Proper Warm-up

There are a few specific things I always like to do during a warm-up in order to get ready for a game. Every player is a little different though. In men's leagues you don't have practices, so the warm-up is really your only time to get ready for the game. The time available is usually too short to attempt specific plays, so I prefer to just get myself ready.

First thing I do is jump out onto the rink to get myself pumped up. It's an easy way to get yourself psyched up for a game when you rush out onto the rink. Once I'm out there I look at whether or not anyone has setup the goals and it's pegs. The last thing you need is a goalie with all his pads on trying to fumble around digging spikes into the ice. If it's not setup, I'll skate over and do it first.

Once that's done I like to make a lap or two of my team's end of the rink. I then do some forward-to-backward transitions, and practice my backwards c-cuts and backwards cross-overs during additional laps around my zone. Finally I start practicing my stops, making sure I can get a good deep cut with my skates. I find it important to go through all the skating techniques I use during the game.

Once I'm done with my skating elements, I go over to the side and do some streches. The last thing you need is a cramp during a game. Just a few light streches like calfs bends, thigh extensions, and rotating your torso should be enough.

I then grab a puck and practice some shots into the boards. This includes wristers, backhands, and slapshots. But the most important part of a warm-up is getting shots on the goalie. Not for yourself, but to make sure the goalies is all set to go.

Many guys attempt "shootout" attempts on the goalie to warm him up. I suppose this is fine, but it really doesn't replicate what the goalie will face at all. The best things to do are slapshots or throwing wristers at him so can get some positional practice in. Attempting to guess at where or when you'll deke isn't exactly the average shot he'll face in-game.

Now you're all ready to go for the game. If you still have some extra time, pull another guy aside and practice passing. Besides skating this is the most frequent thing you'll actually do during the game. You can also practice setting up some one-timers to your teammates as well, as that is the regular shot you'll get on the powerplay. Some guys like to practice deflecting shots in front of the net too, but I prefer not taking a puck to the groin until at least the start of the game.

Roller Hockey Stop

Doing a hockey stop is a key fundamental to skating. You go from a fast speed to a dead stop very quickly. This is fairly easy to do thanks to the sliding nature of ice, but when on roller it can be a little tricky. It's really only tricky because everyone is used to the motions of the hockey stop on ice. Roller requires a slight variation.

Inline skates have a higher amount of friction compared to ice no matter which surface you're playing on. This means when you attempt to do a hockey stop similar to how you would in ice, then you're really just going to fall flat on your face since the wheels will grip the surface quicker.

When I perform a hockey stop in roller I'm actually doing a wide semi-circle turn, then pivoting my hips similar to how I would on ice. After I turn I dig my wheels hard in the mid-heel section to come to a full stop. If the surface is wood with really good grip, then I come to a screeching halt. If the surface is something with less grip though, such as asphalt, then I slide a bit.

If you're having difficult picturing this, think of a regular ice hockey stop as a straight line where you pivot your hips to keep in that straight line, and scape the ice to stop. But in roller hockey you start off in a straight line, make a quick semi-circle, then dig in your mid-heel and return to the straight line direction to stop.

Here's a video of myself doing this at the rink. Notice I'm doing a semi-circle turn before I go into the stop.

Bag Stench

Hockey players stink. Seriously, they do. Think about it, you're wearing all that padding every game and sweating profusely in it. The smell can sometimes be unbearable. The only way I can describe it is like that episode of Seinfeld where Jerry's car smells like BO. Don't be surprised when you walk into a locker room or rink and get a whiff of that.

It's one thing to be that kids team who walks off the rink and smells awful. I mean, what can those kids do? They rely on their parents to know their equipment needs to be cleaned. Of course they're going to smell like a homeless person. The worst though has to be when you're on the rink, and as soon as you skate nearby a grown man, you can smell him coming. You definitely don't want to be that guy.

Now you're just in luck, as over the years I have found some easy to follow tips on keeping bag stink down.

First, after every game when I come home I throw things like my jersey, undershirt, jock, socks, roller pants and any other clothing piece into the hamper for a wash. Those are the things soaking up most of my sweat, and they're going to definitely need a full wash.


Second, I spray down all the equipment with a some anti-bacterial Febreeze. It's important that it's anti-bacterial, as bacteria is what actually causes the smell. That also means smelly equipment can even be dangerous since it's a sign it's full of bacteria, which can cause infection if rubbed against an open cut on your skin.

Third, I keep my bag open with the equipment facing up to air out. You need to let everything dry. Preferably do this in a breezy and dry place. Usually I just keep it on the floor in my room located underneath the ceiling fan. Good enough.

Fourth, do wash you pads occassionally. I try to wash all my pads at least once before each season. It's as simple as putting everything in your bathtub with some woolite overnight to soak, or what I do, throw them into the wash. If this equipment is tough enough to stand up against hitting boards, it probably can take the agitation of a normal wash cycle. One caveat to this though, I haven't washed my gloves since those actually are a bit vulnerable to wear.

And that's it. Four simple tips which should keep you from smelling. Finally you'll be able to invite people to your games, and not be embarrassed about how you smelled, and rather just on how terrible you played. Everyone at the rink will thank you for it.