Questions???

Hopefully, this answers some of your questions.

Over the years, the same few questions keep popping up and I thought I’d answer some of the most frequently asked ones here.

Only a few are listed here, so look for more to come in the following articles.

Everyone has their own hockey philosophies and I am no different. However, the responses that follow are the result of questions and ideas that I have pondered and experimented with throughout my coaching career, a compilation of information and experiences

1. How often should I eat before a practice? An off ice work out? A big Game?

The rule of thumb is about 3 hours prior to the event. Many players like to play "hungry" but frequently replenish themselves throughout competition with simple carbohydrates such as Gatorade or PowerAde, which are immediately available to the body as quick energy. Eating too close to game-time can make you sluggish and even cause cramping, nausea and even vomiting. Just what you don’t want to put your body through in the heat of battle. Proper digestion is key to utilizing the nutrients and energy that food provides us.

2. What types of food should I eat before lacing up the skates?

Any time you ask your mind and your body to perform at a high level, they need ultra-octane fuel. Like a high-performance race car, a hockey player requires top notch fuel. In fact, your body is much more complex than any race car. On the ice, are you driving an ‘82 Pinto or a ‘99 Ferrari? A pre-game meal that is high in complex carbohydrates (pasta, potatoes, rice), contains moderate protein levels (fish, chicken) is a good formula. Be disciplined when it comes to high fat foods, foods containing poor fuel, especially prior to a game or workout (french fries, burgers, hot dogs, chips, fast food, deep fried foods, deserts).

If the high-octane fuel never gets to your engine, what’s the point? Stay away from the big T-bone steak and sides of beef as they tend to be much more difficult for your body to breakdown and digest in a short period. Allow 3-4 hours for complete digestion and avoid high fat foods. Lastly, drink plenty of fluids. This too will aid in digestion. Several glasses of water 1-2 hours before competition and frequent re-hydration during competition helps control your body temperature (sweating) and aides in digestion, energy utilization and helps control lactic acid buildup (heavy legs).

3. How often should I sharpen my skates? How do I know when it is time?

I run into this question possibly more than any other. The simple answer is, don’t sharpen your skates as often as you do. Most people are infatuated with sharp skates and grind the expensive steel from their $300-$400 skates much too frequently. Sure, skates need to be sharp, but they never need to be razor sharp. In fact, skates that are too sharp are much more likely to cause knee and ankle injuries and because of excess friction, will decrease your speed, agility and overall performance on the ice.

The function of your blade is to furnish two distinct edges, an inside edge and an outside edge. And the function of your edges is to grip the ice. There are two ways to grip the ice. One is with very sharp skates. Extra sharp skates automatically cut deeply into the ice providing too much grip and not enough "play" or "slide" which is needed when stopping and changing directions. The other way, and the best way to create grip, is to roll your ankles which digs an edge into the ice, allowing you to control the amount and degree of grip. You are now in control, not your skate. Your edges should provide a certain degree of slide, or play (this is called the flat of your skate). A skate that is too sharp does not provide ‘play’ and holds you to the direction of your momentum (similar to a heavy train trying to turn or stop).

On a scale of 1-10 (10 being extra sharp), most people maintain a 9 or 10. I recommend a 7-8. This lets your skates have more movement, but the trick now is to learn how to control your edges through precise angles and pressure. I say that the average player can easily skate 25-30 hours, unless you "lose an edge" (this number of hours may decrease if you are a player who covers more ice per hour or if you are a skilled player who uses their edges extensively). Get into the habit of lightly rubbing your finger along both edges at once. Most high-level players use this test before each ice session to give them the confidence that their edges are faithfully beneath them ready for duty. If when you rub your finger along your blade, you feel a ‘bur’ or a ‘knick’, or the blade is not completely smooth, consider getting them sharpened. Just remember that sharp skates are important, but not as important as blades that are smooth and ‘knick-free’.

The sharpness is definitely important, but even more so is the "hollow" or deepness of the edges. Some sharpening machines grind a deep hollow, which is bad news! Stay away from a deep hollow that will create the "death grip" to the ice and eliminate all ‘play’ (ability to slide when needed). To measure the hollow on your skate blade, turn the boot upside down holding the heal towards your body, with the toe facing away. Like looking through the sights of a gun, close one eye and look down the blade while holding it up to a light. Now place a penny on the blade and measure how much light shows under the coin. More than a slight sliver is too much, and therefore, too much hollow. As you run your finger along the blade, you should feel only a very slight ‘U-shaped groove’ in the blade.

Running your finger along the blade and flipping the boot upside down and looking at the light showing under a coin are the only tests that many top level players use to assure proper edge condition. In fact many players actually "take the edge off the edge". This means, they try to take some of the sharpness and hollow off of their edges by rubbing them several times along a piece of wood or another dulling device. If you are among those who race to the sharpening machine twice a week, you more than likely are not only throwing away money, placing yourself at risk of injury, but are actually decreasing your speed and agility on the ice.

PREPARING YOURSELF FOR THE PERFECT GAME

After your favorite pre-game meal (lots of carbohydrates) and a bit of a rest (for digestion time), it’s off to the rink. Once you step into the rink, your preparation should continue through the end of the game and beyond.

What are some ways I can use locker-room time to energize me for a great performance?

I am a firm believer of being active during the game, on the ice and off. If for no other reason, your energy often times feeds your teammates, energy and positive "vibes" tend to be contagious. However, prior to the game, on the way to the rink and in the locker-room, I recommend a more "to yourself" approach. This will give you the opportunity to make sure that you prepare yourself properly and that "all systems are GO".

Pre-game Checklist

Pre-game preparation is a time to make sure everything is in tip top shape and ready for battle. Not only yourself, but your gear, skates and stick. Take care of the entire solder, armor and all and the battle will be easily won. Make sure your skates are properly sharpened with distinct edges and are free of "knicks", make sure your stick is taped the way you like it and double check that all your gear fits correctly. If you are planning to play with an injury (which becomes more prominent with each jump in age level) address it properly.

I will save hockey superstitions for a later article, however, many players make sure the left skate goes on before the right one, and believe it or not, some players even sleep with their game stick the night before. Also, visualization is becoming quite popular, something you may want to try. An interesting side-note to illustrate the prevalence of pre-game routines: If you pulled the fire alarm in an NHL locker-room before a game, no one would flinch. To get their "game faces" on, almost every ear is plugged into listening to music, everything from Classical to Heavy Metal. If it works, use it!

It all boils down to taking care of what is going to take care of you. You don’t want to lose an edge when racing into the corner for a puck, you don’t want your stick to give out on you during a breakaway and you want all of your padding to be in place when you take a hit. Lastly, don’t forget to prepare your body with plenty of warm-ups and stretching (I recommend jumping rope for 10 minutes to warm up your muscles before you stretch. Try freezing a rubber band and then stretching it. Don’t stretch cold!).
There is no right or wrong pre-game approach. However, more than half of all hockey injuries are caused by poor flexibility. In other words, you can cut your chances of injury in half by adequately warming up and stretching prior to each ice session.

What can I do between shifts to make sure I am prepared for the upcoming shift?

Think for a moment about what you do between shifts. Chances are you don’t know and this could be taking away from your speed, stickhandling and overall contribution to your team. Most coaches help you develop your skills and work on plays such as breakouts so that you know your responsibilities on the ice. However, the biggest responsibility you have as a player, both to yourself and your team, is to make sure that you are prepared each time you take the ice. You become a performer on stage and the spot-light is on YOU. What are you going to do? Steal the show, or turn in a so-so performance. The key is to rebound your mind and body from a demanding and exhausting prior shift....in a hurry.

Fatigue is the number one cause of mistakes on the ice. Fatigue causes mental break-downs and when thoughts aren’t clear, you make poor decisions. Since it is impossible to completely eliminate fatigue and its negative effects, your goal should be to POSTPONE fatigue. Controlling fatigue comes primarily from off ice training & conditioning and from a strong work ethic in practice. However, most people don’t realize how easy it is to make fatigue in the shape of "tired legs" and exhaustion go away in just a minute or two, while we are awaiting our next shift.

Martial arts place a big emphasis on breathing and becoming in tuned with your body, and many competitive hockey players do the same. Try taking 10-15 deep breaths as soon as you get off the ice and even during a shift. As you do this, move around a bit. While on the bench, move your legs and shrug your shoulders. Try this standing up. When an airplane pulls into the gate, the captain doesn’t turn its engines off, nor should we. Stay active on the bench, both internally and externally. Keep your muscles warm by moving around and stay vocal offering positive team comments.

Give it all you have during the game and kick your feet up after the game, not between shifts. Lastly, drink plenty of fluids before, during and after each ice session. A hockey player demands a great deal from his/her body. In fact, you are asking your body to do things it is not made to do, and that it can not do naturally and freely without training! Preparing yourself AND keeping yourself "tuned up" throughout the ice session is critical to performing at your highest possible level.