Miss Korea Bob.Loblaw Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 9 minutes ago, apollo said: How long does it take to develop the strength in the ankles? I feel like my ankle never had muscles develop around there... Never skiid or really skated growing up. Or do I need like a skate that supports my ankle more? Hoping things turn around... I love the game but I can't imagine playing it with such horrible skating skills =/ Yea I'm getting frustrated, at my 3rd public skate today. I'm gonna do some adult lessons... I feel like my ankles don't even stay as straight as anyone else on the ice. I had my skate properly fitted at SportChek too so iono why, I think it's just no muscles there? You really shouldn't expect to be able to stop after your 3rd skate. It's like learning to swim or ride a bike. You're an adult so it'll be easier, but not instantaneous or anything. Also... always remember this when you are beginning to skate... you are learning how to skate. You are NOT learning how to skate in hockey, and they are two very different things. Learn how skate in a neutral stance. Stop trying to skate like a hockey player and simply learn how to keep your ankles straight. Do not get ankle support. You want your feet to be under you and not in some wide stance. Otherwise you will look like this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apollo Posted November 14, 2016 Author Share Posted November 14, 2016 3 minutes ago, Bob.Loblaw said: You really shouldn't expect to be able to stop after your 3rd skate. It's like learning to swim or ride a bike. You're an adult so it'll be easier, but not instantaneous or anything. Also... always remember this when you are beginning to skate... you are learning how to skate. You are NOT learning how to skate in hockey, and they are two very different things. Learn how skate in a neutral stance. Stop trying to skate like a hockey player and simply learn how to keep your ankles straight. Do not get ankle support. You want your feet to be under you and not in some wide stance. Otherwise you will look like this Hmmm thats exactly how my legs look, I can get speed but I feel so unstable. So I should pretty much focus exactly on keeping my ankles straighter and skating casually at first to fix it? I guess it's just a matter of those muscles that currently don't really exist to develop? At the end of my skate today, I did feel like I was keeping them straighter, just improving at such a slow pace =/ ---- @SaintPatrick33 Thanks for the advice! Hopefully in a few months I'll be much better. Guess I just need more time on the ice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Korea Bob.Loblaw Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 15 minutes ago, apollo said: Hmmm thats exactly how my legs look, I can get speed but I feel so unstable. So I should pretty much focus exactly on keeping my ankles straighter and skating casually at first to fix it? I guess it's just a matter of those muscles that currently don't really exist to develop? At the end of my skate today, I did feel like I was keeping them straighter, just improving at such a slow pace =/ Anything at the start is going to feel forced. So let's slow down here and start with the absolute basics: standing. Start with proper stance. Look at your skate blade right now. Do you see how it's basically flat (or maybe a slight inward curve if sharpened properly)? You want to be standing STRAIGHT on that, or on both edges. When you bend your ankles, you're standing on your inside edges. Your feet should be directly below your shoulders, as if you are standing on your actual feet. Nobody has a wide standing stance in real life so to do so on skates is unnatural. Properly standing on your skates is one of the most basic skills, and you have to make sure you're doing that right. So once you feel like you can stand properly on your skates without bending (take some serious time practicing this), take literally two strides and start gliding, and see if your feet can stay straight. Some tips would be to bend your knees (keeping in line with your shoulder and feet), and having a straight back, staring forward. New skaters tend to do the exact opposite: wide stance (bending ankles), straight knees (high center of gravity), hunched over (forward imbalance), and staring at your feet. Is your gliding stance the same as your standing stance? Because it should be. Do not worry about having a hockey stance. Take a look at Crosby, one of the best skaters in hockey. Here is his hockey stance. Looks great, but you are not practicing hockey. You are practicing NEUTRAL SKATING, which he's doing here: Upright, knees bent, and basically not exerting any effort. Learn to do that first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Korea Bob.Loblaw Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 Remember. You're at a public skate, not a hockey game. Be chill and look chill. Try to look more like this: Before achieving your final goal of this: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apollo Posted November 14, 2016 Author Share Posted November 14, 2016 11 minutes ago, Bob.Loblaw said: Remember. You're at a public skate, not a hockey game. Be chill and look chill. Try to look more like this: Before achieving your final goal of this: Great advice. I think perhaps I was just getting far too ahead of myself... I think I was jumping to your second hank pic or the first Crosby pic... But I should definitely focus on just standing properly and fixing my stance! Tried a little earlier but it felt too forced and I got discouraged Hopefully my next public skate is better! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnLocke Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 1 hour ago, apollo said: How long does it take to develop the strength in the ankles? I feel like my ankle never had muscles develop around there... Never skiid or really skated growing up. Or do I need like a skate that supports my ankle more? Hoping things turn around... I love the game but I can't imagine playing it with such horrible skating skills =/ Yea I'm getting frustrated, at my 3rd public skate today. I'm gonna do some adult lessons... I feel like my ankles don't even stay as straight as anyone else on the ice. I had my skate properly fitted at SportChek too so iono why, I think it's just no muscles there? Weak ankles are natural to new skaters. Everyone's ankles bend in when they first start... that's why we call them benders. Don't worry too much about specifically working on ankle strength. I promise you they will get straighter and stronger naturally as you skate more and more. Also you don't need any more ankle strength to stop. Stopping is more technique than anything. Ankle strength will be important in crossovers, transitions, and edgework. However, make sure your skates are fitting you correctly and are tied really tight. Tight skates will help you with ankle stability as a beginner. Once you start developing your own strength, then you can loosen them and even skip the top eyelet if you want; but for right now, tie them as tight as you can without it hurting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnLocke Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 1 hour ago, apollo said: Hmmm thats exactly how my legs look, I can get speed but I feel so unstable. So I should pretty much focus exactly on keeping my ankles straighter and skating casually at first to fix it? I guess it's just a matter of those muscles that currently don't really exist to develop? At the end of my skate today, I did feel like I was keeping them straighter, just improving at such a slow pace =/ Feeling unstable when you have speed means that you're not getting low enough. You want to be as low as possible. It's extremely weird and uncomfortable to begin with. By getting low, I mean your knees should be going past your toes but your back should be straight. Go do some squats in the gym and it will help tremendously. Look at how low Taylor Hall is in this picture. He is 6'1, but here his head is barely above the boards. That's what I'm talking about. Notice how his right knee is bent almost parallel to the ice at 90 degrees and how is back is completely straight (as in you can draw a straight line from his hip to his shoulder) and isn't hunched over. Obviously, you're not gonna be able to look like Hall right now, but this is just emphasizing how important it is to get low. From experience, get lower until you feel like you're good, then go lower than that, then get lower than that once again. And that's probably how low you should be going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hlinkas wrister Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 On 11/6/2016 at 8:34 PM, apollo said: Hi all, hoping to get some useful info and advice... Any progress apollo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hlinkas wrister Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 dp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apollo Posted December 29, 2016 Author Share Posted December 29, 2016 1 hour ago, hlinkas wrister said: Any progress apollo? It's taking longer than I hoped but there's definitely been good progress. Such a great feeling when youre flying down the ice, snap a shot off the post and in... My ankles aren't bending as much and I'm pretty comfortable skating. Just looking at the legs, it's already improved my overall posture and have got some muscle development. That being said, trying to fire hard shots and keeping my balance is another thing! Watching others do it with ease is a little frustrating but I'm getting better... I've gone to probably 12 public skates and 6 stick & pucks... I've experimented with my stick length and super feet in skates... My biggest problem right now is lack of strength in lower back and arms... Gonna get a few more stick and pucks and hopefully find a beginner league or some drop in hockey in the new year. I still gotta get the rest of my gear. All I have is stick, skates, glove, helmet, jockstrap and hockey bag. Gonna check out SportChek see if there's any boxing week steals to be had! Again, thanks for all the advice guys... All helpful. Open to any other pointers as well =) To sum it up, this is the most fun I've ever had playing a sport. Definitely sticking to it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alflives Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 27 minutes ago, apollo said: It's taking longer than I hoped but there's definitely been good progress. Such a great feeling when youre flying down the ice, snap a shot off the post and in... My ankles aren't bending as much and I'm pretty comfortable skating. Just looking at the legs, it's already improved my overall posture and have got some muscle development. That being said, trying to fire hard shots and keeping my balance is another thing! Watching others do it with ease is a little frustrating but I'm getting better... I've gone to probably 12 public skates and 6 stick & pucks... I've experimented with my stick length and super feet in skates... My biggest problem right now is lack of strength in lower back and arms... Gonna get a few more stick and pucks and hopefully find a beginner league or some drop in hockey in the new year. I still gotta get the rest of my gear. All I have is stick, skates, glove, helmet, jockstrap and hockey bag. Gonna check out SportChek see if there's any boxing week steals to be had! Again, thanks for all the advice guys... All helpful. Open to any other pointers as well =) To sum it up, this is the most fun I've ever had playing a sport. Definitely sticking to it! Does your helmet have a full shield? You will want to protect that pretty face. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hlinkas wrister Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 1 hour ago, apollo said: It's taking longer than I hoped but there's definitely been good progress. Such a great feeling when youre flying down the ice, snap a shot off the post and in... My ankles aren't bending as much and I'm pretty comfortable skating. Just looking at the legs, it's already improved my overall posture and have got some muscle development. That being said, trying to fire hard shots and keeping my balance is another thing! Watching others do it with ease is a little frustrating but I'm getting better... I've gone to probably 12 public skates and 6 stick & pucks... I've experimented with my stick length and super feet in skates... My biggest problem right now is lack of strength in lower back and arms... Gonna get a few more stick and pucks and hopefully find a beginner league or some drop in hockey in the new year. I still gotta get the rest of my gear. All I have is stick, skates, glove, helmet, jockstrap and hockey bag. Gonna check out SportChek see if there's any boxing week steals to be had! Again, thanks for all the advice guys... All helpful. Open to any other pointers as well =) To sum it up, this is the most fun I've ever had playing a sport. Definitely sticking to it! That's great to hear man, keep at it. Patience is key, and sh*tloads of repetitions. Don't waste your money on buying "the best of" anything, it doesn't make you a better player, go for fit and comfort. Keep us posted! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RUPERTKBD Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 Hey Apollo, I was one of the guys offering advice early in the thread, but there's been a ton of great ideas from lots of posters... I just wanted to say kudos for taking the leap. It's never too late to learn a new skill and believe me, skating will be a skill that you never have reason to regret learning. Keep it up and best of luck to you. My hat's off... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apollo Posted December 30, 2016 Author Share Posted December 30, 2016 11 hours ago, Alflives said: Does your helmet have a full shield? You will want to protect that pretty face. Hahah you bet! My nose is already crooked enough, wouldn't want to accidentally straighten it lol 9 hours ago, hlinkas wrister said: That's great to hear man, keep at it. Patience is key, and sh*tloads of repetitions. Don't waste your money on buying "the best of" anything, it doesn't make you a better player, go for fit and comfort. Keep us posted! Thanks! Went to SportChek today, found the shoulder pads on sale for 39 bucks (regular 60) and elbow pads for 40 (regular 75!) They didn't have my size in the pants and shin/knee pads in the price range I was after... Everything was north of a $100. Gonna find those at another location. Really glad I picked this up, I feel much better in general... Posture is improving, I'm healthier and drinking less too lol. I didn't think it was possible to love this game anymore than I did before... I was wrong, it's definitely possible! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WillyFox Posted February 2, 2017 Share Posted February 2, 2017 How has your skating improved? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-AJ- Posted February 2, 2017 Share Posted February 2, 2017 This is a relatable topic for me. I've played hundreds, probably thousands of road/floor hockey games, but only probably 10-20 ice hockey games and even those have only been casual scrimmages. Never had the funds to invest in hockey gear and nor did my parents. I've improved notably in skating (still not at a solid hockey level though), but my one big crutch is stopping. I can do crossovers on turns, skate backwards, and even almost do crossovers while skating backwards, but I still can't do a proper hockey stop. Feels like it's long overdue. That said, I haven't been skating nearly as much this year, so this year hasn't seen much improvement for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingofsurrey Posted February 3, 2017 Share Posted February 3, 2017 Ice hockey is 100 times more fun to play than it is to watch....... Ice hockey is very easy on you joints/knees. I really plan on playing ice hockey into my 60's....... Probably play about over 60 games a year now and i am getting on in years.... Such a great hobby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apollo Posted September 27, 2017 Author Share Posted September 27, 2017 So I had some health issues from Mid January that dragged almost to May and I fell off the rails with my training. Went to some public skates and stick and pucks during the summer but not many as there wasn't that many rinks to chose from considering my schedule. I've been back at it all September going to as many public skates and stick and pucks as possible... I think I'm ready to join a beginner league. I've learned how to stop pretty well on both sides... to the point I can't contain my smile when I shred and see the snow shower... SO EXCITING! I can't believe I can finally do it. My passing I think is decent... my shots are 75% of the time bad... 22% of the time decent, and 3% off the post and in (best feeling on the planet). I can skate forward pretty fast... I'm still a donkey when it comes to skating backwards but I think I'm ready for a beginner league? Does anyone have any recommendations where I might be able to play? Vancouver or North Shore would be ideal... but I could always do Richmond, New West or Burnaby if need be. Or are there any drop in games? I had someone at one of the rinks I go to, tell me Richmond had drop in hockey in the morning but I haven't seen that guy in a while... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingofsurrey Posted September 27, 2017 Share Posted September 27, 2017 5 hours ago, apollo said: So I had some health issues from Mid January that dragged almost to May and I fell off the rails with my training. Went to some public skates and stick and pucks during the summer but not many as there wasn't that many rinks to chose from considering my schedule. I've been back at it all September going to as many public skates and stick and pucks as possible... I think I'm ready to join a beginner league. I've learned how to stop pretty well on both sides... to the point I can't contain my smile when I shred and see the snow shower... SO EXCITING! I can't believe I can finally do it. My passing I think is decent... my shots are 75% of the time bad... 22% of the time decent, and 3% off the post and in (best feeling on the planet). I can skate forward pretty fast... I'm still a donkey when it comes to skating backwards but I think I'm ready for a beginner league? Does anyone have any recommendations where I might be able to play? Vancouver or North Shore would be ideal... but I could always do Richmond, New West or Burnaby if need be. Or are there any drop in games? I had someone at one of the rinks I go to, tell me Richmond had drop in hockey in the morning but I haven't seen that guy in a while... Best place for you to start would be drop in. Friendly guys and no refs so much better behavior by the players. Advice. Don't be a ice hog and try to take short hard shifts. No one likes a guy that stays out on the ice for longer than his fair share. Go hard and get off and the guys will be friendlier with you. Good luck. I play approximately 50 games a year of drop in and i love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RUPERTKBD Posted September 27, 2017 Share Posted September 27, 2017 On 2/2/2017 at 8:18 PM, kingofsurrey said: Ice hockey is 100 times more fun to play than it is to watch....... Ice hockey is very easy on you joints/knees. I really plan on playing ice hockey into my 60's....... Probably play about over 60 games a year now and i am getting on in years.... Such a great hobby. First thing you have to do Kos, is stop calling it "ice" hockey. Apollo has already been "warned" about that. If you want to look like a noob, it's a sure fire way.... @apollo: Kos' advice is sound. Most rinks will have "drop in" ice time for guys who want to get some practice in. (Some places call it "Shift Hockey") Call the rink (or the rec office, whoever looks after such things) and ask. Most of the time, shift hockey will be scheduled at non-peak times, like lunch hour, or late at night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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