Any hockey tips for beginner? Joined a ball hockey league

[UnatcoAgent]

My cousin started a ball hockey team in some league here in Ottawa, I've never played real hockey before on a team but did play pickup quite a bit especially street hockey.

We're going to be playing with refs and full rules, anybody have any good tips for a beginner?

 

[potato28]

Aim for where the goalie will be, not where he is.

 

[Unheard]

Checking league? If so... KEEP YOUR HEAD UP.

 

[oogabooga]

Originally posted by: Unheard
Checking league? If so... KEEP YOUR HEAD UP.

This is incredibly good advice. :thumbsup:

Also, make your hits count, especially if they have their heads down

 

[Steve]

Originally posted by: potato28
Aim for where the goalie will be, not where he is.

Unless he is the goalie.

 

[UnatcoAgent]

Hah no I'm not the goalie,

Not sure if it's a checking league or not, I should probably find that out. We're not wearing protective gear, minus optional shinpads, so I'm assuming it's not.

Hah I'm kind of nervous now.. one hell of a challenge.

 

[jagec]

When you get into a fight, don't wimp out after a couple of hits...give the crowd something worth watching.

 

[dennilfloss]

Originally posted by: Sabot
Hah no I'm not the goalie,

Not sure if it's a checking league or not, I should probably find that out. We're not wearing protective gear, minus optional shinpads, so I'm assuming it's not.

Hah I'm kind of nervous now.. one hell of a challenge.

Cups should never be optional unless you fancy a slapshot to the nutsack as a quick way to endorphin heaven.

 

[yllus]

Hoo boy, good luck. We didn't win a single game all of last year when my team played - but it was our first year together versus people who'd been together for a decade already. Takes time for a team to mesh.

 

[sjwaste]

Wear the shinguards and a helmet. You'll be more willing to play hard, especially as a beginner, knowing you're protected. I'd actually suggest you add gloves to that too.

Second, can you skate? If not, skate.. a lot. Work on turning, slowing down, and stopping. If you can skate, its a lot easier to pick up the details, like, oh.. puck/ball control.

After that, it's all about playing and practicing as much as you can. Work on skating around obstacles with a ball and stick. Practice passing if you can as well.

And last, just go have fun. Wear the pads, learn to skate, and figure the rest out while you're playing. It should be a really good time.

 

[desy]

Don't go offside!
Nothing kills a rush like an offside and you will tick off your teammates.

 

[tHa ShIzNiT]

Is this on ice or on the street? On skates or on feet? Checking or non checking, the hits will happen. I play roller hockey in a "non checking" league and I have hit and been hit harder in this league than when I used to play ice. It happens, and people get mad. A lot. Then stuff can happen. If you're not looking for a fight you should be ok, but just going out on the rink (or whatever surface) raises your chances of fighting someone exponentially.

 

[2Xtreme21]

Are you on roller blades or not?

 

[HeroOfPellinor]

Originally posted by: 2Xtreme21
Are you on roller blades or not?

Sounds like it. That was always a blast. We had a crew of 12-14 guys and would hop fences into tennis courts and play there. I wouldn't know how to play without wacthing my back for cops.

 

[UnatcoAgent]

Hey guys,

no we're just running, no roller blades. This is the first year this teams played together, so I'm betting it's going to be pretty rough. I've got a cup (fresh!), and some gloves, I was going to wear some squash goggles but I think I'll just get a helmet. This is really helping though, if anyone else has any other tips, please put em down!

 

[dquan97]

so its like floor hockey w/ a ball? wear shin guards, helmet, and gloves. And aim for the corners on the goal.

<- goalie

 

[bignateyk]

One of my roomates used to be the captain of the club roller hockey team, but they would usually get a team together to play in the rec league.

Needless to say, it was pretty brutal, and he loved to instill the fear of god into the newbies. I watched him hip check some little freshman dude who could barely skate over the boards (My roomate is 6'5", 230lbs)

Good luck

 

[clickynext]

That's funny, my friends are joining a no-hit rollerhockey league later this year. It's really such a fun sport, I wish I could have joined with them. Even if you're not on skates it helps to wear some gear like shin guards and gloves and maybe helmet, just so you can go all out without worrying about getting hurt.

I think team practices help a lot in coordinating so you guys should schedule them to make sure you don't get owned by the other teams. The key is to spread out and stay in your positions, and avoid crowding the ball, as tempting as it may seem. Practice passing so you can move the ball around and create some open space for teammates to work with.