I wanted to give this express hockey thing a try. I’ve always been a fan of hockey, and I figured, why not try to get better at it myself?
So, I started with the basics. I found some simple drills online. First, I tried to just warm up, you know? Like, I did some basic skating around the rink. Nothing fancy, just getting a feel for the ice.
Skating Drills
- Forward Skating: I started by pushing off with one foot and gliding with the other. Then, I switched. I tried to keep my strides long and smooth.
- Backward Skating: This was trickier. I pushed off with one foot while trying to look over my shoulder. It felt weird at first, but I got the hang of it after a few tries.
- Crossovers: I practiced crossing one foot over the other while skating in a circle. This one was tough! I almost fell a couple of times, but I managed to stay upright.
After getting the skating down, I moved on to stickhandling.
Stickhandling Drills
- Stationary Stickhandling: I just stood in one place and moved the puck around with my stick. I tried to keep my head up and look around, like I was in a real game.
- Skating with the Puck: This was harder. I tried to skate around the rink while keeping the puck close to my stick. I lost the puck a bunch of times, but I got better with practice.
Then came shooting. Oh boy, was that a challenge.
Shooting Drills
- Wrist Shots: I practiced shooting from a stationary position, focusing on snapping my wrists to get power behind the shot.
- Slap Shots: These were tough. I had to wind up my stick and really swing at the puck. My accuracy was all over the place at first.
Passing was next. I found a friend who was also into hockey, and we practiced passing the puck back and forth. We started slow and then tried to speed it up. “Make sure your passes are hard, accurate.” that what’s my friend told me.
Passing Drills
- Forehand Passes: Focus on smooth, accurate passes using the forehand.
- Backhand Passes: Practicing backhand passes to improve versatility.
I also tried some defensive drills. These were all about positioning and trying to steal the puck from my friend. It was pretty fun, actually.
Finally, I did some conditioning exercises. I skated around the rink as fast as I could for a few minutes, then took a break, and did it again. It was tiring, but I felt like I was really getting better.
This whole express hockey thing has been a wild ride. I’m definitely not a pro or anything, but I feel like I’ve improved a lot. And it’s been a ton of fun! I’m going to keep practicing and see how good I can get. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll even join a beer league or something.
