Playing ice hockey requires a number of skills. You need to know how to ice skate, stop on a dime, turn sharp, handle a puck, and shoot that puck on the net. So how long does it take to develop all of the skills required to play ice hockey?
It takes the average adult player with no previous hockey experience about 15 – 25 hours of ice time to be comfortable enough to play in most beginner adult recreational leagues. You can expedite this process by watching how-to videos, off-ice training, and practice drills. Your primary focus when first learning hockey should be ice skating. Learn to skate forward, hockey stop with both legs, and finally learn how to skate backward. The better your ice skating the better player you will be.
Spend most of your ice time developing your skating ability. Focus on edge work, tight turns, transitions, and stopping. Don’t spend valuable ice time working on stickhandling, you can proactive stick handling off the ice.
How Long Does it Take To Get Good At Skating For Hockey?
If you are on the ice an average of 2-3 times a week it will take you about two months to feel comfortable enough to join a beginners team. This is the general consensus of most of the players that I talk to. I would say that would average out to 15 – 25 hours of actual ice time.
This will obviously change from player to player. There are some guys who are naturally good, and who will pick it up in no time. They only need a few public skates and a stick and puck or two and they feel good.
But then there are the rest of us who need more time focusing on stopping and crossovers before we can even think about stickhandling well.
How Do You Get Good At Hockey?
The best way to get better at hockey is to obviously practice. But not all practice is created equal and not all practice has to be done on the ice. The top three skills you need to work on to become a better hockey player are:
- Skating
- Hockey IQ
- Strength & Endurance
The most important skill that you need to work on to become better on the ice is your skating. Hands down, if you are a better skater then you are a better hockey player.
Putting in the work to be a fantastic skater is not as glamorous or as fun as learning to stickhandle or shoot but if you can’t skate well, you can’t put yourself in a good position to score so who cares if you can deke or shoot the puck.
The best way to learn to skate better for hockey is obviously on the ice. When I first started I went to public skates. They were crowded, and it was difficult to find a corner to work on edge-specific drills but it was better than nothing. I spent hours going around in circles on the rink focusing on crossovers on every turn.
Ask around and see if there are power skating classes, or when there are stick and puck times available at your rink. Stick and puck times are fantastic, it’s basically an open practice session where you can work on whatever you desire during it.
And when you are skating focus on using your edges. Don’t just focus on maximum speed. Edgework is everything.
When I finally grasped the concept of inside and outside edges and when and how to use them it took my skating to the next level. Work on the c cut drill every single time you are on the ice. If you don’t know what that is, I will link a video below. The C cut drill can get boring but it will drill the way your inside and outside edges feel into your body.
The second skill to work on is your hockey IQ. This can actually be done off the ice. It can be done while just watching hockey. It’s a good excuse to tell the significant other, “Hey I’m studying here, this is valuable research!”
Focus on one player at a time, maybe Mcdavid or Kucherov, and analyze the decisions they make. When do they attack and when do they retreat?
Youtube is a great resource for this stuff too. There are tons of breakdown videos that will help you understand the game better.
Understanding all of the moving pieces and where you should be and where your teammates should be will help put you in the right spot to make the best play.
And the last thing you should work on is your physical ability. I have noticed that mistakes tend to happen when you get tired. You can’t put as much mental focus on the game when you are huffing and puffing. You should come up with some kind of workout routine that is hockey specific and one that focuses on getting stronger and building muscular endurance. Endurance and strength training are two separate things and you should train for both things very differently.
The guys at hockey workout have a lot of really good at-home hockey workouts that don’t require any equipment. I would strongly suggest following a few of their videos. I will link my favorite free ones down below.
Can I Teach Myself To Play Hockey?
You can totally teach yourself to play hockey. You have the internet.
I can’t express how grateful I am to have the internet. You can teach yourself almost anything that you want to learn by searching hard enough on google.
Hockey is no different.
If you are wondering if you can teach yourself hockey, you should know that the answer is yes.
There are loads of good resources out there.
You just need to be dedicated enough to follow other people’s advice. Look up edge skating drills and apply those to ice time that you can find.
Look up off ice workouts and stickhandling drills.
Will a coach help you learn hockey? Definitely, but this doesn’t mean that you can’t start teaching yourself and as you start to play more hockey you will make friends and some of those friends will be better than you and then they will start to teach you things on the ice.
What Age Is Too Late To Play Hockey?
There is no age that is too old to play hockey. We have a guy on our team that is 67 years old. If I’m in as great of shape as he is when I’m 67 I’m gonna count that as a win. and he has a hell of a slap shot.
In my area, there are multiple 50+ leagues that you can join.
If you are thinking about playing hockey you should totally do it. It’s never too late to pick this game up. You will be glad that you did.
How Can An Adult Learn To Play Hockey
The best way that an adult can start to learn to play hockey is by finding ice time and working on your skating. It is never too late to pick the game of hockey up. You will be happy that you did. It is a great workout and you will meet some awesome people and have a few beers while you’re at it.
If you want to play in a recreational league for fun, sometimes called beer league hockey, it takes the average person about 15 – 25 hours of ice time to feel comfortable enough to join a beginners league.
The best skill to focus on is skating. If you can skate well you can pressure other players and put yourself in the right spot to make plays. Focus on edge work and using your inside and outside edges.
Working on your skating never stops, you will always strive to become a stronger, faster skater.
Next, you should be improving your hockey IQ by watching more hockey in an analytical way. Ask yourself why players are making certain decisions and look at how teams play inside of a structure.
Lastly, you will need to work on your physical abilities. Get stronger and get more endurance. You don’t have to work on those things on the ice or even in a gym. There are plenty of hockey-specific workouts that you can do right in your own home without any equipment.