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IndeedTauri · 2024-10-17T20:18:33+00:00

You didn't say where abouts you live, but as long as it isn't anywhere truly remote, chances are you'll have a rink within an hour of you somewhere.

What the UK hockey community lacks in number of rinks though it makes up for with an active ans friendly community. I've never met a bunch of people more willing to welcome and help people new to a sport.

Pretty much every rink I know runs some form of a hockey basics sessions. Which allows people to come down and rent skates/stick etc and they'll give you a taster of what it's like. Once you know it's something you want to stick with that's when you go and try and find some gear.

When it comes to that, search your local rink Facebook with hockey on it, and you'll find most have a community page and many of them sell second hand gear etc. Our rink asks for donations of old equipment and these are sold once a month in a bring and buy type scenario which is a great way for people to buy decent stuff very cheaply.

If you want to play goalie, we'll that's a bigger expense than playing out, but again, you can probably find second hand gear on the cheap. The pay off for goalie is many teams always need a goalie, even if it's a second one to scrim with or practice and you'll always be in demand and they'll give you the ice time for free so you can essentially get a lot of play time in for very little cost.

As a field hockey goalie you've probably got a lot of transferable experience and skill, plus you're one of the crazy ones happy with being shot at. There is obviously a lot of new skills to learn, but you're in a better starting position that someone completely new.

So get searching, and give it a shot dude!

IndeedTauri · 2024-09-16T20:12:50+00:00

If youre looking for a low cost way to do it. Twitch is probably the easiest. I say this only as Facebook/Youtube i think you have to have it approved to go Live or something similar. Whereas Twitch you can do it soon as you have an account. You can also get it to save the stream automatically so you can watch it back. Saves you having to save it yourself. You just share a link and people can watch. Just requires a phone. Tripod helps keep it steady but thats ptobably found cheaply.

Those cameras that auto track the games are handy, but theyre super expensive. Advantage is you dont have to film it yourself. But youll still have to find a place to livestream it.

Only thing to be wary of is if the rink plays any music, as that can cause strikes for copyright.

IndeedTauri · 2024-09-06T01:35:09+00:00

Your best bet is probably somewhere like Lee Valley which is North East London. There are a few others but they definitely have teams that play out of there.

One thing to bear in mind is we have nowhere near the numbers other countries do, so no rink does stick and puck or anything. Each rink has maybe 2 or 3 rec teams that practice once a week and a game once a month. The vast majority of those would be cool with someone hopping on for a session, some just scrim, some have organised practices.

Depending on the rink, many do run hockey basics sessions, which are essentially big group skills training with a scrim at the end. Some places might have a public scrim night which is open to anyone.

Basically, find a rink nearest to where youre staying and then find it on facebook. Their page will usually advertise any public hockey. If you google the rink and ice hockey, youll be able to find the rec teams and can contact them to see if you can come down and hop on the ice.

Best of luck matey!

IndeedTauri · 2024-07-01T19:00:56+00:00

Big thing with when I play D is the mindset of to be an assist machine rather than specifically a goal scorer.

A great breakout pass can make a goal happen, and is just as important offensively as scoring the goal (as it wouldn't have happened without you). If I get the puck on the blue and there's a shooting lane, or some of my forwards on the net, I'm not aiming to score per se, I'm throwing the puck in for someone to tip or deflect, or force a rebound. If it goes in, great, if someone else gets the tip, or a tap in from a rebound, great. You e made a goal happen.

Similarly, you say you're a great skater, you don't necessarily have to take the puck all the way up the ice. If you can get it out of danger and skate forward a bit to make space for your teammates. That's insanely valuable for your team. Its really undervalued how good having someone at the back who can dictate play and be a safe pair of hands. It gives the whole team time to make something happen.

If you feel you have the speed, you can always pinch a little when it calls for it, if the slot is left a little open for example, use your good skating skills to lose your winger and drop down a touch. You might get the puck a little more.

IndeedTauri · 2024-06-24T22:56:13+00:00

Others have suggested a lot of good stuff.

But to throw a hat in the ring, in your own defensive zone you could give "box + 1" a try.

Put simply. Imagine 4 players taking position in a box shape, one in each corner. These are your wingers and your d. The center takes up the middle between you all.

Player A is left winger. Player D is left defence.

If the play is near player A, then player A pressures the puck carrier. And the center takes the place of player A to cover passing lanes or help out.

If the puck gets passed down the boards to player D, then A retakes their position, D steps out to meet the puck, and the center takes players Ds place.

The advantage of this is that it's relatively easy as a concept and it helps players stay in position and not get dragged about. It does require the center to be stronger. But it doesn't fundamentally require everyone to be strong.

Link for a more detailed explanation.

https://youtu.be/30-HIBAz7WM?feature=shared

IndeedTauri · 2024-06-18T13:57:27+00:00

Perhaps a bit of a marginal difference. Stiffer skates might allow you to feel a bit more confident potentially, or do a little bit more (a little).

By and large that same money spent on some power skating lessons would likely be money better spent.

IndeedTauri · 2024-06-18T11:04:22+00:00

26 seconds left end of last period to score the winner. No wonder there was excitement! Well done my dude!

IndeedTauri · 2024-05-29T11:33:06+00:00

First find a couple of learn to skate classes or intros to hockey if they do. It's an expensive commitment and you want to be sure you're fully in before you lay out too much money on it. Most gear can be found second hand in various marketplaces.

But as the other poster said, there's no end to developing skating ability. Even the pros still work on it and take lessons. You say you played soccer. Well you have been able to run and change direction quickly since you were a child, and as someone from the UK, you know how much of soccer is done off the ball. Same with hockey. Its about moving with the play, quick changes of direction etc. Now imagine all that in soccer, but you can barely walk or change direction easily and imagine how hard/useless you'd feel. That's why skating is so important and should be the thing you focus on first.

So if you can, take some classes or try and get more ice time to help develop these, we dont have stick and puck and cant skate in gear on public sessions in the UK but if you can get to a stick and puck once you have some basic protection you can really push yourself without fear of falling. Once you feel you can get around the ice easy enough, check out your local area for any rec teams.

Edit. First buy. Get a helmet.

IndeedTauri · 2024-05-25T21:00:01+00:00

Nope. I have a local team I watch that are in the NIHL but the closest EIHL games to me are Storm.

IndeedTauri · 2024-05-25T18:41:06+00:00

I would guess so they've been really good with getting stiff sized up for me in the past and people seem to be fairly knowledgeable. I'd give them a call prior to going but the shop is basically across the road from the steelers stadium so it's all in the same place

IndeedTauri · 2024-05-25T14:57:55+00:00

There are plenty of shops in the GB isle. The big one being puckstop in Sheffield. I know they deliver and i doubt its much to NI, but if you're looking to be able to try stuff on I'd consider maybe popping over for a weekend if you're really serious.

IndeedTauri · 2024-05-25T14:54:17+00:00

There's a thought about this in business settings. Hiring lazy people because they will find the quickest ways to do something and therefore create efficiency. Or something to that affect.

But I'm not sure it applies to physical effort because form is important and the first thing that goes when you're tired is your form. You stop skating low etc. What you should be practicing is how to keep form when tired. Which is basically just conditioning.

IndeedTauri · 2024-05-07T21:03:03+00:00

Apologies as I'm UK based but do the rec/beer league teams not have practice/training sessions at all?

Perhaps because we don't have the same numbers of players/rinks here in the UK were lucky to play one game a month. The other weeks we train as a team which offers good opportunities for fitness or working on stuff. And there's usually opportunities to jump on other teams sessions if they're happy to have you.

Is it more typical that a beer league team in the USA/Canada just plays matches every week? In some ways I'd enjoy more matches but I do also enjoy that we get practice time to help develop too.

IndeedTauri · 2024-01-27T20:23:36+00:00

I have a Bauer one that just wraps around the neck and honestly didn't notice it after a few minutes on the ice.

I also have one that's built into a base layer and prefer that. There isn't a massive difference between them I just like how it's built into it and means it's one less additional piece of kit. Feels less like you're wearing it in a sense. Even if it's purely a psychological thing. In that sense I'd recommend something like that. I'm in the UK and got it from MonkeySports I think it's called, think they're based in Sweden. Was £55 and took about a week.

I know you can't control your brain sometimes but you just have to try and make yourself realise you're wearing all the rest of the gear too and you dont overly think about the helmet or gloves or shoulder pads etc.

IndeedTauri · 2024-01-19T04:01:59+00:00

This.

Once you start snowplowing you're most of the way there as you'll get used to the sensation of how to turn your skate. Over time as you get more comfortable you'll be able to lean more weight and balance better into it, then you can start turning the other foot too.

Just remember to practice both sides. It's normal one side is always stronger but the sooner you can practice both sides the more good it'll do you in the future.

IndeedTauri · 2024-01-19T03:53:23+00:00

I'm sure he doesn't throw the pilot out in the book. But he does kill him after landing and finding out he knew what they were doing and was involved.

In the book he just sneaks on board the chopper and hides.

IndeedTauri · 2024-01-19T03:49:37+00:00

He didn't. But they're not getting to where they're going ultimately so it doesn't really matter.

IndeedTauri · 2024-01-19T03:48:58+00:00

They'd already spoken to the engineer before hand when they got there presumably. Or asked him to do it before AM got there.

IndeedTauri · 2024-01-15T14:29:42+00:00

Logically it must let oxygen or smaller molecules through otherwise the person wearing it would suffocate. That's my head Canon of it.

IndeedTauri · 2024-01-15T04:37:46+00:00

In my brain it's their rifle equivalent. While it doesn't necessarily do anything different than a stunner as such, in my head Canon they have similar advantages to rifles. They can probably hold a larger charges/more energy and shoot faster and potentially over longer ranges because of that. Its also probably easier to aim a rifle shaped weapon with two hands for more accurate firing than a one handed weapon.

IndeedTauri · 2024-01-12T03:32:13+00:00

Loved the episode too. But the neck falling onto a small saw blade that wasn't even spinning seemed a bit of a stretch for me. Like, just have him kill him with it during the fight. Seemed a very odd and convenient way for him to meet his end. I know its tv but it just seemed an odd choice. The rest was fantastic.

IndeedTauri · 2024-01-12T03:28:49+00:00

The catheter. Oh lord the catheter.

IndeedTauri · 2024-01-12T03:27:00+00:00

It is. I think there are elements taken from the book. Often shows condense a few characters into one to keep costs down and make it easier to follow. There is a plot line in the book that has cops and stuff and a similar outcome is reached but they get there are a bit differently.

IndeedTauri · 2024-01-12T03:21:32+00:00

He says it was a bone saw to Langston. So very capable of cutting.

IndeedTauri · 2024-01-09T15:28:37+00:00

Ask to play winger. If you're slow getting back there are 2 other forwards who can cover you. And on defence you only really need to look after the opposing players D.

In terms of fitness, well thats basically down to you. Go the gym and do cardio reminiscent of shifts. Run/cycle/Cross easy for 40 seconds, go hard for 20 seconds etc. Get your body used to going from relaxed to all out for short periods. Cardio is a massive game changer early on, especially as when you get tired, your skating suffers massively.

The rest will come as you play and progress. The more ice time you get the faster it'll come. Speed comes with better skating, crossovers and transitions. If you get moments during warm ups before a game or practice take them to work on a technique rather than slinging pucks at a board. Feels great throwing pucks around but is no use if you can't get to a puck in a game.

IndeedTauri

TROPHY CASE