Personal Training, evening at school

This evening I spent an hour down the local schoolyard, inline with stick in gloved hand and a few pucks to chase around on the netball court. I freeformed through a range of 'drills' focused on; transitions (skating only); movement while protecting the puck (particularly on the backhand around corners both ways, and at speed on the forehand - retaining the puck on the end of the stick despite all the movement vectors and forces, controlling it by a combination of angles along all three axes at point of contatct, dekes, etc - figure eights with puck on either side, more complex patterns (eg. three locii)); shooting (putting in play the cut-across-then-shoot move I was introduced to last night, both ways, perhaps to conclude the three locii carry of the previous drill); passing (short snaps during skate maneuvers, at various ranges, to hit another of the pucks lying around the court, continue skating to collect another puck, move and 'pass', etc); saucer pass (randomly trying to lift pucks up court with some degree of control (a saucer pass is used to lift the puck off the ice between stick and aiming point.  It need not go higher than the object you are passing over (eg. opponent's stick)).  All up, about an hour if include the skate there and back.

Pleasingly, I hit my nominal targets a lot more than expected in the passing game.  Also, hit the pole holding up the netball goal on several occasions (with a nice, ringing 'ting' sound effect each time) when was using it as the target for my shooting drill.  Of note, the last session I had concentrated on stick/puck was on Saturday when, with many more shots, I don't think I hit the pole once.  Again tonight, I used my backhand to effect.  Getting easier.  Also starting to deke the puck as a means of controlling it's vector relative to mine when cornering at speed.  All good signs.

As always, had raised quite a sweat as I pushed myself up the hill towards home beneath a twilit swirl of rose tint clouds in the darkening sky above.

My session tonight was much more 'freeform' than it has been for a couple of weeks.  Tonight, I de-emphasised the initial skating drills (transitions, inside and outside edge corners, figure eight crossovers, forwards/backwards, transitions on the loop).  I didn't do the acceleration and lateral movement aspects at all, and had finished this 'warm up' in less than half the time I usually would take.  For stick and puck, I was making it up as I went along.  Or so it seemed.

Had a breather when I needed one and/or a bit of water.  Drank almost a litre in the hour.

There was an initial shock upon seeing that the playground which used to adjoin the netball court being prepared for something else.  The trees, gone.  The shed, gone. The pipes and regular play equipment, monkey bars, slippery dips, etc, lies dismantled in piles.  The bark is scraped up into gigantic piles.  A temporary fence surrounds the lot.

Tomorrow, probably won't be able to get into the school due elections occuring on Saturday.  For the same reason, unlikely to be able to on Saturday either (perhaps not a bad thing, as that will only be for a morning skate before the game that night).  So maybe tonight was my last chance to get stick and puck in before the game / tryout.  I know it'll make a difference to my game.  Let's hope it will be enough.

Tomorrow, emphasis will switch to game play and skating again.