The Skating Guy - Coach Duncan Pike - tells you about skating, training, and everything else hockey. Have a question for Coach Duncan? Ask and he'll answer!
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Torres Hit on Hossa
It took me a few minutes to find this camera view, but it shows what I’m pretty sure earned Torres the suspension. At first view, from the angle we’ve mostly seen it at, this hit doesn’t look all that vicious. Torres leaves his feet, so it’s charging, and he gets Hossa in the head, so as a ref, I’d debate teh 5-minute major. But really, at first it didn’t look so bad. However, the first camera view you get in the video I’ve embedded here shows, I think, pretty clearly that Torres was looking for a big, bad hit on Hossa. He approached from a different lane than Hossa was in (i.e. not skating directly at him) and turns at the end, coming up high and off his feet to plant his shoulder with as much punishment as he could manage. It was also a little late. I would guess that the approach from the other lane, so that he could make a glide turn into the hit, was a device to disguise the charging as just finishing a hit. But watch this first view a couple of times, and I think you’ll agree he was out to plant that shoulder as hard as he could, to intimidate and to inflict punishment. The suspension is a good decision, in my opinion, and should probably last the playoffs. This hit was callous, wreckless, and flat-out dangerous.
What Detroit Has To Do
The Red Wings need to realize that Nashville plays a different game, and adjust in the defensive zone. Nashville plays a scrambly, opportunistic game on offense, not the sort of methodical, possession game that Detroit excels at. Translation: any time there’s a loose puck within 15 feet of Jimmy Howard, the Wings are in danger. They have to learn to jump on those pucks, and play a little more of a dump-out game than they’re used to. Just have to win the puck in the neutral zone before they set up.
Happy Easter!
Happy Easter from the Skating Guy! More video posts are coming soon, but I just couldn’t get it all edited last week, and I’ve decided to actually take the holiday off (GASP!). So I will be back this week with more great video posts, so don’t go away!
Skate Laces: More Important Than You Think!
Laces literally hold everything together. They are an integral part of your skate, and having quality laces that aren’t worn out, is an important part of making sure your skates are fitted properly!
Collecting the Puck While Skating
We were a bit rushed on the ice time getting this one in, so we might redo it later. I didn’t have any time to go over how to do these moves with Martin, but hey, no reason not to document some of the learning process!
Moving With the Play Down Low
Deep in the zone, both forwards and defencemen need to move back and forth between the corner and the front of the net. We’ve talked about front of net positioning, and protecting the puck, in a couple of recent posts, and here we combine those techniques to move quickly and efficiently between these two areas to stay with your man, and stay with the play.
Front of Net Positioning - it’s extremely important for forwards, but many of us aren’t doing it effectively. Most people think it’s all about stability, but it isn’t really. When we’re in front of the net we’re always moving, and also constantly being pushed and bumped. What’s important is putting ourselves in a position where we can absorb those impacts, and push back, without sacrificing our own position or mobility.
This one was also totally unrehearsed so there’s a blooper or two you might enjoy. :)
Fitting Skates Properly - how your skates should fit is often misunderstood. One of the big things we overlook, especially with skates for kids, is the width. You can get away with a little extra length, usually, but not the case in width! Watch to see why!
Anonymous asked: Dear Skating Guy, what would you suggest to adults in their late twenties, early thirties who want to start skating again but haven't been on the ice in years? Are there lessons we can take for refreshers or should we just dive on in and pray for a quick arrival from the paramedics?
What a great question! There are two main concerns here: conditioning/general health, and your skating performance. The first one is the most important, because hockey is a very demanding sport on your body. If you think you’re out of shape, talk to your physician about whether you’re healthy enough to play, and if not, talk to your physician, and other appropriate professionals, about a plan to get healthy enough to play at a recreational level. That plan could include playing at a less intense level. Around here in Vancouver, adult co-ed hockey is a great place for that.
Now let’s assume you are, or have gotten, healthy enough to play. Your first concern should be injury prevention, and the best way to do that is by improving your flexibility, and preparing your body properly to play. I’m sure you know what I’ll say next - STRETCHING! I ref men’s league, and I see lots of guys coming out half-way through the 5 minute warm up, and do 40 seconds of stretching, then a couple of passes and they get into the game. It’s a recipe for disaster, and a lot of soreness the next day. If you know you have a game that night, drink lots of water, and show up at the rink an extra 10 minutes early and do 10 minutes worth of stretching in the dressing room. That’s all it really takes; do 10 minutes of stretching for your whole body.
Now, as far as improving your flexibility in general, which will really pay off, not only in hockey, but just in your general comfort all day every day, daily stretching is great, and so are pilates and yoga. And hey, what better way to earn some points with your wife or girlfriend than by saying “hey, why don’t we take yoga as a couple?” You become a better, safer hockey player, and look thoughtful and considerate all at the same time. Win-win!
Now we’ve dealt with the health/safety issues, let’s talk a bit about your skating performance itself. 1. Make sure your skates FIT. A new post on that is coming out tomorrow. 2. Go out and do some work on your edges — finding edge contact and control, and putting pressure on your edges through turns, pivots, stride, etc. 3. Your skating posture! You want your bum down, and your chest up. It’s the easiest mistake to fall into, out of everything I’ve seen skaters do. Rule of thumb to know if you’re doing this - if your thighs and glutes hurt, you’re doing things right. If your back hurts, you’re doing it wrong.
Lots of places (including me, check out www.sps-powerskating.ca if you’re in the Vancouver area) offer adult beginner lessons, and some also offer intermediate/refresher type courses (I do these too). These are a great place to start if you’re unsure of yourself.
I’ll try to get a video post or two up about these things in the next few weeks. Thanks for a great question!
Protecting the Puck - lots of players have a tendency to use their arm strength on the boards to protect the puck, but that leaves you with no real control of the situation, and makes it hard to use your arms to play the puck. Watch to find out how to protect the puck using your LEG strength, and leave your arms more available to play the puck, and give yourself more space!
We had a bit of trouble getting the right camera angle, but I think it’s mostly all here :)
