Falling On Your Face and Loving it

Falling on ice hurts. A lot. When I first started hockey, I was terrified. I remembered those cold winter nights as a kid skating on our neighbor's pond with rickety figure skates that didn't fit me and how much more banged knees and elbows hurt at 17 degrees. I figured re-learning how to skate would hurt like that, and it was going to SUCK.

The first day I skated with my borrowed hockey pads changed my life.

 I fell, a lot. My first game I looked like Bambi if he was trying to swim across the ice, not even bothering to try standing anymore.

But the glorious thing about hockey pads is they make the ice like a gentle pillow, catching you in it's chilly arms and lowering you gently to the floor. Sort of.

 Getting hit, that still hurts, but learning to skate is so much less terrifying when you know that falling isn't going to set you weeping like a tween at a Beiber concert.

I hear from my friends (and husband) all the time that they would give hockey a try, but they don't know how to skate. What they are really saying is that they don't want all the pain and humiliation associated with learning to skate again. Those giant and oh-so-sexy hockey pants are the best, they really are. I have flung myself to the ice at every possible angle like the flopping fish-out-of-water that I am and came up unscathed.

So to those who say they can't play because they can't skate I saw HOGWASH. Absolutely anyone can learn. The day I started learning there was a five-year-old boy out on the red line with his teacher and a brand new pair of hockey skates. He wore his Yzerman jersey that day and toddled up and down that red line, falling many times each pass. I had to pick myself up as many times as he did, but if that brave little boy with his favorite Red Wings jersey could do it, I could man up, get up and try again.

After a few months of playing under my belt, and much coaching and practice, Bambi only shows up once in a great while. Thanks to my pads, only my pride is ever bruised.

The equipment: Hockey Stick

So you want to play adult hockey and you've never played before in your life. Where in the world do you even begin! You know of a rink near you and might even have a league you can play in. But all will come to naught if you don't have the right gear.

It is best to start with as much used equipment as you can. One, it keeps start up costs down. Hockey is expensive to play, no getting around it. And two, if you don't want to devote your life to it, you won't be out hundreds of dollars.

To begin playing hockey you will need:

Hockey Skates
Stick
Helmet
Gloves
Hockey Pants
Shin Guards
Elbow Pads
Shoulder Pads
Hockey Socks
For women: Jillajock (like a jock strap but for the ladies!)

Some rinks will have practice times just for hockey players and the bare minimum equipment you need to practice is: skates, stick, helmet, gloves, and of course, a puck.

Buying a stick

I shall impart to you all the things I learned from my stick buying experience, but first, a story!

My second hockey game ever (only my 4th time on the ice EVER) I was playing with a stick borrowed from my father. It was huge and heavy, but being new to hockey, and this being the only stick I'd ever held, I had no idea. I had been asked earlier in the night if I was a righty or lefty.

 Now, I am right handed in all things, writing, throwing, high-fiving, ect, so I assumed I'd be right handed in hockey, which means that your dominant hand is lower on the stick and your off hand is on the handle. In the  first period, i couldn't get it together, i was switching back and forth and didn't realize that changing hands and sides with your hockey stick in the middle of a game was a bad thing. As the buzzer sounded and I skated back to the bench, my brother-in-law hands me one of my teammate's extra sticks and says, "Here. You're left handed."

The curve of the blade is curved in the opposite direction for a left-handed player and the stick I was given was an intermediate level stick, which meant it was lighter, had a smaller diameter, and was shorter than the one I had been playing with. It was a revelation! I could kind of handle the puck and I could keep my hands on the stick right where they should be without needing to flip it back and forth!

Moral of the story is, just because you are right or left handed in everything else, does not mean you will be in hockey. There have been studies about why this is, but as of right now, no one is sure why exactly this happens. So when you buy a stick for the first time, I suggest going to a store and playing around with both curves to see which feels most comfortable.


Which stick is for you?

Hockey sticks come in three classes, Junior, Intermediate, and Senior. Junior is for kids, Intermediate is for teenagers, and Senior is for adult men. This has to do with the weight, the shaft circumference and what is called "flex" which is the rating of how much bend is in the stick.

For women, Intermediate sticks are perfectly suited because the circumference is smaller which good for women who tend to have smaller hands, and the flex is lower (around 65 or 75 flex to a Senior stick's 100 and up flex). When you stand in flat shoes, the end of your stick should come to your nose, and when you stand in skates, it should come to your chin.

If the stick you buy is too long, don't worry! Most everyone has to cut their sticks to the perfect length. If you don't have a handy engineer or mechanic on hand, or a hack-saw, hockey shops will cut your stick for you.

Blade curve

Now, each brand has a set of blade curves, usually named after famous professional hockey players. Which curve is the right one for you? This is something you have to discover with time and maybe experimentation with different curves. For your first stick, go with a basic curve, a knowledgeable hockey shop person will be able to help you find this. Later on you can always change it up to a more specialized curve for slap shots or defense or the like.

What is stick lay?

Stick lay is the angle the blade is to the shaft, which determines how close or far your stick blade will rest on the ice in front of you. Some players prefer a greater lay so the blade will lay flat on the ice further away from them for defense, or closer to them for more power from their shooting. Again, this will come down to personal preference, so go with the standard, usually 5 or 6 lay, until you play for a while and will be able to tell how close or far you want your blade to lay.


Stick tape

Time to get a little crazy if you want! Stick tape is all about personal preference. You can have stick tape with pink glitter zebra stripes if you so desire. Hint, do not put self-adherent or "cohesive" tape on your stick blade. That tape is only for the handle and if you put it on your blade, (like I did the first time I bought tape) it will wear to pieces and come off almost immediately. It is also up to your preference if you tape your stick blade from toe to heel, or vice versa. When you tape your stick, tape it so there are no wrinkles in the tape and overlap the tape about half way each time you wrap it. Youtube has plenty of videos on how to properly tape your stick for newbies.

There are some players who prefer black tape on their blades because then the goalie can't see the puck on your stick until it is too late, or at least that is the logic behind it. Up to you!

To play or not to play hockey

The thought of beginning to play hockey as an adult is like jumping off a cliff. Onto sharp jagged rocks, interspersed with sharks. And C-4. At least that is what it seems like to someone who has never played before. Even if you have a life-line, like a family member or good friend who will help you get started, it is a daunting proposition.

There is the equipment, the skating, learning the game, finding time to practice, the cost. All these things may make it seem difficult to break in to if you aren't 100% sure you want to play. So, if you are thinking about playing hockey, here is a check list to help you make your decision.

1.Do you like to watch hockey?

If you like watching professional hockey, chances are you'll like playing. In fact, playing will give you a greater understanding and appreciation for the game. 

2. Do you like skating?

Notice it doesn't say "Can you skate". If you live near an ice arena, chances are they offer a learn to skate program for adults at some point in the year. Anyone, no matter what age or how uncoordinated can learn to skate. So if you like being on the ice and think that it would be great to fall while wearing pads and not get bruised, hockey may be for you! 

3. Do you like the camaraderie of team sports?

Hockey is all about team work. Players must talk to each other on the ice, on the bench, and in the locker room to be an effective team. Close bonds and friendship is a natural by-product of hockey. For the most part, amateur hockey players love the sport and want new players to love it too.


If you answered yes to these questions, chances are you will love hockey like a honey badger loves honey. And go for it with the same ferocity!