How to Play Ice Hockey
Background:
I joined the Ice Hockey world in 2021, my senior year of high school. I had just transfered schools and all of my new friends were on the team. They failed to get me to join so I was a manager my junior year. But senior year I pulled the trigger and took the chance. I had quite the village to help me learn so let me help you out.
Steps to Get Started:
Step one: When getting ready to play this very beautiful but tiring sport you have two options. One is getting skates and a helmet and getting started with skating, and two is buy a full set of equipment and jump right in.
Step two: The first thing you’ll learn is how to correct a stride in order to move. You push off the ice at about a 45 degree angle in order to catch your inside edge of the blade and push off. Balance is of upmost importance and you’ll improve over time by practicing. But learning how to skate forward comes first.
Step three: Once you learn how to skate forward the next important step is learning how to stop. The best way to learn how to stop is get up on the boards with two hands. Keep one blade still on the ice and shave the ice with the other skate while keeping the blade flat on the ice and slowly working your inside edge outward. Once you are able to shave a small pile of ice with both feet you will move to stopping while skating. Skate forward and turn your hips whichever way feels more comfortable and turn your edges out the same way you did as you shaved the ice. Again practice makes perfect. Practice moving your hips and bottom half of your body at a rapid pace to get those edges into the ice.
Step four: Stopping might take a while so you can also learn how to crossover while that takes place. To cross over you want to be comfortable skating forward. You will march in place sideways and take one foot and slowly place it over the other. Making an “x” shape with your legs. Do this on both sides. There will be a “better” side where every movement will come easier but it is important to practice both sides. Once you can step over each leg without falling over, begin skating forward and start crossing over while skating. If you have all equipment then you can use your stick to hold your weight. If you are a lefty then your stick will curve left and right crossovers will use your stick. If you are a righty then the opposite will take place. On your opposite side you will not use the stick for added stability.
Step five: During stopping and crossovers you’ll begin stick handling. This is what gives you the chance to learn how to move the puck. The idea is to keep your head up and begin using peripheral vision to keep the puck in sight while not staring straight down. Keeping the puck on your stick will require hand-eye coordination to keep it. Passing requires a sweeping motion to push the puck towards your target. And stick handling requires keeping control of the puck also will a sweeping motion but not chopping wood. Chopping wood is smacking the stick down on the ice in an axe-like motion.
Step six: Eventually skating backwards will be a goal. To skate backwards you must do a c-cut backwards. C-cuts are using your edge to push weight on your toes and pushing yourself backward. Do c-cuts with each foot and once comfortable do so with both feet in quick succession and go backwards.
Step seven: Each step will take you further on your hockey journey but the most important part is getting on the ice and trying. And meeting other hockey players will give you real experience that will help improvement. Essentially “Monkey see monkey do” when you watch someone better then you, you will copy their movements and improve yourself.
Equipment:
Each of these sites sell new equipment but second-hand equipment can be found online as well.
Enjoy your endeavors, and best of all, have fun!