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Roller Hockey
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| Photo courtesy Bauer. |
Do you aspire to be a standout player competing at the highest level possible? The hunger to be the first among elite equals is a powerful motivation in sports, it's the force that drives the Olympics, the NHL, and all the other top competitions. A select few possess the natural ability needed to play in the pros, but most of us are capable of making a regional traveling team or becoming the local league MVP. Whatever the goal, success at the next level requires practice. Ask anybody who's been there.
Inline skates, a stick and a flat, paved, safe surface are all that is needed to create a practice facility for improving hockey skills. Teammates are not necessary for this work; just find a convenient spot to practice then use your time wisely. Outdoor practice time on inlines is good exercise, and it's usually free. Best of all, it will improve your game.
Three Abilities
When most of us think hockey skills, we think of the purely technical aspects of skating, passing, shooting and so forth, but what about the mental skills used to play the game? Hockey requires three separate abilities: the ability to sense the playing environment, the ability to make appropriate action decisions, and the ability to execute an action.
Proper practice can make all three of these abilities work automatically during game time. Experts agree that at least 300 to 500 repetitions of a drill are necessary to make a behavior automatic. That means if you practice once a week, performing ten repetitions of a certain drill at each practice, it will take 30 weeks to reach 300 repetitions. In the interest of making your skills automatic, use a few drills regularly, instead of continually experimenting with new drills.
When an individual attempts to go all out, the body uses what it already knows the best way that it can. In order to assimilate new information, the systems inside the body require a slower execution rate to adapt automatic processing. Learning speed is the speed at which one can perform a drill with flawless technique every repetition. Practice at learning speed to make a skill automatic during games. Test your progress and push your limits by doing a couple of high-speed reps every practice.
Roller hockey emphasizes both skating and one-on-one stickhandling skills. There are many drills, like the ones in this magazine on an on-going basis, which are fine. Pick a couple for your current skill level that appeal to you. In general, the simple drills work best. More important than the drills you choose is your commitment to making the skills automatic through regular and focused practice.
Mental Concentration
The physical aspects of a skill become automatic by the simple action of doing a drill repeatedly, but in order to get the most from practice, a high level of mental concentration is needed. Repetition and focus are necessary to train the sensing and decision making abilities to the point where they also function automatically.
Focus describes the conscious attention given to the physical and mental aspects of a drill. The physical aspects of a drill are technique points like proper knee flexion, effective edge usage, and cupping the puck. The mental aspects of a drill require the conscious concentration of the visual, auditory, and kinesthetic senses. In addition, the conscious consideration of how a drill relates to the game fosters decision making ability. Try these two exercises to get you started using physical and mental focus.
30' Diameter Circle
Skating the perimeter of a 30' diameter circle is a great drill for crossovers. Three revolutions is one rep. Do two reps in each direction both forwards and backwards. Add an adjacent circle for figure 8s. On the first lap of each rep, focus on the following: 1) Keep support leg flexed at least 45 degrees. 2) Fully extend push leg before each crossover. 3) Balance your entire weight on just the outside edge of your inside skate, maintaining a 45 degree edge angle. 4) Keep your head and chest up. 5) Lean into the circle at the hips. On the second and third laps maintain technique and lower your stance. Now concentrate on the various physical sensations you feel from your wheels up to your head. Train your visual senses by keeping your head up while scanning the playing surface.
With practice you will cover twice the distance in half the time using the same number of crossover steps. 300 reps later, you will know exactly how hard you can push before your wheels slip. That's good information to have automatically working for you on game day.
In the Corners
If your practice area is set up like a rink, place pucks near the boards; otherwise, improvise. Skating into the corner, pick up a loose puck, and skate out with it. This simple drill becomes a powerful training experience when you apply proper mental focus.
To win the puck along the boards in a game, it helps to know something that your opponent doesn't. Namely, the direction you intend to escape with the puck. It's unwise to decide on an escape route before you know where your check is, so look! Each time you perform a rep look over your shoulder as you move into the corner. Keep both hands on your stick and never go straight into the corner. Start by staying low, using your edges, and attempting to maintain your speed. Always go in with your head up and sense the puck with peripheral vision. Perform the drill using several different scenarios. For example, do several reps faking left and going right. 300 reps done in that fashion, and you'll never go into a corner again without looking over both shoulders.
Depending on how much you practice, these two drills alone could keep you busy for a month. So what are you waiting for?
This first appeared in the 03/1998 issue of Hockey
Player Magazine®
© Copyright 1991-2003, Hockey Player® LLC and Hockey
Player Magazine®
Posted: Jun 26, 2003, 15:45
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