Saturday, April 6, 2013
Lace Bite again
Lace Bite Isn't fun, and I've been battling it lately.
For me - this is what is happening. There is a tendon that runs from your shin to your foot. It may run further up than your shin but I only play a doctor on TV. My skate laces are so tight that they're digging into that tendon when I bend forward. It causes this huge bump where you tie your skates and makes it difficult to push off. While it is painful, when you walk in gym shoes, you don't notice it too much.
I've been trying to take it easy with it, as I had it last summer on the other side and rest really helped it. Since then I've bought gel pads to wear over the area, but that's only good for preventing. Once you have it, you can wear these pads but you're still in pain.
I've played a few games with it, and loosened my skates because of it. I believe that it is the reason, or a huge contributor, to my falling and lack of power lately. I feel so shaky on my skates, and I just don't like it.
What has helped me a lot is hot baths, and then ice right after that. I am looking forward though to a week or two off so it can heal properly, but until then, I'm stuck with it. It is a lot better now because I know how to handle it.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Puck Pros Session - Wayne
I got there an hour early. Christian, who is the owner, mentioned how he saw the blog a few weeks ago. I was a little surprised as I hadn't mentioned them in a while. Either way, it was cool to hear it.
I hit the goalie rink by myself. It isn't intended for long stretches of skating as it is smaller, but for everything else, it is just fine. I had about 30-40 minutes by myself on there and I'm really glad I had it. It takes me a while to get used to the synthetic ice - a true sign that I don't skate correctly. I made some adjustments by myself, and I could feel myself moving better, and a lot quicker on the surface. From the recent Coyote pictures, I noticed that I bend my knees more, but I'm not bending at my hips. I corrected that, and was much better. I then focused on shooting and stick handling, as I didn't want to get tired for the lesson.
I got to work with Wayne. We started off looking at things in the mirror and that really helped me see what I was doing, what is the correct stride, and what I am currently doing. We talked about how the feet should make a V, and your legs should make a diamond. We talked about the different muscles being used, and a few exercises that I can do to strengthen them. And finally in the mirror we talked about how I should be snapping my toe to make sure that I'm getting full use of my skate blade on the ice.
We then hit the ice surface. We focused on the correct push offs. One area that I really had an issue with is my balance in terms of the skate blade. When I bring my foot back in to my body (the recovery part of the stride), first contact should be on the toe, and you drive the toe into the ice. This is because you want to keep your balance forward, and it sets you up for your next stride. Before this, I was rotating my foot to be straight, but that is incorrect.
We talked about how at times I will stomp down on the ice, and others, my skate will slip and just slide up really high, essentially doing me no good. When I stomp down on the ice, it is me trying to run on the ice. I should not rotate my foot's angle so that I skate in a line, it should be in a V.
Working on these few things already made me feel quicker on my skates, like I had a ton of power. Next he talked about balance, and where the weight is when you play. It should be forward, as if you're falling forward almost. I have a tendency to be all over, but I've been trying to lean forward more, and I feel I've been falling a little bit more in games because of that, but that is part of learning.
Finally we worked on some stick handling. Mostly just focusing on using my weight transfer to move the puck and not my arms. This was much harder for me than it should have been. Keeping my hands in the right spot, skating correctly while staying balanced, keeping your head up, and hey- we're going to make you carry the puck. It became a little much for me. I couldn't tie all of these together at once, but I did see improvement as the drills went on.
Wayne did an excellent job. I would explain how I felt, and he'd give me a tip to try and correct that, or show why I felt that why. When I struggled with something, he made me continue until I got it right, adding on a little by little. The main thing for me is that communication, which he is really good with. He would say, "Pay attention to your recovery so that you can push off again right away." I would ask him to explain what he meant by that and he'd show me. I'm not afraid to admit when I don't know something or need help, but I may have a difficult time explaining what I need help with. Wayne got it.
I received a lot of useful information. Too much to remember to do all at once, but if I focus on the following things, I feel it'll all come together.
I hit the goalie rink by myself. It isn't intended for long stretches of skating as it is smaller, but for everything else, it is just fine. I had about 30-40 minutes by myself on there and I'm really glad I had it. It takes me a while to get used to the synthetic ice - a true sign that I don't skate correctly. I made some adjustments by myself, and I could feel myself moving better, and a lot quicker on the surface. From the recent Coyote pictures, I noticed that I bend my knees more, but I'm not bending at my hips. I corrected that, and was much better. I then focused on shooting and stick handling, as I didn't want to get tired for the lesson.
I got to work with Wayne. We started off looking at things in the mirror and that really helped me see what I was doing, what is the correct stride, and what I am currently doing. We talked about how the feet should make a V, and your legs should make a diamond. We talked about the different muscles being used, and a few exercises that I can do to strengthen them. And finally in the mirror we talked about how I should be snapping my toe to make sure that I'm getting full use of my skate blade on the ice.
We then hit the ice surface. We focused on the correct push offs. One area that I really had an issue with is my balance in terms of the skate blade. When I bring my foot back in to my body (the recovery part of the stride), first contact should be on the toe, and you drive the toe into the ice. This is because you want to keep your balance forward, and it sets you up for your next stride. Before this, I was rotating my foot to be straight, but that is incorrect.
We talked about how at times I will stomp down on the ice, and others, my skate will slip and just slide up really high, essentially doing me no good. When I stomp down on the ice, it is me trying to run on the ice. I should not rotate my foot's angle so that I skate in a line, it should be in a V.
Working on these few things already made me feel quicker on my skates, like I had a ton of power. Next he talked about balance, and where the weight is when you play. It should be forward, as if you're falling forward almost. I have a tendency to be all over, but I've been trying to lean forward more, and I feel I've been falling a little bit more in games because of that, but that is part of learning.
Finally we worked on some stick handling. Mostly just focusing on using my weight transfer to move the puck and not my arms. This was much harder for me than it should have been. Keeping my hands in the right spot, skating correctly while staying balanced, keeping your head up, and hey- we're going to make you carry the puck. It became a little much for me. I couldn't tie all of these together at once, but I did see improvement as the drills went on.
Wayne did an excellent job. I would explain how I felt, and he'd give me a tip to try and correct that, or show why I felt that why. When I struggled with something, he made me continue until I got it right, adding on a little by little. The main thing for me is that communication, which he is really good with. He would say, "Pay attention to your recovery so that you can push off again right away." I would ask him to explain what he meant by that and he'd show me. I'm not afraid to admit when I don't know something or need help, but I may have a difficult time explaining what I need help with. Wayne got it.
I received a lot of useful information. Too much to remember to do all at once, but if I focus on the following things, I feel it'll all come together.
- Recovery. I need to bring my recovery foot in at the same angle that I started in to make that V. This will make sure that I am in position to take my next stride.
- Snapping my leg- When I push off, I need to make full use of all of the blade on the ice, giving me a full stride.
- Balance on my toes almost. I'm going to stand on my toes to get my weight forward, and then slowly put my heels down to keep my weight forward when I skate.
Monday, April 1, 2013
Coyotes vs. Sharks
Ten Skaters again for the Coyotes. We had a solid set of guys though who could skate the whole time, and work hard. I got a nap in, got there early, took time getting ready. My lace bite didn't seem to bother me in the locker room, but I had my skates extremely loose.
The first few shifts were shaky but improved as the game went on. I again tried to keep my game simple, and just bang the puck off the glass. I felt a lot slower than normal because of the lace bite, and it was difficult to adjust to. Many times tonight I thought I had plenty of time picking up the puck, but when I finally did, I heard yelling, so I would just get rid of it fast. Sometimes it was a good clear, often I gave it to a Shark at the point.
I think I did a good job in my own zone when the sharks had the puck. I tied up a lot of sticks, and was able to read a lot of plays. My defense partner though had an outstanding game. His patience was quite amazing, and was the reason we didn't have a lot of chances against while I was on the ice. He would stay down on the puck, power through someone, and make a great pass to the center to create a rush going the other way. He hit his winger with countless passes, while I just stood in the slot covering potential scoring chances.
In the beginning, trying to take my time, and not rush things, I dropped the puck. I battled the forward, and kept him from getting it. Once I could get the puck, I wanted to throw it behind the net, seeing that the other defense man was open, and could take care of things. I fanned on it, and it went right to the slot. I felt awful, but that same defense man was there to pick it up and clear it.
At one point the Coyotes were up 4-0 . I wasn't too worried, but we've lost to the Sharks 7-2. I was thrilled with the progress of the game. Then I started collapsing. I got too aggressive, and chased the puck carrier who looked weak behind the net. He made a simple move, and I over skated. Instead of trying to turn around, I swung way out in front of the net, leaving half of the ice open. The Sharks scored. The Coyotes took a penalty. The Sharks scored when I failed to pick up the puck in the slot and get rid of it. The Coyotes gave up four quick goals, and the game was now tied.
I decided to stay down on my stick more, and play stronger. The Sharks would dump the puck past me. I turned, picked it up, and heard, "Skate it around!" So I did just that. I couldn't lift my head up because I couldn't get the puck off the wall. I felt a stick, so I stayed down, lowered my center of gravity and made sure to get through it. I came up around the corner, saw someone coming at me and just launched it on the wall to get it out of the zone. The center picked it off the wall, went down and scored.
I've had my head down much too much lately, and I need to work on my stick handling. I need to get more comfortable on my skates again. I need to develop some sort of confidence, and learn when to be aggressive and when not to. The Coyotes won 5-4, but I wasn't happy with my play at all.
The first few shifts were shaky but improved as the game went on. I again tried to keep my game simple, and just bang the puck off the glass. I felt a lot slower than normal because of the lace bite, and it was difficult to adjust to. Many times tonight I thought I had plenty of time picking up the puck, but when I finally did, I heard yelling, so I would just get rid of it fast. Sometimes it was a good clear, often I gave it to a Shark at the point.
I think I did a good job in my own zone when the sharks had the puck. I tied up a lot of sticks, and was able to read a lot of plays. My defense partner though had an outstanding game. His patience was quite amazing, and was the reason we didn't have a lot of chances against while I was on the ice. He would stay down on the puck, power through someone, and make a great pass to the center to create a rush going the other way. He hit his winger with countless passes, while I just stood in the slot covering potential scoring chances.
In the beginning, trying to take my time, and not rush things, I dropped the puck. I battled the forward, and kept him from getting it. Once I could get the puck, I wanted to throw it behind the net, seeing that the other defense man was open, and could take care of things. I fanned on it, and it went right to the slot. I felt awful, but that same defense man was there to pick it up and clear it.
At one point the Coyotes were up 4-0 . I wasn't too worried, but we've lost to the Sharks 7-2. I was thrilled with the progress of the game. Then I started collapsing. I got too aggressive, and chased the puck carrier who looked weak behind the net. He made a simple move, and I over skated. Instead of trying to turn around, I swung way out in front of the net, leaving half of the ice open. The Sharks scored. The Coyotes took a penalty. The Sharks scored when I failed to pick up the puck in the slot and get rid of it. The Coyotes gave up four quick goals, and the game was now tied.
I decided to stay down on my stick more, and play stronger. The Sharks would dump the puck past me. I turned, picked it up, and heard, "Skate it around!" So I did just that. I couldn't lift my head up because I couldn't get the puck off the wall. I felt a stick, so I stayed down, lowered my center of gravity and made sure to get through it. I came up around the corner, saw someone coming at me and just launched it on the wall to get it out of the zone. The center picked it off the wall, went down and scored.
I've had my head down much too much lately, and I need to work on my stick handling. I need to get more comfortable on my skates again. I need to develop some sort of confidence, and learn when to be aggressive and when not to. The Coyotes won 5-4, but I wasn't happy with my play at all.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Coyotes vs. Bulldogs
I wasn't feeling very good going into the game. The third game in four nights, and being sore from a lack of sleep doesn't hint at a successful game. What made the decision for me heading into the game is a lack of skaters, and playoff hopes on the line.
I was thrilled to be playing with my Defensive partner because when we do play together, we think very similarly. We compliment each other's game well and we always try to communicate.
Right off the bat I felt tight. I couldn't get going and the team was flat. Usually getting some emotion in the game helps me out with that, and I like to do that with speed and aggression. Against this team, I can be as aggressive as I want as I'm faster than any guy they have - when I'm healthy.
The problem though is that despite being faster, there is a chance I can read the play wrong, or get beat. There are certain guys who once I get beat, I cannot catch up to. That's where I like my partner in these games. He allows me to be that aggressive player and push forward. I think all things considered I was too aggressive last night.
I was not playing my position because I felt I was being lazy. In my mind, if I'm not working hard, and getting a good sweat, I'm being lazy. I didn't have that good sweat and heartbeat going because it was slower than what I'm accustomed to.
I do feel I played smart though, especially in the second and third periods. Because our team was exhausted, I made sure to lift the puck high and get it on the glass a lot to get it out of the zone. It worked out a lot - except for one time at the end, but more on that later. The Coyotes came out so flat footed that we had no offensive chances in the first 10 minutes. The first rubber that the opposing goalie saw was from me when I flipped it into the zone as high as I could on net. I had a few chances where I would actually join the rush, trying to get some scoring chances because I had way more momentum than the forward.
I read the Bulldog break out extremely well, picking off probably five or six passes over the night, but I got burned just as many because I would miss the puck or something. It generated a lot of chances, and allowed me to help keep the puck in their zone.
At one point I was chasing down a puck in my zone, with plenty of time. I skated forward, mishandled, but didn't know. A bulldog knocked it into the corner, and I was very nervous about it because I hate it when I mess up and a scoring chance happens because of it. I turned, saw the situation with him along the boards, and it was a bigger guy. I wanted to pin him against the boards because I was probably more agile than him and could get control of the puck before him. I did just that, and probably a little rougher than I should have been. I heard the official yell "Play the puck." I immediately stopped, and started putting the puck on the wall. We battled for a good three seconds, but then I was able to lift it out of the zone. He wasn't happy and gave me a small slash on the skates after that. I ignored it.
I also carried the puck in front of the goalie again. This time though it was 5-8 feet outside of the crease, but still unacceptable. I realised it, and just iced it. I didn't care because it was one of those things where you realize you're making a mistake, now how do you correct it?
We were up 3-2 in the final few minutes of the game. with about 90 seconds left, I had the puck in the neutral zone, with no clear pass. My thought was to dump it and play conservative. I flipped it into the air, and a guy was able to jump up and bat it down. No one was prepared for it because it was well above his head. Luckily no chance was generated from that.
We won the game 3-2, with 10 skaters - a number I like, but short for the Coyotes. I was +2, with a few shots, and helped generate a lot of offense. I made too many aggressive mistakes and didn't play positional hockey.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Piranhas vs. Chaos
All night, I had an issue with my skating. I was very cold, and uncomfortable on my skates. It showed. I couldn't make a tight turn without falling or losing stability. I lead to a couple of dropped pucks falls face first into the wall.
This game was rough. The two teams are not very fond of each other. I feel I skate better in those scenarios because my head is up and I'm in a more intense state mentally.
On the PK, I could recognize that the opposing d-men were quite lazy. I'm not sure if they were tired, or just had a long shift. A d-man dumped the puck into their zone, and the goalie came out and played it. I had momementum, so I went in full blast, knowing that the other forward on the PK could handle it if I got burned. The goalie made a crappy pass to the defensemen who was lazy picking it up. I was able to knock it away from him, scramble and gain possession. As soon as I gained possession, I saw my center going in. I blindly backhanded it towards the net and then went back to play defense, and let him take care of the forecheck. But he was able to get my rebound and put it in. Our hard work and their laziness lead to that goal.
I was covering for the defenseman who pinched when the puck came out and went right through my legs. A Chaos player picked it up and was on a break away. I skated as hard as I could, but I had no power in my right leg. I kept trying to tap his stick to throw him off but it didn't work. I would dive out to take away as many options as I could, thinking if I looked for a trailer, I wouldn't be able to properly pick him up. I tapped the puck away, taking away the initial chance. He turned, and tried to pass it into the slot but it hit my stick. I tried to handle the puck with my shaft, but he was able to get it past me, and to the other forward and a goal was scored. I feel I did all I could without just sitting at home playing conservative.
At somepoint, I was paired with a different winger. While cycling, I saw him in the left corner, while I was in the left circle. I passed him the puck and skated across to the slot. He made an amazing pass, and the goalie was lost. I had all of the net and as able to bury it. Too bad the game was already over at that point.
I had a few good scoring chances, a couple of scrambles and lots of effort. Positionally I liked my game. statistically I loved it. Realistically, I didn't skate well. But I'm happy with the results.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Piranhas vs. Mastodons
The Piranhas were short on defense. Knowing our position in the standings, and the need for help back there, I wanted to jump back and get some experience with them. There may be a day down the road when it is needed. My freshly sharpened skates felt absolutely amazing, and I could tell I had wheels that night.
As the puck dropped, I felt really strong. I had made a point to have good communication with everyone on the ice at all times. I felt it was working. I was able to move quickly up and down the ice without the puck, making myself a good option. I had enough speed to get back at times when I was burned. Unfortunately, I am still very green in my own zone. There was a pass from the corner to the guy in the high slot that I could have picked up but did not, and ended up screening the goalie. There was another play in the second where I had a 2 on 2, and did not pick up my man, and as a result, he received a pass and had half of the net.
It wasn't all bad though. My speed and recognition for the game came into play. I saw an official's arm go up in their zone signaling a penalty. I made sure I was as aggressive as I could be. I jumped in, and picked up a loose puck. I walked around one guy to get a clear shot of the net. As that was happening, I saw a speedy forward on my left side coming up. I passed around another defense men putting it on the tape of that winger who was able to put it top shelf. Not surprising, I play with that winger regularly. It was a beautiful play by both of us.
I did take a hooking penalty but I felt it was a little grey. I of course didn't argue, but had I known I was going to get a penalty for it, I would have made sure I earned it and hauled the skater down to disrupt the odd man rush. The Mastodons scored on the power play.
One play that I still can't get my head around is as I was trying to keep the puck in the zone, I saw it basically slide into my stick and go out of the zone. However - it must have been just inches off the ice because it made NO contact with my stick. The goalie came out to play it, and I told him to leave it, but he hesitated. He left it, but little to my knowledge, there was a skater with more momentum than me on my tail.
I kept my game simple, made a few ok passes, and just put the puck on the wall. I should carry it more though. I'm really going to need to work on my confidence carrying the puck if I want to improve my effectiveness as a defense men at any level.
The Piranhas would lose 4-2. I believe the game was lost because we were out worked, and our defense just did not click. It'll happen when your defensive core cannot make it. I'm neutral on how I played. I think the mistakes I did make were capitalized on, making it seem worse than it really was. I think the areas I did well were a lot of the same skill set that you'd have as a winger, so that isn't too shocking.
As the puck dropped, I felt really strong. I had made a point to have good communication with everyone on the ice at all times. I felt it was working. I was able to move quickly up and down the ice without the puck, making myself a good option. I had enough speed to get back at times when I was burned. Unfortunately, I am still very green in my own zone. There was a pass from the corner to the guy in the high slot that I could have picked up but did not, and ended up screening the goalie. There was another play in the second where I had a 2 on 2, and did not pick up my man, and as a result, he received a pass and had half of the net.
It wasn't all bad though. My speed and recognition for the game came into play. I saw an official's arm go up in their zone signaling a penalty. I made sure I was as aggressive as I could be. I jumped in, and picked up a loose puck. I walked around one guy to get a clear shot of the net. As that was happening, I saw a speedy forward on my left side coming up. I passed around another defense men putting it on the tape of that winger who was able to put it top shelf. Not surprising, I play with that winger regularly. It was a beautiful play by both of us.
I did take a hooking penalty but I felt it was a little grey. I of course didn't argue, but had I known I was going to get a penalty for it, I would have made sure I earned it and hauled the skater down to disrupt the odd man rush. The Mastodons scored on the power play.
One play that I still can't get my head around is as I was trying to keep the puck in the zone, I saw it basically slide into my stick and go out of the zone. However - it must have been just inches off the ice because it made NO contact with my stick. The goalie came out to play it, and I told him to leave it, but he hesitated. He left it, but little to my knowledge, there was a skater with more momentum than me on my tail.
I kept my game simple, made a few ok passes, and just put the puck on the wall. I should carry it more though. I'm really going to need to work on my confidence carrying the puck if I want to improve my effectiveness as a defense men at any level.
The Piranhas would lose 4-2. I believe the game was lost because we were out worked, and our defense just did not click. It'll happen when your defensive core cannot make it. I'm neutral on how I played. I think the mistakes I did make were capitalized on, making it seem worse than it really was. I think the areas I did well were a lot of the same skill set that you'd have as a winger, so that isn't too shocking.
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