Directions

So far, a lot of what I've posted has been about stickhandling.  The reason for that is simple, stickhandling is what I concentrated on the most when first starting out, mainly because it's a fundamental skill that I could practice at home.

Whether it's the strengthening exercises I've talked about, or the cool little toys that help keep practice fun (and I love the cool little toys), the primary emphasis has been on that basic skill.  To work on skating - and you should - you need ice time.  For shooting, you need some sort of goal or backstop.  For practicing your stickwork, you only need a stick and a ball or puck.

So yeah, we'll be branching out here soon enough.  I'll talk about some apps I've tried and like, and some store-bought training aids that I think are worth the money.  I'm just getting serious about shooting, so look for more about that too.

In the meantime, have fun.

Pile o' Pucks

You don't need a bunch of pucks to practice shooting with.  One single puck is enough.  But, after every shot you have to retrieve the puck.  So while you don't NEED a bunch of pucks, it sure is nice to have more.



Just for fun, here's a shot looking into my milk crate full of pucks.  There's about 50 in there, along with a FlyPuck, two Green Biscuits and two Snipes.

If you're in a sporting goods store, pick up a puck or two.  If you're at your local rink, stop in the shop and get a few (helps to support them too).  You can get pucks by the dozen on Amazon.  I pick up a dozen once in a while when they're on sale for about fifteen bucks.

You don't have to break the bank, and you don't need to get a bunch all at once.

BUT, if you can get a bunch all at once (Santa?  Are you listening?)...

Regular ol' hockey pucks cost about a dollar in Canada.  In the US, you can expect to pay a dollar and a half or more, depending on how many you buy all at once. 

And then there are these amazing deals from PatriotPuck.  First off, shipping is free.  Always.  A box of 25 pucks costs $24.99.  Best price around, but it gets better.  Buy a box of 50 and you pay $38.99, and a box of 100 is 77.95.  That's pretty amazing.

So, do you need 100 pucks?  Nope.  Do I recommend getting more than just a few?  Absolutely.  You see my crate o' pucks above.  I'm putting in an order for another 50, and my granddaughter might find a box of 25 under the Christmas tree.

My (American) Thanksgiving Gift to You

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.  Personally, I'm thankful that at my age, I'm still healthy enough to be learning something new and fun like hockey.

My gift to you:  On YouTube, there's a channel called The Hockey Guy.  He's a serious hockey fan, and covers the entire league rather than focusing on just a team or two.  Smart, insightful and funny, he also manages to put out two or three excellent videos every day.

Check him out.

Buying My First Hockey Stick

After doing tons of research online in an effort to educate myself about hockey sticks, I finally did something smart and just went down to the pro shop at my local hockey rink.  All that research wasn't wasted, but it's easy to be overwhelmed with information that you don't necessarily need at first.  I was close to "analysis paralysis" because I was trying to juggle so many bits of knowledge, hoping to get the perfect stick on my first try.

Honestly, the perfect stick isn't going to help.  As a beginner, you're going to stink, and it doesn't matter much which stick you use.  In a way, it's very liberating to realize that.

But I pretty much knew what I wanted, and when I went into the shop I talked to the guys there, explained that I was an absolute beginner and let them know the following things:

1.  I didn't want an expensive stick.  In fact, last year's model on clearance would make me happy.
2.  I was pretty sure I wanted wood, mostly because it was cheaper than composite.
3.  I was pretty sure I was going to be a right handed shot.

Item 2 was right out the window.  This particular shop had gotten rid of the last of the wooden stick inventory months before, and had no plans to get more.

Item 3 was easy to confirm.  I made a few "shots" using both righty and lefty sticks, and it just felt better for me to use the right handed sticks.

Item 1 was where I hit the jackpot.  The stick I selected was on clearance from *two* years before, and was quite a bit less than I was willing to spend.  While "trying it out" the guy asked me how it felt, and I had to laugh because I had no idea whether it felt good or not.  My first stick is a GRAF PK330 Sr.

I bought the stick, a roll of white tape, and a stickhandling practice ball.  Now all I had to do was practice.  A lot.  Alone.  To avoid embarrassment.

I was very happy.

So what about you?  What stick do you have?  Are you happy with it?  I'm always looking for feedback, so feel free to leave a comment below.

Why "DIY Hockey"?

I started learning hockey as an absolute beginner.  Everyone does, but at 57 years old, being an "absolute beginner" seems a bit more daunting.  Maybe it's because I know just how far I have to progress just to get from hopeless to just plain lousy.

This blog is here to track my progress and collect stuff I've found all over the internet into one useful  place.  Except for personal experiences and opinions, everything here is from other, better, more experienced hockey people.   For beginners of any age, maybe you'll find some answers here, or at least get pointed to other places to get answers.

The "DIY" part is about making progress on your own.  I'm not worried about the skating part, for that you need ice time.  But I can practice stick handling at home, I can work on skills and do drills to improve my balance and agility.  I can focus on certain things to get stronger in ways that will help my game improve, without needing to be on skates.  You can too.

As far as practicing at home, I don't consider that work, although I am working at my game.  This stuff is fun, and the better you are at it, the more fun it is.

Finally, if you've looked online at the training aids that are out there, well, they're expensive.  I'm sure they're worth it, but I'm also sure that more than a few can be improvised at home for a lot less money.  So the "DIY" will also mean putting together my own training aids that will work as well as the ones online.

Who I Am

For those who ask themselves, "Am I too old to learn to play hockey?", let me answer that for you.

Nope.

My name is Ted.  I'm 58 years old, and I started learning to play hockey this year.  Why in the world would a guy my age take up hockey, of all things?  First, I've been a fan of the sport for most of my life.  Google the California Seals if you must.  Yeah, they were my team as a kid.  Terrible team, but they made up for it by having a truly awful logo and team colors.



When my granddaughter was born, she attended her first minor league hockey game before she was a week old (Norfolk Admirals).  A few years ago they moved to Phoenix, Arizona, home of the Arizona Coyotes.

The 'Yotes take their community outreach seriously, and spend big bucks on ice rinks and youth hockey in the area.  My granddaughter started playing mites three years ago, and loves it.

Grandpa (yours truly) loves that she loves it.  So what else could I do but learn for myself, so I could be more involved in what she was doing.  When we visit each other, we have a blast playing street hockey and attending games.