The BC Blogger's Return - Week 2 of 2012 Winter Session
Hey there hockey fans. It’s been a while since I’ve blogged about my Breakfast Club experiences. Because, well, it’s been a while since I’ve been able to attend the Breakfast Club to have experiences to blog about. But just like falling off a bike or tripping over the paint on the blue line, it was quite easy for me to pick up where I left off.
We’re in week #2 of the winter session, eight more weeks to go. So there’s plenty of time to register if you haven’t already done so. The Wednesday class is fuller than the Thursday class: I should know because I went to both this week so that I could blog with authority. Blogging with authority is right up there with stick intensity, just ask Lyle.
Speaking of asking Lyle, keep your eyes open for a “first ever” this June, hockey fans. I can’t give you any more details, because there aren’t any more details to be had yet, but I promise that something memorable is being planned to occur this June over at Suburban Ice: Farmington. I wonder if Perani’s does wedding registries? Hmmmmm, so many details, so little time.
And paying attention to details and making good use of your time is what the Breakfast Club is all about. At the Wednesday class, we had just shy of thirty skaters and we had exactly three coaches (Lyle, Joe and Scott). Whereas, the Thursday class had just shy of twenty skaters and two coaches (Lyle and Joe). We were also graced with two goalies for each session. With all of the pieces in place, our able and entertaining coaches set about to try to get some details drilled through our heads and into our muscle memories within the time allotted.
Biggest task? Getting over the need to stare at that doggone puck. Feel that puck on your blade! Go ahead, feel it! It won’t bite. Staring at it merely guarantees that you’ll likely have no Earthly idea what is going on anywhere on the ice with, you know, those pesky other details such as your team mates, the opponents, you know, details…
Another detail: handling the puck, not pushing it (ahem, don’t know who does that…) while you’re skating. Why “handle” it and why not push it? Well, because if you’re pushing it, you can’t feel it on the end of your stick anymore. Which makes you then want and/or need to look at the puck. Which then prevents you from being able to know where your team mates and opponents are at. Rinse, lather, repeat: see above.
When you think about it, there’s basically two (just two) ways to move the puck with your stick – on the forehand side, or on the backhand side. That’s it, hockey fans. All that other fancy schmancy “highlights reel” stuff with toe drags and whatnot? Those generally happen because you failed to bring the puck quick and wide to your forehand and/or backhand side to evade the opponent in the first place. So you had to pull a fancy schmancy rabbit outta the hat and hope it would work. Tried and true might sound boring, but tried and true generally are tried and true for good reason.
Skating is kind of an important detail for hockey, too, or so I am told. So we worked on breaking down our stride and lengthening it. Making it more efficient. More power, less effort. Us “more senior” (never say “older”) players need to be able to skate faster without expending needless wasted energy. Arms forward and back, not side to side. Legs moving from center return, out, return, not chop chop chop wide and not chop chop chop narrow either.
And what’s a practice without a hearty opportunity to beat the tar outta each other, I ask? A little one-on-one small ice during the area drills, and (in the case of the Thursday class) a little one-on-one multiples full-ice battles to round out the session at the end.
As I mentioned originally, there is still time to register. What better way to drag your friend into the wonderful vortex of hockey than to buy him (or her) a spot at the Breakfast Club? You don’t have to go out for breakfast together afterwards if you don’t want to. But you can, if you’d like.
We’re in week #2 of the winter session, eight more weeks to go. So there’s plenty of time to register if you haven’t already done so. The Wednesday class is fuller than the Thursday class: I should know because I went to both this week so that I could blog with authority. Blogging with authority is right up there with stick intensity, just ask Lyle.
Speaking of asking Lyle, keep your eyes open for a “first ever” this June, hockey fans. I can’t give you any more details, because there aren’t any more details to be had yet, but I promise that something memorable is being planned to occur this June over at Suburban Ice: Farmington. I wonder if Perani’s does wedding registries? Hmmmmm, so many details, so little time.
And paying attention to details and making good use of your time is what the Breakfast Club is all about. At the Wednesday class, we had just shy of thirty skaters and we had exactly three coaches (Lyle, Joe and Scott). Whereas, the Thursday class had just shy of twenty skaters and two coaches (Lyle and Joe). We were also graced with two goalies for each session. With all of the pieces in place, our able and entertaining coaches set about to try to get some details drilled through our heads and into our muscle memories within the time allotted.
Biggest task? Getting over the need to stare at that doggone puck. Feel that puck on your blade! Go ahead, feel it! It won’t bite. Staring at it merely guarantees that you’ll likely have no Earthly idea what is going on anywhere on the ice with, you know, those pesky other details such as your team mates, the opponents, you know, details…
Another detail: handling the puck, not pushing it (ahem, don’t know who does that…) while you’re skating. Why “handle” it and why not push it? Well, because if you’re pushing it, you can’t feel it on the end of your stick anymore. Which makes you then want and/or need to look at the puck. Which then prevents you from being able to know where your team mates and opponents are at. Rinse, lather, repeat: see above.
When you think about it, there’s basically two (just two) ways to move the puck with your stick – on the forehand side, or on the backhand side. That’s it, hockey fans. All that other fancy schmancy “highlights reel” stuff with toe drags and whatnot? Those generally happen because you failed to bring the puck quick and wide to your forehand and/or backhand side to evade the opponent in the first place. So you had to pull a fancy schmancy rabbit outta the hat and hope it would work. Tried and true might sound boring, but tried and true generally are tried and true for good reason.
Skating is kind of an important detail for hockey, too, or so I am told. So we worked on breaking down our stride and lengthening it. Making it more efficient. More power, less effort. Us “more senior” (never say “older”) players need to be able to skate faster without expending needless wasted energy. Arms forward and back, not side to side. Legs moving from center return, out, return, not chop chop chop wide and not chop chop chop narrow either.
And what’s a practice without a hearty opportunity to beat the tar outta each other, I ask? A little one-on-one small ice during the area drills, and (in the case of the Thursday class) a little one-on-one multiples full-ice battles to round out the session at the end.
As I mentioned originally, there is still time to register. What better way to drag your friend into the wonderful vortex of hockey than to buy him (or her) a spot at the Breakfast Club? You don’t have to go out for breakfast together afterwards if you don’t want to. But you can, if you’d like.
posted by Suburban Hockey @ 1:24 PM
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