If a player wants to drive their coach crazy, they should completely avoid doing “stops and starts”.  We’re just a few weeks into the season, and it is very apparent that this is the concept that most players struggle with. Stopping and starting is a skill. And it’s also a habit. So while every player can perform the skill of stopping and the starting again on the ice, not every player chooses to stop and start during the game.  Nothing makes a coach more frustrated than watching players “loop around”, “circle” or do “fly-bys”.  It doesn’t matter what you call it or if it’s in the offensive zone, neutral zone, or  defensive zone (which is the worst time to loop around by the way), it drives every coach crazy.

So why don’t players choose to stop and start?  Because, in the beginning, it is much more tiring.  When you are used to looping around and circling, then stopping and starting can be very taxing on the body.  Stopping and starting requires a lot more work by your muscles and lungs in the short-term.  But the truth is stopping and starting is far easier than looping around, once you’re used to it.

The reason “looping around” drives coaches crazy is because players quite often turn their backs on the play when they do it.  It takes much longer to recover when you loop and you are usually in a horrible position to receive a pass.   You are wasting time, space and energy when you’re looping around.

Stopping and starting allows you to execute “straight line skating”. We all know the shortest distance between point A and point B is a straight line. So it is much more efficient to stop and start, and it also allows you to be able to watch the play and be in a better position to support the puck.

Like with any new habit, going from lazily looping around to stopping and starting is going to be hard.  You’re going to find that you’ll be more tired after your first few shifts of stopping and starting than you were when you circle.  But once your body gets used to it, you will have made the game much easier for yourself – and for your coach.  No more missing passes because you were facing the wrong way.  No more getting stuck in your own end because you did a  “fly-by” in the in-zone, instead of stopping right in front of your check.  You will be much more explosive and much more efficient. 

So do the work and focus on stopping and starting early in the season.  It may be tiring in the short term, but it will certainly pay off in the long term. 

Your friend and coach,

Kim

Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS

Director, Total Female Hockey

Girls’ Hockey Director, PEAC School For Elite Athletes