starting hockey as an adult

[chrisehyoung 14]

I am by no means the fastest, best stick handler, or best shooter on the ice but I score a ton of goals. I tell everyone that positioning and anticipation are the reasons. I have nicknames like the ghost, stick ninja, garbage man, fly swatter, etc. A lot of defensemen comment on how quickly they lose me even though i'm not the fleetest of foot.

Working on your on ice skills is important but the mental side of the game is often overlooked. I play with a lot of guys that are new to the game and a lot of times they complain about not being able to touch the puck enough. I tell them that they need to be in position for the puck to come to them first. I will pass the puck to anyone regardless of skill but not if they're standing in a pack of 8 guys.

Watch hockey on TV but focus on one player at a time. Watch where he goes with and without the puck. Watch how he moves. How he gets into position. You'll thank me for it once you get on the ice.

[Chadd 916]

Working on your on ice skills is important but the mental side of the game is often overlooked. I play with a lot of guys that are new to the game and a lot of times they complain about not being able to touch the puck enough. I tell them that they need to be in position for the puck to come to them first. I will pass the puck to anyone regardless of skill but not if they're standing in a pack of 8 guys.

Watch hockey on TV but focus on one player at a time. Watch where he goes with and without the puck. Watch how he moves. How he gets into position. You'll thank me for it once you get on the ice.

I often tell newer players on my team to think about how the puck will get to them. It's not enough to be open, there has to be a lane to get the puck to them. Sometimes it's a direct pass, other times it's off the boards. Once in a while, it's even a lob out of the zone. In any case, everyone on the ice needs to know where the puck is at all times.

[traffic626 1]

I started learning to skate last year. After 10 lessons, I jumped on the ice for my first instructional hockey game. Boy was that a huge difference! I was definitely the worst player on the ice, but I had to start somewhere. As others mentioned, learn to skate and get the fundamentals down first. I also play ball hockey, so hockey-wise, I know what I want to do, but my skating can't keep up. You have to keep skating/playing to develop. Most open ice times in my area are during the day. When they are in the evenings or weekends, the ice is packed and skating is more dodging little kids and others who fall.

[SillyMe 22]

Yeah, weekend/holiday open skate is ridiculous when learning how to skate, WAAAAAAY too many people, especially kids.

[Chadd 916]

I started learning to skate last year. After 10 lessons, I jumped on the ice for my first instructional hockey game. Boy was that a huge difference! I was definitely the worst player on the ice, but I had to start somewhere. As others mentioned, learn to skate and get the fundamentals down first. I also play ball hockey, so hockey-wise, I know what I want to do, but my skating can't keep up. You have to keep skating/playing to develop.

It's frustrating as hell when your body can't/won't do what you want to do. Once your body catches up with your head, it's a lot more rewarding.

[chk hrd 164]

It's a nasty circle. You start out trying to make your body do what your head wants. After a while the head and body work together....then age sets in and your body can no longer do what your head is telling it.

[slashaxlx 0]

Hi all,

I'm 29, been a big ice hockey fan my whole life(Islanders...let's not go there!). I've never actually played hockey in any regard, street or ice. However, about 3 months ago, a bunch of teachers and I decided to start playing floor hockey in our gym two mornings a week before school. The skill levels vary, from life long ice players to newbies like me! It has been an absolute blast, and I am looking to hopefully start training a bit, as I need to get in better shape.

So, I have come seeking advice! I am 6'2, 250 pounds. I feel like my natural role is defense at this point, I don't have amazing puck handling skills or shooting yet(I do manage to get some clutch secondary scoring every now and then), but I am good at poke checking and staying on people, intercepting passes, playing hard against the boards and sliding/diving on breakaways.

Anyway, I guess the first big thing I would like to know about would be a good workout routine to try and shape up. Granted we are just playing friendly games but a lot of us are very interested in playing in a dek hockey league. I don't "love" working out, but when I am focused on something I can make it happen. I did a Spartan Race for the first time last year and was really pumped working out for it, but I have since lost said motivation.

I also need to change my diet, I don't eat poorly I just tend to overeat. I'm a teacher so I am usually up early, and eat an early dinner if that has any bearing on your advice.

Finally, I also want to learn to skate(not ice yet) and preparation for possibly playing hockey on skates. I just ordered Tour Hockey Thor 909 Inline Hockey Skates from Amazon, as they seemed to be rated well for beginners. I roller skated as a kid but never really did any inline skating. Any tips here?

Thanks for taking the time to read this, I am looking forward to hearing what you have to say!

[Chadd 916]

it sounds like you have a lot of the stuff covered already. Being familiar with roller skating will make the transition a lot easier than if you were trying to go to ice. The biggest change will be in stopping without a bumper on the front. Fortunately, you probably won't try to do a hockey stop in your inlines like I did the first time. I think I did three or four barrel rolls before I came to a stop.

[Bolo 10]

I started playing hockey last year. I never really ice skated much before either but had some experience rollerblading. I've gotten better at skating and moving the puck with me over the last year. I notice the most improvement when I get to play more than once a week. Kinda obvious i guess haha, but that is when I can focus on just doing things instead of focusing on how to do them.

[slashaxlx 0]

Do you guys have any personal recommendations or references to good workouts for floor hockey/future roller hockey. I know I should be focusing on cardio for strong shifts and turning some of my fat to muscle so I can keep bumping people around but I have no clue what to do in the gym. I'd say maybe a 4 day gym schedule?? I go by myself so I don't think id do any free weights, just the machines.

[MN old and slow 92]

I know it is silly at my age but I like the how to videos at the library. Just watched one on defense. The video was done at maimi u. Library is free and I feel smarter than I am there. Can still learn even in my 50s.

[SirJW 207]

YouTube has tons of videos too.

[MThockeydad 469]

I like the HowToHockey and M2 Hockey videos on YouTube.

The kid in the Hockey Tutorial knows his stuff, but he talks too much. (You'll have a keen eye for that as an educator).

Can your teacher crew go to 3-4 days a week? Hockey itself is a great workout. I have never worked as hard working out as I do when playing. Yes, you could spend more time in the gym, but spending time on the court/rink chasing the ball/puck around will both give you a workout AND develop your skills.

Definitely cut back on portions and eat healthier foods. Carbs are OK before your workout (whole wheat toast, some fruit), proteins (nuts, peanut butter, more fruit, etc.) after. Avoid simple sugars and try to add more fruits and vegetables. Drink more water. If you overeat, try to make your dinner much smaller. A huge 5pm dinner and then not working out at night isn't going to give you energy for your 6am game. Eat half as much for dinner, then a light snack an hour or so before bed.

[akravetz 29]

Working out is huge for picking up skills. I was in pretty good shape when I started to play but have a buddy who wasn't. I progressed a lot faster as I didn't have to worry about bending over or being out of gas. walking at first, then jogging and then running. weights are key too. But street hockey is a great workout. You are doing something that you love and hey, you might get a bit better just holding the stick.

I groove on those videos as well and yes, they do talk a bit too much but it beats paying attention at work.... :)

Andy in Peoria

[pmedow 2]

Hope I'm not too late to the party!

I started 4 years ago (I'm 31 now), I could barely stand, or turn, or do much of anything. I had skated as a child but that was a long, long time ago.

My first year, I played on some out door rinks but then I started organizing pickup games. I was more often than not the worst player on the ice, but that didn't deter me. I spent a lot of time watching how some of the better players skated and how they played and tried to mimic their movements, positioning and so on. I did this twice a week and eventually started to improve. As long as your goal is to improve just a little bit every time you skate, then you'll get significantly better sooner than you realize! Make it a goal to review what you did right and wrong after you play (or even just go for a casual skate) and try to improve on it next time. The most important thing is to stay positive and not get down on yourself when you don't do something right, because even 4 years later, I still have a lot of room for improvement.

I took an adult skills development class where they did stickhandling and skating drills with us, as well as passing, and so on. It was a little less emphasis on the skating and more emphasis on stick work, but I had a blast and learned so much. It was a 10 week course (1 hour per session) and it was about $200, so for me it was money well spent. Even people I played with at my pickup games noticed a steady improvement. After I did the skills development, I joined a team and wow, the pace was a lot different t than pickup. You have less time to move the puck and there is usually constant pressure, even if the overall skill level is lower. Playing on a team taught me to use my time more wisely when I was on the ice, which mean less coasting and more skating.

After my first season, I took a powerskating class, which made me realize how much I had left to improve. The powerskating class was the best thing I ever did and I still do some of the drills in warmup before my game.

Now, I play pickup on Monday nights with a lot of Junior players/ex semi-pros and even though I'm the worst player on the ice (or one of two), I'm learning a lot and I don't feel THAT much out of place. Our beer league team has steadily moved up through the divisions and we are currently a mid-tier Division 11 team out of 20 or so divisions.

My word of advice to you is that if you have a chance to hit the ice, whether it's for 10 minutes or a couple of hours, do it. Always strive to improve a small facet of your game and relax and remember that you're here to enjoy yourself. And one day you'll see yourself in the reflection of the glass at a rink and not even recognize the player in front of you. Best of luck!