transition from ice to roller hockey

[Big River]

I have a couple of questions about roller hockey. My family and I will be moving in the near future. Where we live now everything is geared towards ice hockey. We have year-round ice now, so roller hockey isn't that big.

We'll be moving from upstate NY to Texas, not a bad move, but where we'll be moving to, they only have a roller hockey league. What I do know is that the roller hockey league is hugely successfull.

How different is the game for a goalie? My son has really come along way in his play and is always improving, just curious about any transition. Are there different pads? One thing I do know is that goalie skates are different from regular in-line skates, but that's about it?

If there is anybody out there who could just give me a little backround as to ehat to expect, I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

[big dog daddy]

Big River,

I want to be the first to say welcome.

That being done, It is and it isn't a huge difference. The sliding does not exist the same as ice which is pretty obvious. A roller player needs to be able to handle heat. Now playing on ice is hot enough in this gear on roller it is hotter. Gear is generally the same. Some companies (Battram/Thompson) make roller leg pads. THe big difference is material. they are uaually all cordura so they slide a little better and in Battram's case he has plastic sliding plates attached to give it a more ice feel. Mont also ahs some mods out here for ice gear but I use all ice except for skates (obviously) The puck i find sometime hits you and it does not have the feel of the ice puck. I know it is lighter in weight than an ice puck. The skating is similar which is nice, but now a days the problem is finding roller hockey goalie skates. If you have any particular questions feel free and ask we don't bite.

Where are you moving to in Texas. I know texas is a "big" state. but if you are near Dallas/ Fort Worth. I know they have a ton of ice down there.


BDD

[sloth2946]

I know Texas has the most rinks under construction right now of any state so you might have more ice then you know.

[WERNER 1]

I'll throw in my 2 cents on this one.......

The heat is one of the biggest factors. You will get used to it......well sort of.

Skating, well I feel that it's one of the hardest parts of adjusting. Forward and backwards are relativly the same, but shuffling and moving side to side is a whole other animal!

It seems that going back and forth between ice and roller was always a non-event for me, but then I took a year off from roller and only played ice three times a week.

Now I'm back playing roller once a week, and ice twice. It takes me about 1/2 way through the first period to start feeling comfortable on my skates. I never used to have this problem, but none the less it still exist. I would imagine that if you were playing roller full time, this feeling would go away pretty quick.

Don't feel like having actual Roller goalie skates is a must to begin playing the position. A lot of guys I know, including myself, still use regular player skates with smaller wheels on them.

The weight of the puck is another factor. You will see the rebounds becoming bigger compared to ice due to the puck being lighter and not "sticking" to you as it does on ice. Shots that hit you dead in the chest and would have normaly dropped into you waiting glove are now exploding off of your c/a and landing 10-15 feet our infront of you.

Also depending on the level of play you are used to, the shots will generaly be coming in a bit faster/ harder than on ice.

Pad "sticktion" is another ongoing delehma in roller hockey. The purist would have you use your stock pads and learn to adapt your game acordingly, while other "forward" thinking goalies try to use every little trick and product to make there pads feel like they are on ice. This is a preferance, and you will have to decide for yourself on which path you take. Let me throw a little warning out there on this subject: If you decide to modify your pads, do it with actual materials such as velcro, nylon, and plastic. DO NOT try chemicals such as silicone and armor all........these may earn you a good butt kickin in the locker room!

I know that some of these had been mentioned previously, but I just wanted to throw my own twist in on things........hope you can use some of this.

Good luck,
Rick

[Aussie_Goalie]

Welcome to the world of roller hockey!!!

The major factor im told by ice goalies coming to roller is the lateral movement, u dont slide, u gotta hop, skip and jump basically.

But for Ice in Texas try this site...... http://www.txice.com

*Aussie*

[Big River]

Hey Guys:

Thanks for all the helpful advice, it's much appreciated. as far as ice and where I'll be located. We are moving to Abilene TX, which is about 2 1/2 hour west of Dallas. My sister has been keeping tabs on any youth hockey programs in the area, and from what she's saying, in the near future there city could start up a youth league. The closest now is in San Angelo. But until then roller hockey could be a great alternative.

Anyawys thanks for the advice and your time, I'll be sure to keep ya posted!

Big River

[firefighter]

I have a tip/trick to moving laterally on roller skates, besides doing a T-push.

I would recommend this only if you are not going to be playing ice anytime soon because it's a bad habit that took me a lon time to get rid of (I moved from roller to ice).

When I played roller, I used one of those Rec skates with the plastic outter shell. I played on concrete and I knew that it would tear up the boots of traditional skates. So I don't know if this will work with other types of skates.

In ice to slide your skate laterally you move the blade to the "flat" and slide over. Well in inline I would do the opposite. I would tilt my skate in to where only the sidewalls of the skates were touching the ground. When you do this you can move by adjusting the angle to the ground. You can take the wheels off of the ground to slide and roll the onto the sidewall to stop.

This works well to move laterally along to follow the play.

Brian

[Aussie_Goalie]

Sounds quite difficult, i would stick with the trusty ol' T-push.

*Aussie*