Ball/Dek Hockey Tips?

[invisibl4]

Anyone here an experienced ball/deck hockey player? I used to play street hockey when I was younger, but playing in an organized league is a whole new experience.

Whatever advice or tips you can offer would be really appreciated.

 

[invisibl4]

One thing I've noticed is that a lot of people seem to play without taping their sticks. I tried it recently and it does seem to help.

 

[Fixed to Ruin]

is it with in-line skates or on foot?

 

[invisibl4]

On foot.

 

[hsing]

take a shot whenever you can. The ball spins so much in the air it's almost impossible for the goalie to adjust in time to the curve the ball will take in the air.

 

[invisibl4]

is it better to use a wood, composite, or abs blade? I know abs tend to hold up longer, but the surface I usually play on is pretty easy on blades in general.

 

[nightfighter]

take a shot whenever you can. The ball spins so much in the air it's almost impossible for the goalie to adjust in time to the curve the ball will take in the air.

This is only true if the shot is a really hard one and depends alot on the humidity that day. But in general you should try to shoot from anywhere. The ball makes it hard to control rebounds for the goalie and shooting is almost never a bad play.

Some general tips:

- Positioning is key! Like in ice hockey, positioning is the most important aspect of play. Support your line mates and make sure to always give the ball carrier a passing option. Too many times you have guys chasing the ball. The ball moves faster than people!

- Use the boards effectively. bank passes and chip plays are really great for getting past your defender in ball hockey especially since they can't run backwards as quickly as you run forwards.

-If you've played alot of ice hockey you will be accustomed to shooting pucks. A ball is a whole other mechanic. It's very easy to get under a ball and go high; most of your shooting power should come from snapping your wrists. Try it some time.

 

[jmichael7753*]

is it better to use a wood, composite, or abs blade? I know abs tend to hold up longer, but the surface I usually play on is pretty easy on blades in general.

ABS with no tape is probably the way to go. When ever I have tape on my blade when I played I didnt seem to have the same control.

 

[ponder]

Normal passing just does not work as well in general in ball hockey, the ball bounces, and nothing is as clean and fast as in ice hockey. Dump and chase is a great play in ball hockey, or high passes that can be gloved down. Still make plenty of normal passes, but in general favour dump and chase a more than you would in ice hockey, especially since there is often no icing or offside in ball hockey.

 

[nullterm]

Get in shape if you aren't already, alot of running, starts & stops. I played ball for the first time in a long time and my legs are sore as heck, even though I was fine cardio wise and play 2x weekly ice for the last 3 years.

No tape, the friction against the ball/floor will only hinder you.

Gloves, soccer shin pads if you got em. Cup is probably a good idea too.

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

Can elevate much easier in tight. Flat footed defenders chip it past and you are past them running. Shoot often.

 

[Jimmy Carter]

One thing I've noticed is that a lot of people seem to play without taping their sticks. I tried it recently and it does seem to help.

Definitely easier. Ball sticks to the tape at all the wrong moments and to me it messes up my shots too. Better off without the tape

 

[Jimmy Carter]

is it better to use a wood, composite, or abs blade? I know abs tend to hold up longer, but the surface I usually play on is pretty easy on blades in general.

I'd go with a graphite blade. Still durable, but lighter than ABS and wood. Wood's almost pointless in ball hockey unless you are just used to wood blades and don't like other kinds of blades. You can't really feel that light ball on your stick no matter what blade you use, so wood's normal increase feel on the puck doesn't apply in ball hockey.

 

[Jimmy Carter]

The one playing tip I have from experience is to set someone up in front of the net. Garbage goals are so much easier to get in ball hockey because your lateral movement is so much better on feet, thus you're able to get to a loose ball in front much easier and quicker. Also, it's a lot harder to clear out in front of the net when the guy crowding the net is on feet.

Plus most ball hockey goalies I've played get way more annoyed at a guy in front than in ice (at least in my experience). Easy to get in their head playing in front.

 

[mopee]

Don't jog or use treadmills at the gym. It will only slow you down. Sprint 20 yards in starts and stops back and forth outside or if you have enough room indoors. Ball hockey is a game of stops and starts. Squats, deadlifts and lunges for the legs, hips and buttocks. Planks, ab wheel rollouts and medicine ball twists for the core.

 

[invisibl4]

Anyone use a composite blade for ball hockey? So far I've only used wood and ABS. I'm wondering if it's worth it to spring for a good composite blade (or if it even makes a difference with ball hockey).

 

[Islanderfan17]

1) Take a lot of shots, rebounds happen more often than not.

2) As someone else mentioned, always be in good positioning for your teammate so they have more options.

3) I wouldn't always recommend dump and chase, personally I think it all depends on the speed and endurance of the team you are playing. If you are playing an old and sluggish team, then you should dump and chase. If you are playing a fast and young team (Like mine), your better off entering the zone and making smart passes because most likely they will get to the ball first if you dump it.

 

[Jimmy Carter]

Anyone use a composite blade for ball hockey? So far I've only used wood and ABS. I'm wondering if it's worth it to spring for a good composite blade (or if it even makes a difference with ball hockey).

No prob (I think you're talking about my post, if not, then sorry I couldn't help ya!). Re-reading my post I'd like to also add that though you get no real benefit from wood, often times they can end up being far cheaper. Place near me has $10 wood blades. Wouldn't spend $20 on a wood blade for ball hockey though. Good graphite blade will last a year or so on a smooth surface (unless you play every day or take slap shots exclusively). I had a graphite blade last me about a year playing 3-4 times a week on smooth asphalt and tennis courts. Cost me $30 bucks. That same year my friend went through about 3-4 wood blades at probably $15 a piece (shop didn't have the $10 blades back then).

Be careful not to get a foam core blade though. Those get beat up massively on any ball hockey surface. Save those for the ice!

 

[nightfighter]

Normal passing just does not work as well in general in ball hockey, the ball bounces, and nothing is as clean and fast as in ice hockey. Dump and chase is a great play in ball hockey, or high passes that can be gloved down. Still make plenty of normal passes, but in general favour dump and chase a more than you would in ice hockey, especially since there is often no icing or offside in ball hockey.

He's playing in a league, which means icing and offsides do apply. Also, if you are playing indoors (gym floor, concrete ice pad, the annoying sport dek stuff) you don't have to worry about bouncing passes. If the ball skips it's more the fault of the passer not the mechanics of the game. My team whips cross court passes around like a puck on ice all the time.

 

[invisibl4]

No prob (I think you're talking about my post, if not, then sorry I couldn't help ya!). Re-reading my post I'd like to also add that though you get no real benefit from wood, often times they can end up being far cheaper. Place near me has $10 wood blades. Wouldn't spend $20 on a wood blade for ball hockey though. Good graphite blade will last a year or so on a smooth surface (unless you play every day or take slap shots exclusively). I had a graphite blade last me about a year playing 3-4 times a week on smooth asphalt and tennis courts. Cost me $30 bucks. That same year my friend went through about 3-4 wood blades at probably $15 a piece (shop didn't have the $10 blades back then).

Be careful not to get a foam core blade though. Those get beat up massively on any ball hockey surface. Save those for the ice!

Thanks for all of your input. I've gone through about 3 wood blades so far, and had one ABS blade stepped on and broken.

I was always worried that graphite would be easily torn up on any surface other than ice, but it sounds like that's not that case. Can you recommend any specific graphite blades? I actually love the wood Paul Coffey Sher-Wood blade, but it just doesn't hold up to abuse.

 

[invisibl4]

1) Take a lot of shots, rebounds happen more often than not.

2) As someone else mentioned, always be in good positioning for your teammate so they have more options.

3) I wouldn't always recommend dump and chase, personally I think it all depends on the speed and endurance of the team you are playing. If you are playing an old and sluggish team, then you should dump and chase. If you are playing a fast and young team (Like mine), your better off entering the zone and making smart passes because most likely they will get to the ball first if you dump it.

Can you recommend any books or specific websites to read up on general positioning/strategy? I've picked up on some just as a result of experience playing these past few months, but I'd love to find something that really gets into detail.

 

[nightfighter]

Can you recommend any books or specific websites to read up on general positioning/strategy? I've picked up on some just as a result of experience playing these past few months, but I'd love to find something that really gets into detail.

Here's a decent site to get you started, but positioning is not just a one man thing. Your whole team will have to buy into it otherwise you being in the proper spot won't help much when everyone else is running around like a fire drill in the defensive zone.

 

[budster]

Can you recommend any books or specific websites to read up on general positioning/strategy? I've picked up on some just as a result of experience playing these past few months, but I'd love to find something that really gets into detail.

I wrote these and it seemed to help my team:

• Offensive Positioning
• Defensive Positioning
• Breaking Out

They are pretty basic but sometimes that's all you need. If you play 4-on-4 you might have to adjust accordingly.

 

[Jimmy Carter]

Thanks for all of your input. I've gone through about 3 wood blades so far, and had one ABS blade stepped on and broken.

I was always worried that graphite would be easily torn up on any surface other than ice, but it sounds like that's not that case. Can you recommend any specific graphite blades? I actually love the wood Paul Coffey Sher-Wood blade, but it just doesn't hold up to abuse.

Well the one I had for a long time was a TPS Crossfire, but I'm not sure they make those anymore. Give it a look, maybe it's out there.

The one I'm using right now is this baby:

http://www.hockeygiant.com/eas10seprobldsr.html

Unfortunately I haven't had the pleasure of playing a game with this blade, but I've been stickhandling around my apartment and it feels great. Seems like it will hold up, but I haven't field tested it yet. I'm hoping this weekend I'll try it out on a tennis court (basically the consistency of sandpaper, so you can usually tell pretty quickly what will make it on a smooth surface and what won't). I'll write back in this forum what I find out after shooting around and hopefully playing a few games

 

[Penguins23]

He's playing in a league, which means icing and offsides do apply. Also, if you are playing indoors (gym floor, concrete ice pad, the annoying sport dek stuff) you don't have to worry about bouncing passes. If the ball skips it's more the fault of the passer not the mechanics of the game. My team whips cross court passes around like a puck on ice all the time.

You wrote exactly what I was about to say.


Ponder was probably thinking of street hockey or something lol.



The offsides we use are slightly different than ice hockey offsides however. I believe it's called the floating red line or something along those lines.