Sunday Arvo Stickhandling

As I went to the Ice Arena yesterday I had this afternoon free.  So, I went back down to the Klemzig Station O-Bahn carpark for a PT session.  Around 20C, fine, light breeze.  Port Power was playing in town at Adelaide Oval (national aussie rules footy team) so I thought there was a chance that there'd be more than a few cars in the carpark.  I thought it was a safe bet that, even if there were, they wouldn't fill it to capacity and I'd be able to work something out.  As it turned out, no more than six cars across a couple hectares of ashphalt so I was able to go to my corner and go for it.

Today, more concentrated drills than on Friday, all focused primarily on stick handling and carrying the puck.  I shortened my 'track' to nine parking bays long, the width of each bay being about 2.5 metres.  Each bay is about 5m deep.  There are two rows of such bays, painted onto the ashphalt, with the centre line running down the spine being transected by a 25x10m at right angles and with their midpoints on the main line.  The 25 perpendicular lines are each 10m long, 5m each side of the main line. For what that's worth.

I skated 4 sets of 9 each way, 2 x puck on the inside, 2 x puck on the outside, slaloming around the points of the transecting lines.  At the 9th bay, I turned around and did it all the way back again.  Thus, inside puck going left and right in alternating turns means alternating forehand and backhand.  Then I did one high speed puckless circuit the whole length of 25 bays, leading with the stick into each corner in the slalom I did between every second set of bays.  Then I returned to my short track and did a set of forehand carries through the slalom, followed by one of backhands.  Concluded with two return sets of alternating forehand (inside) forehand (outside) backhand (outside) forehand (inside).  Mixed it up with a few alternating heel to heel corners/puck protections just to lighten things up.  On the way home I concentrated on obtaining power in my stride through lowering my posture (ie bending the knees further, trying to become the lowest thing on the road).

Total distance, between 5 and 6 km.  Gone about an hour.

This might be my last free skate training for a couple weeks.  Here's hoping that the 'off season' shooting and stickhandling sessions I've had have been sufficient to leave their imprint on my play this coming season.  Though, then again, when drove past the carpark tonight I noticed how empty and how lit it up it is.  This would probably be okay for a night time skate if I'm ever that keen/desperate.