Tonight completed my run of eight Academy sessions in a row. That's a record for the ages! Well worth the effort. Just to add a bit of spice, we had a guest coach tonight, with a guest assistant. Sami, Adelaide's resident smiling Finnish coach, took the session with Chris as his assistant as there were a few of us. I've heard of Sami's sessions before though have never had the pleasure. So, though a bit sorry that wouldn't get a chance to say thanks to Cory for a great several months, was intrigued by the time the session started.
It started pretty simple, with a warning that we were going to spend the first half hour or so on 'boring' skating. Which suited everyone fine this week, it seemed. I know it did me!
Began by doing tightish turns in a circuit of all five circles from one end to the other. Couple laps there and back with inside edges, then twice as much on the outside. Idea was not to cut the ice, to generate the turn by the pivot of the upper body (shoulders) towards the centre of the circle. Stick in two hands and blade on the ice towards the centre of each turn.
Then, working in pairs, put two sticks on the ice end to end. Do figure eights around/over them on inside, then outside edges. Then, on the one foot, hop the length of the two sticks landing on alternating sides of the sticks with each hop. Tough to do!
Then, three pucks in a line between the blue lines. Skate to the first puck and then on one foot curve your way through the next two (again, not cutting the ice, doing it with the upper body). Do it twice each way. Add a puck, repeat the exercise, and again. Add another puck, do it five times each way.
Then, skate entirely down the ice on the one foot. Get your initial push off by jumping forwards from a one footed start, and as your momentum pulls you up, push off again with jumping hop on that foot. If your other skate touches the ice go back to the start. After several failed attempts I managed to make it - to the encouraging cheers of my classmates as I bunnyhopped my painful way across the closing stretch with ever decreasing power in each jump. I think it was their cheers that got me over the line! Then it was do it back the other way. And again, and again, on the other foot.
Then, for those who'd had some success (I'd finally made it on the right foot as outlined above, and made it easier by the time I got onto my left foot) repeat the exercise except now add a one foot stop on each blue line. If your other foot touched the ice, go back to the start. I was on about my fourth attempt when it was time to get a drink (actually, now I think of it, I think I stubbornly finished it on my right foot as he'd called it as I'd successfully stopped on the second blue line for the first time).
The latter half of the session was more concentrated on skill with the puck, beginning with passing/receiving. A player on each board. One player with puck skates towards the opposite side, passes to their opposite number when they are about half way. Second player receives the puck and commences skating towards the next player on the opposite side until they are about half way, passes it, etc. With paired groups composed of three players each side, had about twice as long a rest between the runs, which is about right for mild anaerobic training.
Then, step it up by now skating at some speed towards the opposite side, pass it when ready, keep skating to receive the returned pass from Player 2, pass it back to them. They then head off and repeat the exercise the other way with the third skater (who'd been waiting behind player 1). What was interesting was that accuracy, power and speed picked up as we went, despite the additional complexity.
Then, three or four rounds of the puck possession game (all in between the blue lines with a puck each, try and knock everyone else's puck out of the area while keeping yours in, if your puck gets knocked out of the contest area, you get out of the zone). Drink.
Return for a body checking game (just what I needed after my experience in the game on Saturday), with one player defending a circle against another who was trying to get in. Got way overpowered with my small size and frame and not knowing how to use it properly. By the last attempt at a breakin, however, my body had worked out a new 'trick' and was able to 'roll' off and around the tall strong young guy who'd had it all over everyone till then and into the zone. Much to his surprise. I just wish that I could reconstruct how I did it exactly!
Then, some shooting. Start midway between blue line and goal, everyone shoots. Those who miss, go and entertain themselves up the other end. Survivors, shoot from the blue line. Survivors, shoot from the centre, then the far blue line, hashmarks in the opposite zone. By the time they got to the opposite goal line, only two shooters left.
End of the session, a bit less than five minutes of free time. Yay.
The stretching, comradely banter in the change room, snack on banana and bottle of orange juice, the drive home and after match meal. All a most excellent way to end off what has been a great term of skill development.
Now up to me to put it into practice.
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