A complete beginners journey

[Lowsider]

Leif, maybe I talked myself up too much, but I assure you I am no natural, far too wobbly!

If its quiet tomorrow I will ask the steward if we can reverse the direction. Im planning to use the penalty circles to tighten up my crossovers (both ways) and see if I can make a start on backward crossovers and hockey stops. I would love to skate fully kitted up to see how it all fits etc, but I cant see them allowing me on in full gear!

[AndyinSwindon]

Hi Lowsider,

I have skated in pretty much full gear on quiet public sessions both in Swindon and Milton Keynes.  At MK, I was the only one on the ice, and skated in full gear (minus stick) on the understanding that if anyone else got on the ice I'd take the body armour off (elbows and shins were allowed regardless).

On the one hand, it gives a lot more confidence to step outside the comfort zone, but by the same token, I don't want to get into a habit of not pushing myself when I haven't got any gear on.

On some of the weekend sessions in Swindon they also reverse the direction for a little while on request.  At which point I find the following :-

1. Figure skaters cope equally well regardless of direction.
2. Hockey players cope equally well in both directions.
3. New skaters wonder what the fuss is because they don't know the difference and haven't got accustomed to any particular direction
4. People just getting back on the rink skate a few metres wondeirng why everyone else is going in the wrong direction.
5. Show ponies get off the ice and go for a coffee!

[transmissionoftheflame]

Love the line about show ponies.


There's not enough changing direction in rinks here.  I am told it is normal in Europe.  We manage to make it happen occasionally where we skate but not often.  If it happened regularly then everyone would get used to both ways.  That's one of the things I love about skating outdoors on wheels is there's no-one to tell you which direction to go in.

[Lowsider]

Well, I skated CW for the whole session today - Had the whole rink to myself! £4.80 for an hour and a halfs ice rink rental, what a bargain!

Managed to get pretty comfortable with crossovers whilst accelerating, started backwards crossovers and I can do a half decent impression of a hockey stop (only leading with my right foot though, leading with my left foot results in a spin and some bum sliding).

Since I had the ice to myself, I tried to use the half way line to sprint to, stop, and sprint back to the goal line. I am so unfit! I managed to get there and back once before my legs were knackered. I was really slow too. Still - pretty happy with progress but much more practice needed.

[Leif]

You say you are not a natural, but many if not most people would not be trying crossovers and hockey stops with so little previous experience. It took me a year to master a CW forward hockey stop, and the ACW is still not there. Yes, £4.80 for an empty rink is more than a bargain.

By the way, I bought some padded shorts after I had a few heavy falls and one left me almost unable to walk on the following day. I decided that a broken coccyx is not worth the risk.

[Lowsider]

I have some Hockey shorts, though I havent worn them yet.

http://www.jnlbracknell.co.uk/ice-rink/public-sessions/

On that link ^^^^, a good part of the day is taken up with 'patch' sessions. I was wondering, what is a patch session? I am really trying to find ways of skating within a forever-changing schedule, and none of the public sessions quite match up for me at the moment.

[transmissionoftheflame]

Patch is training ice for figure skaters.  Almost always only accessible once you have passed the Learn to skate levels.  Different sessions may have different minimum levels.  Some rinks restrict it to skaters who are pre-registered and you have a coach sign off your application.  Sessions will consist of people having one to one lessons and practicing competition programs and practicing for tests.  The idea is that because all the skaters are roughly working in the same area there's an awareness of what others are doing which means that you can practice knowing people will give way when appropriate - a mechanism that in my experience works imperfectly but is better than nothing.  Sessions can range from gloriously quiet to horribly busy.  Some rinks in Europe have strict maximum numbers for each level and separate dance and pairs sessions - here it tends from my experience to be more ad hoc.  Typical times are 6-10.30 am Monday to Friday, 6 to 8am Weekends, then a few evenings a week say 4-6 pm, and sometimes though rarely weekend lunchtimes.

[AndyinSwindon]

Another point regarding patch ice, is that it's pretty much always a case of 'no hockey skates' (which you may have already gathered from Transmissions comment about it being for figure skaters).

[Lowsider]

So it seems there are a few choices locally (sort of), anyone have any experience of the Windsor Knights, Bracknell Blizzard or any other rec teams?

[Leif]

I have been Saturday evening at Bracknell which I think is sometimes Blizzards training, or maybe not. It's good, okay for lesser players such as myself though some really good ones go too. Alternate weeks is Elite training which does very much cater for beginners, I can think of at least one wobbly participant. I now go to the Raptors at Basingstoke on Friday evening, tough training, and I struggle, but well worth it, with a good coach. Thursday at Basingstoke is stick n puck for beginners and anyone else who wants to go, and that is how I started. It's good practice for someone starting out. Monday morning at Basingstoke is also stick n puck but it seems to be a higher standard. They tolerate me and it's good fun. Guildford has ice hockey, but I know nowt about that.

[Lowsider]

Cheers Leif, I will pop down saturday night and see whats what. I have (finally) got full kit now, so all that remains is to get down there and try it!