Learning to skate/play at 41 yrs. old

[sticktime 12]

Just going to start rambling.............After watching hockey for many years, I decided on NYD to take my daughter to the public skate at RMU Island Sports Center, and being my first time on skates, loved it so much that I went back 4 times per week for 3 weeks, 1-2 hours per day, teaching myself the basics as best I could. I then went to the LHS and bought all necessary equipment, not beginner but mid-level because I didn't want to have to upgrade in a short amount of time, and Easton Synergy EQ 50 skates.

Let me back up a minute - so when I went back to second time to the public skate, I said to myself that I should just buy skates since it could get expensive renting them. So I went into the pro shop and tried on a few dif brands and settled on EASTON EQ 50's size 9. Street/dress shoe is a 9.5. Said to myself, these fit like a slipper. So bought them. After skating for a month, I realized they were a bit too long. But never got any blisters or rubbing of any kind, that's how sick the heel lock was on those things.

Anyway, next pair I bought was Bauer Nexus 600. They eventually proved to be too wide and voluminous, however they did have a tight, deep heel though.

So, skated in those from March-August. Skated 3-4 times per week at sticktime and pick-up. I also started taking lessons every other week for 30 min at a time.

So I feel like I've come a long way. I've been playing beer league since May, which at that time I had only been skating/playing for 3 months. My current skates are Easton Mako 2's. Took a few skates to get used to the higher pitch, but there's nothing that compares fit-wise. They feel like you stuck your foot in mud - just no negative space and such a form fitting fit like no other skate I've tried on. And I 'm a skate whore.

Anyway, i know this is a rambler, but I love skating and playing and talking hockey and the culture of being a hockey player that i just wanted to introduce myself and be part of the community.

There's probably alot of things I'm leaving out that I want to share or talk and learn about. I like to know how and why other players do things they way they do - like what laces they use or shins over/under tongue, or how tight they tie their skates......just mundane things like that. I guess I feel like I missed out on it all where most others have been playing all their lives, so my enthusiasm just keeps hockey at the front of my mind all the time.

[mojo122 535]

Hockey is a great sport at ANY age. Glad you picked it up and happy you're enjoying it so much. Welcome to MSH. So much good information here.

[beerleaguecaptain 999]

Welcome aboard! I started at age 34 and I'm totally obsessed!

[SirJW 207]

Welcome and there are plenty of threads in the equipment forum about laces, over / under shins and tying.

[Tech1208 27]

Enjoy all the time on the ice. Its a blast at any age!

[chk hrd 164]

Don't worry to much about what other players do worry about how it feels to you. A lot of players put their shin guards over the skate tongue for what they feel is added protection. I have always worn mine inside, it just feels better. Hockey equipment is such a personal thing that I know players who the smallest little change makes them crazy.

[MThockeydad 469]

Welcome! I started at age 38 in Sept. 2013. It's such a blast.

[badger_14 601]

Welcome to the game! Never too old to learn.

[moteef17 7]

Sounds like you're having fun. I started as an adult about 5 years ago after watching and 'studying' the game on tv as well as live (high school, college, etc). I've probably reached the limit of my skating development in terms of what I'll be able to do in 1 - 2 games per week during the winter. But comparing my 1st season to my 4th, it's almost hard to imagine how 'raw' I really was in those first several games in pads, on the ice, referees, face offs, positioning, etc. I'm just an average player in an average league with average guys, and I love it.

Since you're curious about what others do, here's a few things I do (or have come to do over time) in no particular order (but like it's been stated in this post already - it's all personal preference):

- shin guards over skate tongues feels better for me, though I went pads under tongues for about 2 years before getting longer pads and trying to pad over the tongue. I can't imagine going back now.

- waxed laces preferred, but not the overly coated ones that are as rigid as copper wire. in fact, when I first switched to waxed laces, I was over tightening the eyelets over the top of my foot and causing myself a great deal of pain. I realized that I needed to back off the 'top of foot' eyelets quite a bit and just lock in the heel, and leave some flexibility at the ankle. that alleviated all discomfort in my Nexus 400's. A guy I played with was complaining about his skates for weeks, and I kept advising him to try loosening his waxed laces over the foot. he was in pain after every game. Finally he broke a lace before a game and had to go back to uncoated laces as a quick fix. Wouldn't you know it, he had no pain whatsoever.

- shoulder pads in beer league - some say yes, others say no. I didn't wear shoulders for the first few years. but I found I was getting enough random contact (sticks, pucks, etc) in the upper torso (likely because of the lower-level league I play in), so I now wear a pair of bauer classics with the shoulder caps cut off. It just gives a this layer of foam and a rigid sternum pad and feels better than going with nothing.

- positioning on the ice - this was critical for me. I used to do a lot of chasing the puck and trying to keep up with guys that I could never catch. I started paying a lot more attention to my positioning and where to hold, when to pinch, etc. of course, if I'm on a line with a bunch of guys chasing and I'm playing position, I look like a lazy player...

- stick handling - in short, I can't. I pass the puck to guys that can really move with it, and then I skate my ass off to get in position to receive a pass, and let a shot go.

- shooting - I don't play in a slap shot league, which is fine, because I don't have a slap shot. I have worked hard at developing a solid wrister and decent snap shot. let the guys that can dangle move the puck up the ice. for me, it's gaining the red line, dumping, chasing, passing and shooting in whatever order seem feesible.

- helmet - get a good helmet. It sounds like you weren't shy about spending some coin on skates, so I'll assume you put some $ into a good helmet. I see a lot of awkward falls in my league, and guys in cheap helmets (or even poor-fitting, nice helmets) learn very quickly when they need to address a serious gear issue.

- sticks - I played with really basic sticks for a few years (Easton, Bauer, etc). I never really cared about the weight / flex or curve until i was able to try a few sticks in shinny one day. i was able to try a Reebok 20K, which felt great, nice flex and overall weight, but i hated the curve. Long story short, i kept playing whatever i had, and then caught a great clearance deal online and grabbed a 3-pack of pro stock Reebok Ai9's with a custom curve that came somewhere between an Iginla / Kane. I've been using those sticks for 2 seasons. I broke one last year, but i still have 2 left, and i hope to get another 2 seasons out of them.

My first game of this season is coming up in about 2 weeks, very exciting time....

[Davetronz 109]

Just wanted to chime in with a "Way to go!", and wish you the best of luck. Enjoy it!

[z1ggy 81]

Good for you, OP! I love the Mako's by the way, I just am unsure of the holder. They fit me like a slipper, but I think if I got them, I'd put my Tuuk holder on, because I have like a decade on my skates and I don't want to adjust to something new.

[Rumblefish 1]

Turns out hockey is a great game to get into when you're older for a lot of reasons. For a team sport, it isn't overly taxing on the knees, like basketball for instance. I know some guys that played basketball for years but after age 40 it was tearing up their knees too much.

I think the hardest part is acquiring enough skating ability to be a safe player on the ice. I've been playing over 6 years and almost all of my injuries came in the first year from awkward falls (bruised ribs) and loss of balance which all had to do with not being a good enough skater.

Best thing to do is find stick 'n puck sessions (it might be called something different in your area) where you can work on skills on the ice. It's not a game or scrimmage but you dress in full equipment and work on your skill development by yourself. I'd say really practice your skating. A lot of guys at stick'n puck just take shots at an empty net for an hour which is not the best use of the time IMO.

[MThockeydad 469]

In my area, you can wear pads to open skate, you just can't bring your stick on the ice.

These are perfect times to work on transitions (pivots and mohawks), stopping on both sides and backward, power skating drills, balance, etc.

Practice keeping your butt down and your head up. Knees over toes, shoulders over knees.

Stick and puck and pond skating are about the only times to get open ice for stickhandling and shooting. As a result, my shooting skills still suck.

Shot my first league goal on Tuesday night. :)

[Kessel'sOversizedSuit 18]

Good stuff all around here.

I myself started at the age of 30 and its been 6 years of pure obsession ever since. Can't believe all the years of fun I missed out on. Definitely making up for lost time now.

Personally, I'm into tongues in, waxed laces done up reasonably tight. I'm wearing Bauer TO NXGs right now, which probably don't need to be as tight as I have them because they're so stiff and the heel lock is so good, but that's what I'm used to, so... that's what I do.

Another mundane topic you could spend hours on, and indeed there are plenty of posts on here about it already, is stick taping. that's a rabbit hole for sure.

I would echo the Stick and Puck time. The freedom to just try stuff is amazing and will build confidence and ability.

Enjoy!

[Hockey11 4]

Welcome to hockey. It's a great game!

As already mentioned, stick time or "skate & shoot" or "stick & puck" ( whatever it may be called in your area) is a great time to practice. Even if there is no goalie and you only have an open net, you can still practice shooting accuracy. Mostly I use this time for stick handling while keeping my head up. If you can go with a friend or hook up with someone there it's a great time to practice passing also.

I use waxed laces, they seem to hold better, and my shin pads are under the tounge. But also as mentioned by others, it is a personal preference. I go with what fits/feels the best.

[sticktime 12]

So cool hearing everyone's stories about when/what age they began playing.

Playing in beer league and Moteef 17 pretty much sums up what that's all about, although I haven't modified any of my equipment yet.

I go back and forth between cloth and wax laces, depends upon how irritated it makes me when I go to untie and tighten and can't because the wax leaves you nothing to grab at. Currently using cloth.

I'm a contractor, so my guys are doing the work which leaves me with alot of free time, so I've been able to go to stick and puck 3-4 times per week. The past two days I've had the ice to myself. Love that.

I'm a decent skater, can keep up with everyone and don't fall. Can do crossovers both sides, skate backwards and do crossovers, pretty much all the skating moves, some just not as fluid as seasoned skaters. The hardest thing for me to master is skating with puck. It sounds simple, but during games some guys do it so effortlessly and dangle and deke. I want to do that.

So I'll keep trying.

Here's another question for everyone: How good should I relatively be after having skating/playing now for 10 months having never done either before? I feel like I've come a long way in a short amount of time at 42 yrs old.

[mojo122 535]

Here's another question for everyone: How good should I relatively be after having skating/playing now for 10 months having never done either before? I feel like I've come a long way in a short amount of time at 42 yrs old.

There is no solid rule as to how fast someone should or shouldn't progress. Some get better quicker than others. The key is to not get discouraged should you hit a snag and continue to enjoy what you're doing.

Sounds like you're doing great and having fun. I know a lot of guys in their fifties and sixties who are still playing and enjoying the game!

Now, play on!!

[moteef17 7]

Sticktime: You say you can skate forwards, backwards and cross over on each side moving forward or backwards......well shit, you may be moving into C or B league soon! I'm not a great skater, and I have such a dominant side with my skating and very little feel for outside edges, which hinders my ability to turn and transition. If you've solved those woes in 10 months, hats off to you. You'll be doing just fine and the puck handling will come in time.

[sticktime 12]

Sticktime: You say you can skate forwards, backwards and cross over on each side moving forward or backwards......well shit, you may be moving into C or B league soon! I'm not a great skater, and I have such a dominant side with my skating and very little feel for outside edges, which hinders my ability to turn and transition. If you've solved those woes in 10 months, hats off to you. You'll be doing just fine and the puck handling will come in time.

That's just it.......the puck/stickhandling. The fluidity that I see most guys I play with and how they do it, combined with being good skaters. Yes I can do the skating moves, but controlling the puck while doing it? That's where I need to get alot better.

I guess the only way that'll come is simply ice time and practice.

[vectoranalysisgo 3]

Pittsburgh is a great city to be in if you're learning to play as an adult. For whatever reason it just seems like there has been an explosion of adult rec hockey, and that in turn has expanded into adult beginner hockey leagues and classes/clinics. I don't live there anymore but I started playing at age 26, coincidentally at the same place- Neville Island sports arena (back before RMU bought it). I had been there watching my boyfriend's inline game and walking through to use the bathroom inside, I saw a bunch of what were obviously beginner women in some kind of clinic. I had been wishing I had played hockey as a kid, and I wasn't really specifically concerned about the women vs. coed option but seeing this basically meant I had an obvious next step- buy some skates and hit the public skates, like you did. I signed up for that women's clinic (I think RMU still offers it- last I heard they converted it to a coed adult beginner class) and the rest is history.

I live in Boston now but I thought since you're clearly in Pittsburgh that I'd chime in with some specific recommendations that were helpful to me- I can't be sure if they are still available since I haven't lived there in almost 2 years but anyway:

Definitely find out if Rich Hopf still teaches an adult hockey clinic at the Iceoplex at Southpointe (Canonsburg). I don't know how far you're willing to drive but this was hands down the best clinic I took as a beginner and helped me transition from "learning to play" to being ready to actually play in a beer league. The beginner class at RMU was decent, but I signed up for Rich's class the following spring and even though I already had a good hockey sense from years of watching/loving the game, he is just born to teach and he usually has great assistant coaches and I learned more in his class over a few years than I ever would have expected. You can still get a lot out of it even if you're not a beginner.. Plenty of intermediate players took it too.

Even if that clinic isn't available any more, I know you said you're already playing in league games but I can't say enough how a helpful a really good clinic can be in supplementing actual game play. Drills and practice with a great coach can help you develop the muscle memory to actually start using those skills in the games you play. Especially for fluid stick handling while keeping your head up- you just don't get enough time with the puck on your stick in a given game to make a lot of progress- but doing it with other skaters in a clinic or other organized/coached class will really help you reach those goals.

You might also look into the classes at Mt. Lebanon. There was an adult "systems" class that was more than just drills and foundational skating and stick handling skills; it was taught by their high school coach and designed to help newer adult skaters get some of the positioning and team strategy hockey smarts that you miss out on having not played hockey as a kid or in school. It's the one thing I think even some great players really lack when they start as adults and develop great hands and skate well- but having never been coached on a team, they don't make great decisions or have great vision. If that class is still available, it's worth your time.

Additionally, if you're not aware, there is a LinkedIn group and a Facebook group- called Pittsburgh Adult Hockey- and you through those you might inquire about the pickups run by Bill Kessel in Warrendale and the beginner league run by a woman named Lauren Brink. Even if you're able to skate and compete with some of the faster leagues, while you're still in this initial development phase, including opportunities to play with other beginners can be really useful- you get chances to be a puck possession guy who people count on to make smart plays rather than the new guy on a better team where the challenge is just keeping your head up at the faster pace. Skating in some slower and faster leagues at the same time lets you work on different skills.

Also, support Ko Sports in Canonsburg. That shop rules.

Welcome to hockey!

[sticktime 12]

Awesome info vectoranalysisgo - I did the adult skills class in the after I tried to learn on my own for a month, and it was def. useful. It's now a big class with a few different times added to accomodate the growing interest. Then I just kept going to open ice almost every day and kept at it. Not having played as a kid and just starting now a few of the things that stand out to me, at least in beer league, is that everyone knows what to do mostly if not all of the time, while I'm still trying to master positioning and what to do with the puck in different situations, like skate it or dish it. Skating with you head up and trying to thing forward, all the while keeping control of the puck, and having your feet work in conjunction with all of that so you can keep moving fluidly, is very difficult.

I guess it'll just take time to get better. I feel like I've plateaued somewhat, in that when I'm at stick and puck I can move quickly and stickhandle and shoot where I feel like I'm getting good, but then when then during the game it's a different story somewhat, meaning I just feel like mostly everyone is so much better. But I guess that's due them having played for so many years that it comes natural and muscle memory has alot to do with that.

Pittsburgh is a great city to be in if you're learning to play as an adult. For whatever reason it just seems like there has been an explosion of adult rec hockey, and that in turn has expanded into adult beginner hockey leagues and classes/clinics. I don't live there anymore but I started playing at age 26, coincidentally at the same place- Neville Island sports arena (back before RMU bought it). I had been there watching my boyfriend's inline game and walking through to use the bathroom inside, I saw a bunch of what were obviously beginner women in some kind of clinic. I had been wishing I had played hockey as a kid, and I wasn't really specifically concerned about the women vs. coed option but seeing this basically meant I had an obvious next step- buy some skates and hit the public skates, like you did. I signed up for that women's clinic (I think RMU still offers it- last I heard they converted it to a coed adult beginner class) and the rest is history.

I live in Boston now but I thought since you're clearly in Pittsburgh that I'd chime in with some specific recommendations that were helpful to me- I can't be sure if they are still available since I haven't lived there in almost 2 years but anyway:

Definitely find out if Rich Hopf still teaches an adult hockey clinic at the Iceoplex at Southpointe (Canonsburg). I don't know how far you're willing to drive but this was hands down the best clinic I took as a beginner and helped me transition from "learning to play" to being ready to actually play in a beer league. The beginner class at RMU was decent, but I signed up for Rich's class the following spring and even though I already had a good hockey sense from years of watching/loving the game, he is just born to teach and he usually has great assistant coaches and I learned more in his class over a few years than I ever would have expected. You can still get a lot out of it even if you're not a beginner.. Plenty of intermediate players took it too.

Even if that clinic isn't available any more, I know you said you're already playing in league games but I can't say enough how a helpful a really good clinic can be in supplementing actual game play. Drills and practice with a great coach can help you develop the muscle memory to actually start using those skills in the games you play. Especially for fluid stick handling while keeping your head up- you just don't get enough time with the puck on your stick in a given game to make a lot of progress- but doing it with other skaters in a clinic or other organized/coached class will really help you reach those goals.

You might also look into the classes at Mt. Lebanon. There was an adult "systems" class that was more than just drills and foundational skating and stick handling skills; it was taught by their high school coach and designed to help newer adult skaters get some of the positioning and team strategy hockey smarts that you miss out on having not played hockey as a kid or in school. It's the one thing I think even some great players really lack when they start as adults and develop great hands and skate well- but having never been coached on a team, they don't make great decisions or have great vision. If that class is still available, it's worth your time.

Additionally, if you're not aware, there is a LinkedIn group and a Facebook group- called Pittsburgh Adult Hockey- and you through those you might inquire about the pickups run by Bill Kessel in Warrendale and the beginner league run by a woman named Lauren Brink. Even if you're able to skate and compete with some of the faster leagues, while you're still in this initial development phase, including opportunities to play with other beginners can be really useful- you get chances to be a puck possession guy who people count on to make smart plays rather than the new guy on a better team where the challenge is just keeping your head up at the faster pace. Skating in some slower and faster leagues at the same time lets you work on different skills.

Also, support Ko Sports in Canonsburg. That shop rules.

Welcome to hockey!

[Kessel'sOversizedSuit 18]

I feel like I've plateaued somewhat, in that when I'm at stick and puck I can move quickly and stickhandle and shoot where I feel like I'm getting good, but then when then during the game it's a different story somewhat, meaning I just feel like mostly everyone is so much better. But I guess that's due them having played for so many years that it comes natural and muscle memory has alot to do with that.

You can never underestimate the speed of the game. They say speed kills... Kills my confidence that is.

It will take you years to catch up in this regard. It's not just about being able to do the skills at speed (which is a hard) for me its being able to read the play at speed (super duper hard, for me anyway). Besides the obvious spread in skill, for me personally, one of the biggest gaps out there is that I need that one second more to decide what to do once I have the puck, which is usually one second too long. The players who have played all their lives already seem to know what they're doing before they even get the puck because they have already read and anticipated the play, whereas I'm just trying to take it all in and trying to react to it as it is happening.

The guys on my team have been good about giving me tips and tricks on where to be when so that I can anticipate better, but I can see now that it takes years to "Get it". I may never get it the way they do, but I am having fun trying.

[vectoranalysisgo 3]

You can never underestimate the speed of the game. They say speed kills... Kills my confidence that is.

It will take you years to catch up in this regard. It's not just about being able to do the skills at speed (which is a hard) for me its being able to read the play at speed (super duper hard, for me anyway). Besides the obvious spread in skill, for me personally, one of the biggest gaps out there is that I need that one second more to decide what to do once I have the puck, which is usually one second too long. The players who have played all their lives already seem to know what they're doing before they even get the puck because they have already read and anticipated the play, whereas I'm just trying to take it all in and trying to react to it as it is happening.

The guys on my team have been good about giving me tips and tricks on where to be when so that I can anticipate better, but I can see now that it takes years to "Get it". I may never get it the way they do, but I am having fun trying.

Truth.

If you don't already, watch a lot of hockey. It's the next best thing behind being coached, in my opinion, for developing that quick decision making- watch what the pros do and become a real student of the game. Instead of just cheering, pick a player on the ice and study where he goes and what he does for an entire shift. Repeat. Look for patterns, look for basic plays that repeat.. and then as you are playing it'll be easier for your brain to pick up similar patterns in the game- even though you yourself haven't had hours and hours and years and years to develop the same thing. It's obviously not the same but it'll help.

[MThockeydad 469]

A tip I read on here about a year ago is to keep your head up and see where your teammates (and your opponents are) before you get the puck. this buys you critical time when you look down to receive the pass. You know if you have time and if the opponents are crashing you if you need to dish it--or where your teammates are if you need to pass it.

If you are chasing a loose puck, know that you WILL be the first one to touch it, and whether you're going to pass it or skate it before you get it. You can't decide after you get it!

[chk hrd 164]

You also have to consider the people you are playing with and what level they play at. The more experienced guys will usually do what you expect them to so you have an idea where they will be. If I'm playing with my normal line and we start breaking out of the D Zone with the wings on the boards I already know my center is coming up the middle looking for the pass with the weak side wing skating hard through the N zone for a pass. Same thing going in the O zone, depending on what F1 does I have a good idea what F2 & F3 should be doing.

The more you study the game and the more you play the faster you read and react.