I really really want to play ice hockey but it's not possible

Ok so I am living with my parents (16 and starting sixth form in September) and I really want to play ice hockey but due to the distance of the nearest ice rink I very rarely get to go ice skating and my mum says it's just not possible for her to regularly drive me there.
The other issue is that I can't really ice skate well, so my question is that if I go ice skating as often as possible (say once or twice a month) for the next year and watch tutorials on YouTube etc to improve my ice skating skills, would it be possible for me become competent enough at skating enough to potentially be able to join a team next summer when I will be 17 and will be able to drive myself there?

Reply 1

olivia.francesca

Several things here. Being self taught is a bad idea. If you want to become good enough to join a team you should pay for proper lessons. Once or twice a month is not enough. To become competent in ice hockey you would need weekly training at absolute minimum. Also you are assuming you will pass your driving test instantly next year and you will be able to afford a car/insurance/petrol. This just isn’t realistic

Reply 2

username3477548

what about bus? or train?

Reply 3

Chronoscope

Volunteer Section Leader

Original post by JustAPerson1122

Depending how you feel about it , another option(s) to consider could be rollerskating / skateboarding as an alternative?

Reply 4

SAPPHIRE368

Nothing is impossible , if you really want it you can do it .
Try using alternate means of transport
And im sure there will be a lot of people on the ice rink willing to teach you for free as well , like if u see someone skating well , go uo to them and compliment them , u might get a few tips ( well atleast they do where i live )
and practice makes perfect

Reply 5

Sabertooth

when I was 13 I took up ice hockey. My mother would drive me to the rink 40 minutes away. However after about 3 months of weekly practice (which was at 11.30pm (you'll find most rinks offer terrible times for training)) she got annoyed and I had to stop going. I rollerbladed from about age 4 so the ice skating wasn't that hard for me and I was actually pretty good even when I first started. Anyway, I waited until university and joined their team. I was good enough to play on a team - I was one of the worse players on the team but I practiced a lot and got better. Plus I played roller hockey twice a week at university. So yeah, happy ending.

As the other guy said 2 times a month ice skating isn't going to get you team level for quite some time. I have a background in rollerblading so I got on the ice and could do it straight away but that's definitely not enough for a beginner. You should see if there are any sports centres nearby where they have people playing roller hockey.

I would advise:
1) buy some inline skates
2) buy a hockey stick and roller hockey puck
3) find somewhere safe from traffic but with nice smooth ground
4) PRACTICE: Work on skating first and do it a lot. Then move onto basic stick handling with the puck without skates. Then combine the two. You should be bright red and sweating by the end of a session. Then do it again.

you might also want to buy a helmet. Skates can go out from under your feet quite easily, especially at first and flipping backwards is a good way to hit your head.

Good luck man!

Reply 6

JustAPerson1122

thank you for all of your responses!

Reply 7

pricklycactus

Original post by JustAPerson1122

If after 6th form you're still interested in joining ice hockey you should look at joining a university team. Quite a few unis do ice hockey and they take on complete beginners and the sport is such good fun. Also the university can arrange transport to and from the ice rink but the only thing is that training times can be late at night.