or a great player, they were very instrumental on letting me know things that I could work on and how to improve. So when ever I would go out to a stick/puck, I would take the time to work on the things that I learned in the lessons.

I would definitely recommend taking at least a couple of lessons; just give yourself time between the lessons to practice what the instructor taught you.

Best of luck and hope you have a happy 30th!!!

[nickerjones 8]

Best of luck and hope you have a happy 30th!!!

Thanks ... I feel old .

The private lessons are 20 bucks for 30 mins from the ex NHL guy. I am also going to ask a figure skater coach that also does powerskating classes if they could work with me and how much . I will then decide from there.

[nsegall 0]

I've been teaching private lessons for the last 4 years as my summer job. If you find a coach you really enjoy working with and you trust his abilities, then it will absolutely be worth it. I know private lessons can get costly, but my students(clients, w/e you want to call them) who I could tell were very enthusiastic about getting better would improve at an incredible rate. The young kids who were forced into it by their parents were always slow to improve. From my observations, if you're excited by the fact of private instruction, do it. It'll pay off for you :)

Edit: Private lessons also teach you the right drills to practice, so when you're by yourself you can have the confidence you're doing the right things!

[Vet88 674]

On the other side of the coin you can use private lessons to refine other training. Rink time is always hard to get and training / playing once a week isn't going to get you very far (I know from hard experience as an older guy who started late in life). I have the same issue with pewees and midget teams. If the player is really keen and wants to learn then I tell their parents to invest some money in other gear and get the kid to practice, every day.

The best thing you can do is buy some inline hockey skates with outdoor wheels, a green biscuit (from somewhere like inline warehouse) and get an ABS blade on an old stick (make sure the stick length is the same as what you play with). Then get out to your local supermarket carpark, park, parking building etc with a smooth concrete surface and start skating and puck handling. Figure 8's, circles, crossovers, backward and forward, weaves, turns etc, puck handling with your head up, dekeing drills etc can all be done. This on it's own, once a day for 40 minutes will improve your skating and game out of sight inside of 3 months, the basic to semi advanced skating skills you learn here are instantly transferable across to ice. You can then use the private lessons for advanced tips / drills and get real value in terms of time and knowledge from them.

[Chadd 916]

If you have a good coach, and you listen to them, private lessons will advance your playing significantly. A bad coach will just waste your money. Some of the best instructors I've seen have never been paid to play the game and some of the worst were career AHL/NHL players.

[beth 0]

20 bucks for 30 minutes is a great price. You should totally go for it - at least take one lesson and see how you click with that coach. If he helps you out, then you can schedule more lessons. I've noticed that some coaches just sort of wing it, and some are very organized and plan out the lesson to meet your needs. A more expensive coach is not necessarily better. NHL experience does not necessarily make a good coach. But you really can't go wrong for 20 bucks. :)

I've met a lot of coaches while playing and helping out with my kids' practices. I've got one all lined up for some future lessons that I have a good rapport with, and I know he'll kick my butt if I ask him to, but right now I'm in the middle of an adult clinic. I am learning in the clinic, but I don't get the individual instruction, or the push out of my comfort zone that I'd really like. So I'm kinda wishing that I had spent the money on the private coach instead, but it's still fun and I get to meet more hockey people in the class.

Edit to say: Another option would be to get a couple of buddies to create a small group lesson with a coach. You can split up the cost that way. For instance, our local power skating coach will do a lesson for four of us for an hour for 25 bucks each.

[Berzark 0]

I live in the ottawa region and i'm looking for some private lessons. Thing is.. I've only found one guy (Carl menard from compedge.ca) and he's charging 150$\hour and I need to rent the ice that cost 200$.. So it's 350$ for 50 minutes.

Any other alternatives ?

[interpathway 9]

I live in the ottawa region and i'm looking for some private lessons. Thing is.. I've only found one guy (Carl menard from compedge.ca) and he's charging 150$\hour and I need to rent the ice that cost 200$.. So it's 350$ for 50 minutes.

Any other alternatives ?

Meet him at a SnP or Shinny session. If he's unwillign to do that, he's probably only interested in tutoring teams/large groups.

[shotty 7]

i always thought of gifts as something that you really wanted, but didn't / couldn't justify buying for yourself. to me, this fits the bill perfectly. so long as his instruction is clear, concise and legitimate, you should benefit from it. i wonder if it's possible for you to sort of "preview" his teaching style to see if it's something you would be compatible with.

Berzark, if he's running a legit business, he should be renting the ice and building it into the cost of his services. you shouldn't be required to do anything of the sort. i'd keep looking.

[beth 0]

I live in the ottawa region and i'm looking for some private lessons. Thing is.. I've only found one guy (Carl menard from compedge.ca) and he's charging 150$\hour and I need to rent the ice that cost 200$.. So it's 350$ for 50 minutes.

Any other alternatives ?

I'm not sure how it is where you are, but here if you go to stick and puck, then you see all sorts of coaches giving private lessons. You can always chat them up after their lesson and tell them you're interested. Or just ask around at your local rink for some names.

I've had a couple of lessons with my coach since I last posted, and I just love it. It's so helpful to have someone really good at breaking down what you're doing wrong and then tell you how to fix it. I told him straight out that I wanted him to push me past my comfort zone, and he's doing that and I'm already better for it. Wish I'd taken up with him sooner. It's now the highlight of my week. :) If anyone in the Seattle area needs a good coach, send me a pm and I'll give you his info!

[Berzark 0]

I'm not sure how it is where you are, but here if you go to stick and puck, then you see all sorts of coaches giving private lessons. You can always chat them up after their lesson and tell them you're interested. Or just ask around at your local rink for some names.

I've had a couple of lessons with my coach since I last posted, and I just love it. It's so helpful to have someone really good at breaking down what you're doing wrong and then tell you how to fix it. I told him straight out that I wanted him to push me past my comfort zone, and he's doing that and I'm already better for it. Wish I'd taken up with him sooner. It's now the highlight of my week. :) If anyone in the Seattle area needs a good coach, send me a pm and I'll give you his info!

unfortunately there is no such thing as stick and puck here, or any time for practicing. It's pretty ridiculous. We have open hockey where its always full (20 players) and open skating where it's not really open, you're only allowed to skate at a slow speed and in one direction. Not even allowed to skate backwards. There's people monitoring and making sure no one does anything apart from going in circles around the ice.. -__-

Really wish there was a solution. I've searched on the internet for areas as far as 50-60 minutes away from where I live (mind you ottawa is pretty big) and haven't found anything close to what you all have :(

[Katzenjammer 1]

unfortunately there is no such thing as stick and puck here, or any time for practicing. It's pretty ridiculous. We have open hockey where its always full (20 players) and open skating where it's not really open, you're only allowed to skate at a slow speed and in one direction. Not even allowed to skate backwards. There's people monitoring and making sure no one does anything apart from going in circles around the ice.. -__-

Really wish there was a solution. I've searched on the internet for areas as far as 50-60 minutes away from where I live (mind you ottawa is pretty big) and haven't found anything close to what you all have :(

You could put together a bunch of guys who just want to practice - drills, shooting, etc. - and rent ice time?