Mouprise.com

Help! My son wants to play ice hockey

Your son saw the movie, the mighty ducks, and now they are excited about playing ice hockey. You’ve never even set foot inside an ice rink, so you’re wondering where to start. Here are some helpful tips to guide you through the process.

ICE SKATING INSTRUCTIONS

It seems obvious, but some people forget that ice hockey is played on ice, and if you can’t skate, you can’t really play. So the first step is to enroll your child in a good ice skating program. Don’t be discouraged if the instructor at your local rink is a figure skater. That’s not unusual at all. Figure skaters understand how to use the edges of their skates and can teach your child the important basics of going forward, turning, and most importantly, stopping. Typically, a learn to skate program would be approximately 8-12 weeks of weekly instruction. You can usually rent hockey skates from the ice rink at this stage.

HOCKEY INTRODUCTION CLASS

Once your child knows how to do the basic skating moves, it’s time to move on to hockey instruction. In this class, they will learn basic hockey equipment, the rules of the game, and begin to become familiar with using their new skating skills along with the hockey equipment. This class is a must for kids who want to play. Often the facility will rent out the hockey equipment so you don’t have to make a large investment in equipment until you are sure your child likes it and wants to continue.

SHOP HOCKEY EQUIPMENT

Many parents who are new to the game of hockey are sold a list of products when it comes to buying hockey equipment for their children. There is no reason to buy new equipment for a beginner. The only pieces you’ll want to buy new are a helmet, a wooden hockey stick, and a hockey jockstrap. If you buy everything else secondhand, that’s fine. Used hockey equipment is easy to find online through hockey auction sites that specialize in selling used hockey equipment. These can be a great place to find a real bargain. Instead of going to your local hockey store and paying hundreds of dollars for new equipment, look for a used one. It just makes more sense.

REGISTER IN A “HOUSE” LEAGUE TEAM

When most kids start out (especially if they’re Mites, ages 7 and 8), they’ll need to start in a “house” league, also known as a “rec” league. This is the best place for children to start and develop their game. All children sign up and there is usually some type of judging session. All the coaches from all the teams are present and have the opportunity to observe all the children during this practice session. Teams are then selected, making an effort to even out talent so that the teams are balanced.

In most home leagues, everyone plays the same amount of time. No one is benched for lack of skill. The team will generally have two practices for every game it plays. At most rinks, the younger players have the earliest slots, so don’t be surprised if your player has an ice slot at 6:00 am on Saturday and Sunday mornings. He should be at the track 30 minutes early so your son has enough time to change into gear. These morning sessions give parents a chance to moan and moan together, and believe it or not, it’s a pretty great bonding experience, especially if coffee is involved.

Practices are very important at this level. Kids get more time driving the puck and skating in practice than in a game setting. The games are seen as a reward for working hard in practice. Encourage your child to take practices seriously and not waste time. This work ethic will carry them through the advanced levels when they are older.

With home teams, there is a coach (usually the dad of one of the players on the team), along with one or two assistant coaches. The assistants can be parents or older players who want to help. In addition, there is a mom from the team that has been selected. He usually comes up with a snack schedule, as well as delegating any other volunteer work that needs to be covered. Some tracks require teams to have a volunteer keep the timer or fill out the score sheet. Most tracks require a parent to volunteer to hang out in the penalty area to help kids open and close the gate (as well as calm things down). The best thing you can do for your child is to be open to helping. It takes a lot of teamwork on the part of the parents to make it all work. If you approach it with a willing attitude, you’re ahead of the game.

PARENTS SPECTATING

The worst thing to see at a youth hockey game is a parent who is out of control with their emotions. If you don’t take anything else away from this article, please remember this: it’s just a game. Chances are, your kid won’t make it to the NHL (and if he does, that’s great too) and (most importantly) if your kids play this game for many years, you’ll see these same coaches, parents, and players. for a long time. Don’t burn any bridges because you will probably end up regretting it.

CONCLUSION

Hopefully this has given you some valuable information to get your son or daughter started in ice hockey. Regardless of how far your son decides to go with the game, the experience he will gain in teamwork, camaraderie, sportsmanship, and self-discipline will be invaluable as he matures into adulthood.