SHOOTING FAQs
Q. Where are the Shooting sessions held:
A. They are held inside the Great Pacific Forum (Planet Ice) Delta just to the right of the stairs down by the elevator. Address 10388 Nordel Court Delta, B.C.
Q. HOW DO I Register for the shooting classes?
A. Please check the shooting schedule by clicking on the link provided on the front page of the site. Once you have identified the date/day/time that you are interested in, email me at hockeyschoolonline@gmail.com and I will update my site at the earliest convenience.
Q. Is there any priority given to early registration?
A. Yes. All emails are sorted on a first come first serve basis. I do not take registrations over the phone due to the fact that I like to keep track of scheduling in hard copy. This allows me to better keep track of time commitments.
Q. How do I know if my registration has been accepted?
A. Through my online schedule. I update it regularly during the day once I am in office or near a wireless network to check on my emails. I will send you a quick email as well when the site has been updated.
Q. What do we do in the event that you have to cancel any of our booked sessions?
A. Unfortunately, this is a proprietary business in that there is only one person running the clinics ..."myself". I due have obligations to other companies who I consult to as well as run my own research and development business. There have been several in the past few months due to my obligations to Next Testing and there will be several more in the near future. I will however, post these changes on my site as soon as these travel dates are forwarded to me. I have been collecting people's contact information so that I can forward the information as quickly as possible. However, I do ask people to check my web site several times per week for any updates that may effect their booking status. I do apologize for any inconvenience!
Q. Does it matter how old a player is?
A. I have found that the youngest age that really benefits from this training is 7 years of age. I have worked with 5 and 6 year olds that have done exceptionally well but I do prefer players to be a minimum of 7.
Q. How many players can you take at once?
A. The maximum number of players that I can work with is 4 as long as there are two lefts and two right handed shots. If this is not the case then 3 is the maximum number.
Q. How many sessions does it take before I notice the results?
A. Generally speaking with younger age groups such as 7-9 year olds, 5 sessions are generally the time frame that works best. With players that are very keen, 2-3 sessions for each shooting fundamental (wrist shot for example) often does the trick. With older players, one session is enough to appreciate the benefits.
Q. What is better, a half hour class or one hour class?
A. For first time students, one hour usually is best but 30 minutes works well also. It really depends on the player's attention span and keenness to learn.
Q. Once my son/daughter has taken several lessons, is it okay for someone else to join them?
A. It is important to understand that this is a progression teaching system. I advise students/parents that once started, it is advisable to have the new student/s take at least one or two classes themselves before joining. This makes the learning experience more efficient for everyone.
Q. Do you have drop in classes?
A. At this time I do not due to current booking trends. I hope to offer this in the future.
Q. Why do you focus so much on the wrist shot.
A. The wrist shot is the basically the foundation of all shooting skills. The mechanical elements in the wrist shot are inherent in other shooting fundamentals so once learned, snap shot skills can be taught in about 10-15 minutes.
Q. Do you have an order in which you teach the different shots?
A. Most definitely! Depending on the age and position of the player, I tend to focus on those skills that would compliment their position. For defense: Wrist, backhand, snap and then slap shots. For forwards: Wrist shot, snap shot, backhand deke, then slap shot.
Q. Are you flexible in this order?
A. Of course. Students are asked every session about what they would like to work on so as to engage them in their concerns but where matters of strength come into play, sometimes requests are limited.
Q. How many levels are there if my son/daughter wanted to keep taking the program?
A. There are four fundamental levels. Level one breaks down all of the basic principles of each particular shot such as Loading, Aiming and Firing for the wrist shot forehand, wrist shot backhand, snap shot, slap shot, saucer pass and one timers. Within each of these shots are 5 basic levels such as stationary shooting, shooting off of a rebound, shooting off a carry, shooting off of a stickhandle and shooting one-timers off of a pass. Level two is where all sliding hand techniques are learned both forehand and backhand including draw, drag and toeing shots are learned. In level three all cross body loading, aiming and firing skills are learned and finally level four is where all passes into the feet are managed into various shooting skills.
Q. How long does it take to go through this program from start to finish (level one to level four complete)
I have players that have worked with me from 2 to 14 years. It is a progressive learning process that encompasses many skill elements. A snap shot for example has 34 micro mechanical skill elements inherent in the fundamental.
Q. Do my skating skills impact my shooting skills at all?
A. Most definitely! Players that bend over too far when they skate end up primarily utilizing their bottom hand for control and become push/sweep shot shooters. Upper back/body alignment is critical to the generation of power when shooting.
Q. What other skills do you cover in these classes - passing, stick-handling?
A. I cover both passing and stick handling. Stick-handling is in essence the method by which we put the puck into position so as to better generate power and accuracy so proper puck movement is absolutely critical to successful shooting in today's high pressure game. Passing is a natural byproduct of shooting. Teaching shooting is really just about propelling the puck...passing really incorporates the same philosophy. Too often players think of shooting as being on net where as the means of shooting a puck can translate into clearing the puck out of the zone, dumping the puck into the opposition zone, wide ice or stretch passes, etc.
Q. Do you work with adults?
A. Most definitely. There are several senior players that want to tweak their shooting skills as well as several father son/daughter couples that come in together. I find this a great bonding experience. and it is always nice to have the son/daughter chat up their parent when they make a mistake!
Q. Do you have female classes?
A. Absolutely. While most of my clients are male, I have many girls and women that are determined to improve their shots. They learn very quickly and in some cases even faster than boys their own age.
Q. Do you help students pick or give them advice on their sticks?
A. I am available to do so but what is important to consider with younger players is the weight of their stick and length of the blade. A 10" blade should be the minimum length and anything between 320-400 grams is desirable (7-10 year olds). Another area of concern is shafts that have very rounded edges. This causes a problem when rotating the shaft quickly such as when taking a wrist shot.
Q. When should they move up in sticks say from a junior to intermediate or intermediate to a senior?
A. Hand size is critical to picking out shaft size. When the fingers wrap excessively around the shaft, which is very apparent with students around 10-13 years of age , it is necessary to move up in size. Most sport stores can provide this information and I will be posting this information soon as well.
Q. How important is flex when considering buying a stick?
A. At the younger ages groups, not important, weight, blade length and shaft shape are critical components to stick selection.
Q. Are their problems transferring the shots learned off ice to on ice?
A. In some cases yes. Players usually bring their game stick in to practice with in the off ice shooting room which, if one takes into consideration that the skates are missing makes the stick about 2 inches longer that normal (no skate blades). A minor adjustment of a couple shots in the warmup usually solves this problem. A secondary influence is the player's method of skating. Too often they skate bent over and subsequently cannot utilize their top hand effectively which decreases blade speed which becomes critical to controlling a puck on a very smooth surface such as rink ice. A final influencer is a player's inability to stick handle properly to even load the puck ready to shoot. This can be remedied in several weeks.
Q. Are parents welcome to sit in on the classes?
A. Most definitely. I prefer it actually since having the adult influence at home understand some of the basic concept makes it easier for students to practice properly. As the saying goes; "practice makes permanent only perfect practice makes perfect".
Q. How should we arrange payment?
A. I accept cash or check. I would appreciate payment immediately after the class unless alternate arrangements have been made.
Q. What happens if an emergency arises and we have to cancel. What is your policy?
A. As long as I receive a phone call or email, I am satisfied with the effort. Life is that way...full of little surprises! However, if I have a no-show, without a phone call then I will charge a 50% fee on the original class. If it happens again, regular charge and the third time I cancel their classes.