Body contact is usually tolerated in sledge hockey at much earlier ages and novice levels of play than AB (Able Bodied) hockey. Puck protection is so easily accomplished, by sliding the puck under your sledge away from your attacker, that some sort of contact is usually necessary to change puck possession. Ideally checks are suppose to be from hip and shoulder contact only with no actual sled contact. This is not always case however since it is always possible that one player or the other changes direction at the last split second. Certainly it would be easy to draw penalties by simply steering in front of an opposing player at the last second. This is a common defensive tactic. The referee must use some common sense to distinguish intentional sled contact from incidental or unavoidable. Other forms of checking include bringing the nose of your sledge into the space that other player is using to pick. This is legitimate if you are side by side with the other player but if you're chasing a break away and do this from behind you'll usually get called for interference (although this might be more closely related to tripping).
Some forms of checking are particularly dangerous and should not be used. Sledge contact approaching 90 degrees is sometimes called "T Boning". The correct term is "Charging". This is a good way to break sleds and legs. Impact from behind is big no-no in any sport but particularly in sledge hockey, since many players have issues with their backs. You should consider carefully, when checking against the boards, the distance between the player and the boards. If they go over you don't want them to be twisting their head against the boards. Also consider that boards are designed for AB hockey players checking each other. High up, the boards have a certain amount of give. Down low, there is virtually no give. Be sure to only use the force necessary and appropriate. Otherwise, you'll be making a lot of enemies very quickly or hurting someone beyond what is reasonable.
If you get knocked over it's a big energy expense and time waster, to get back up. Remember that even if you're on the giving end you may go down too. A common ploy is for the other player to fall and drape themselves over the nose of your sled making it impossible for you to proceed. If you get hit and are going down try to distribute your weight over the boards or ice to avoid all the energy of impact being concentrated in one area of your body. Get up as quickly as possible! Remember your fingers and hands are on the ice not to mention your ribs are exposed impact from other sleds (I don't believe anyone would purposely ram you but accidents happen). The best strategy may be to avoid getting checked. Speed, quick turns and stick handling help in this regard but not all of us are Bradley Bowden (one of the best finesse skaters I've very seen in the sport). Keep your head up always look for the pass. Remember the boards can be like an extra player on your team for making a pass around an attacking player. Since everyone is sitting, if you can raise the puck, lobbing the puck can be a way around a players too (obviously with less control). Teams sometimes have checking drills in practices just to teach players in a controlled environment how to take a check. Regardless if you dish it out or not, you may have to learn to take it.
Some players should not be touched at all. You can wait until they make a pass or move the puck where you can easily take it from them. Others, you might just pull close beside them and make it difficult for them to pick. A little stronger player you might lightly squeeze against the boards to impede their progress. If you are a strong player don't check at all if the other player moves the puck before you reach them. Modulate your play to the individual and situation.
These attitudes towards body contact can make the game very interesting. Some players don't move very quickly but hover at the corners of opposing team's net. Since, generally, you can't touch them (much at least) the opposing defense has the choice of either keeping position on them or ignoring them. I've seen such players make multiple goals in a single game from the defense choosing the later. Developing players get to handle the puck more often. Stronger players move and pass the puck more because heavy contact is allowed against them. Try to make the game fun but challenging for everyone!
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
How the Sledge Hockey Community Accommodates ABs
The demographics of sledge / sled hockey are such that it is difficult to find enough players in a geographical area to make it feasible to play a game. Not very many people have a disability that would still allow them to play sledge hockey and not all of those would choose to play or could afford to play (although most clubs do make accommodations to the financially disadvantaged). The greater Ottawa area has about 1 Million people, we have around 60 players registered and I think at least 10 are AB (Able Bodied) players.
We aren't talking Team Canada caliber players either. While sledge hockey is touted as letting the abled bodied and disabled to compete equally, at the recreational house league and tournament levels AB players often have a higher potential that many other players don't (depending on their individual challenges) . Many touraments have rules like "only 3 ABs allowed on a team with only 2 on the ice at any one time and an AB player may not play goal". In a more familiar local setting there may be unspoken rules about how much body contact is allowed on particular players and by whom. This applies to ABs and more skilled disabled players. Having only started playing AB hockey 8 years ago I know the same sort of thing goes on in a pickup game (I suck) but in sledge hockey the differences in skill are usually more pronounced. The game becomes wonderfully complex on a physical and social level!
All that being said... I've been lucky enough to play with National Team players and I'm humbled by their strength and skill. While I've body checked many of them I'm glad they have only returned the favour with much restraint :).
It's a wonderful thing to be able to participate in a sport with a loved one. Most AB players are parents, siblings or friends. I even know of at least one grandmother! Often the coaches and/or organizers are parents. If you get a chance you should give it a try! If you know someone in the sport, give it 2 or 3 trys. It takes a lot of practice!
We aren't talking Team Canada caliber players either. While sledge hockey is touted as letting the abled bodied and disabled to compete equally, at the recreational house league and tournament levels AB players often have a higher potential that many other players don't (depending on their individual challenges) . Many touraments have rules like "only 3 ABs allowed on a team with only 2 on the ice at any one time and an AB player may not play goal". In a more familiar local setting there may be unspoken rules about how much body contact is allowed on particular players and by whom. This applies to ABs and more skilled disabled players. Having only started playing AB hockey 8 years ago I know the same sort of thing goes on in a pickup game (I suck) but in sledge hockey the differences in skill are usually more pronounced. The game becomes wonderfully complex on a physical and social level!
All that being said... I've been lucky enough to play with National Team players and I'm humbled by their strength and skill. While I've body checked many of them I'm glad they have only returned the favour with much restraint :).
It's a wonderful thing to be able to participate in a sport with a loved one. Most AB players are parents, siblings or friends. I even know of at least one grandmother! Often the coaches and/or organizers are parents. If you get a chance you should give it a try! If you know someone in the sport, give it 2 or 3 trys. It takes a lot of practice!
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Sledge Hockey Aches and Pains
Sledge/Sled hockey has its own list of common sport related injures. Hey, if it wasn't challenging and a little bit dangerous it wouldn't be worth doing would it!
Sciatic nerve pinches are common in ambulatory players since you are sitting down. The pressure points could be anywhere between the lower back and the knees. Common solutions to this are padding in the bucket and lots of stretching exercises. Your sledge builder might also put you in a shorter sledge or modify your sledge so that your knees are bent. This later solution of course will have impacts on your performance. The angular momentum of your sledge will be reduced and you'll probably be able to turn faster but on the other hand you'll not be able to reach as far in front of your sled and the length of your stroke, for propelling the sledge will be shortened.
Golfers (sledge hockey) elbow can be a problem. For us older folk, those who aren't much dependant on their upper bodies for mobility, heavier individuals or for those us who just don't know when to let up, the stress on the elbow joint on the side closest to your body can be excessive. The cause could be raising the puck, jamming the stick into seam along the puck stop at the bottom of the boards (learn to let the stick slip through your hands or let go of it all together) or repetative stress. Ice that elbow at the end of the game and several times a day for no more than 15 minutes at a time with at least 15 minutes inbetween icings. Perform some dumb-bell curls with your wrists. With the bottome of your forearm supported (by your leg, a table or arm rest) and using light weights, curl the weight using your wrists. Curl with your palm facing up and with your palm facing down. Perform 3 sets of each with at least 30 reps. You may find you'll require two different weights since your likely stronger in one direction than the other. If you're lucky enough to live in Ottawa, you can hit the canal in the winter time and perform 16 km of light skating!
The mark of/on a player in this sport is the pick mark. Punctures or scratches can occur anywhere there isn't padding. Picks sometimes even find their way under pads! Typically these scrapes are pretty superficial but at the more competative levels (national) there have been permanent marks made. Hockey equipment typically doesn't get washed that often and is filled with bacteria. So, clean those pick marks soon after getting off the ice.
Most sanctioning bodies have a list of manditory equipment. This usually includes a helmet with cage, a neck guard and shoulder pads. Elbow pads, proper hockey gloves and shin guards will also dramatically reduce the risk of injury. Hockey pants are usually not worth the trouble since they interfer with the fit of your sledge. A good hockey jersey may seem like pretty thin protection but in the face of picks and blades it does reduce penetration and allows these items to slip along the surface instead of penetrating.
Sciatic nerve pinches are common in ambulatory players since you are sitting down. The pressure points could be anywhere between the lower back and the knees. Common solutions to this are padding in the bucket and lots of stretching exercises. Your sledge builder might also put you in a shorter sledge or modify your sledge so that your knees are bent. This later solution of course will have impacts on your performance. The angular momentum of your sledge will be reduced and you'll probably be able to turn faster but on the other hand you'll not be able to reach as far in front of your sled and the length of your stroke, for propelling the sledge will be shortened.
Golfers (sledge hockey) elbow can be a problem. For us older folk, those who aren't much dependant on their upper bodies for mobility, heavier individuals or for those us who just don't know when to let up, the stress on the elbow joint on the side closest to your body can be excessive. The cause could be raising the puck, jamming the stick into seam along the puck stop at the bottom of the boards (learn to let the stick slip through your hands or let go of it all together) or repetative stress. Ice that elbow at the end of the game and several times a day for no more than 15 minutes at a time with at least 15 minutes inbetween icings. Perform some dumb-bell curls with your wrists. With the bottome of your forearm supported (by your leg, a table or arm rest) and using light weights, curl the weight using your wrists. Curl with your palm facing up and with your palm facing down. Perform 3 sets of each with at least 30 reps. You may find you'll require two different weights since your likely stronger in one direction than the other. If you're lucky enough to live in Ottawa, you can hit the canal in the winter time and perform 16 km of light skating!
The mark of/on a player in this sport is the pick mark. Punctures or scratches can occur anywhere there isn't padding. Picks sometimes even find their way under pads! Typically these scrapes are pretty superficial but at the more competative levels (national) there have been permanent marks made. Hockey equipment typically doesn't get washed that often and is filled with bacteria. So, clean those pick marks soon after getting off the ice.
Most sanctioning bodies have a list of manditory equipment. This usually includes a helmet with cage, a neck guard and shoulder pads. Elbow pads, proper hockey gloves and shin guards will also dramatically reduce the risk of injury. Hockey pants are usually not worth the trouble since they interfer with the fit of your sledge. A good hockey jersey may seem like pretty thin protection but in the face of picks and blades it does reduce penetration and allows these items to slip along the surface instead of penetrating.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Hockey Gloves
While there are individuals at the junior levels who wear padded ski gloves and the like, it's not recommended. There are many ways to injure your hands in this sport and many players depend on their hands for mobility else where in life, so it's important to protect them. Besides being slashed or checked with another stick (very common in AB hockey) the chances of being hit by a puck or jabbed with a stick pick are greater since they are more difficult to avoid on a sledge. Also, the whole edge of your sledge is a potential pinch zone. You'll find your self colliding with other sledges, the boards, the goal posts, pushers and referees (Try hard not to hit the later two, it's a long way down to the ice!), and your hands are constantly running beside this zone. Consider the amount of protection around the wrists as well.
Your blades are not the only thing that touches the ice. When turning your sledge many players are riding on one blade and using the knuckles of their gloves for balance. When righting themselves they are pushing with their hands against the ice. When protecting the puck or receiving a pass they lay their sticks flat on the ice and dragging their gloves. Pick gloves with a tough covering material, they'll last longer! Of course the heavier you are or clumbsier you are (like myself) the shorter the life span of your gloves.
The palms of your gloves are likely to wear out much more quickly than in AB hockey. You're constantly gripping and slipping the stick in your hands. The heavier and/or stonger you are the more quickly you will wear out the palms. Black hockey tape dye is corrosive to the palms as well. If anyone has any ideas on how to make the leather last longer please comment!
The life of your gloves can be extended with duct tape. It's best to repair tears from picks and abrasions from dragging as soon as possible otherwise the padding is likely to fall out and become lost! When patching the top of a segment of a finger cut a piece of tape larger than the top and lay it flat. Cut slits in the tape from each of the four corners to where the tape meets the pad. Fold down the opposite sides of the tape and stick them to the sides of the segment. Repeat for the remaining two sides.
You can get some extra life out of the palms by sewing them up before they get out of hand. Any other ideas out there?
Keep your slicks (and gloves) on the ice :)
Your blades are not the only thing that touches the ice. When turning your sledge many players are riding on one blade and using the knuckles of their gloves for balance. When righting themselves they are pushing with their hands against the ice. When protecting the puck or receiving a pass they lay their sticks flat on the ice and dragging their gloves. Pick gloves with a tough covering material, they'll last longer! Of course the heavier you are or clumbsier you are (like myself) the shorter the life span of your gloves.
The palms of your gloves are likely to wear out much more quickly than in AB hockey. You're constantly gripping and slipping the stick in your hands. The heavier and/or stonger you are the more quickly you will wear out the palms. Black hockey tape dye is corrosive to the palms as well. If anyone has any ideas on how to make the leather last longer please comment!
The life of your gloves can be extended with duct tape. It's best to repair tears from picks and abrasions from dragging as soon as possible otherwise the padding is likely to fall out and become lost! When patching the top of a segment of a finger cut a piece of tape larger than the top and lay it flat. Cut slits in the tape from each of the four corners to where the tape meets the pad. Fold down the opposite sides of the tape and stick them to the sides of the segment. Repeat for the remaining two sides.
You can get some extra life out of the palms by sewing them up before they get out of hand. Any other ideas out there?
Keep your slicks (and gloves) on the ice :)
Monday, December 3, 2007
Sledge Hockey Stick Care
Taping
This is particularly important for wooden sticks. Keeping the bottom of your sticks taped helps prevent them from splitting and delaminating. If you do manage to damage the bottom of your stick use a little sandpaper before re taping. It will make your tape job last longer. Unlike AB hockey, the player is constantly gripping the tape and moving their hand from the tape to the shaft. If the tape sticks to your hand the stick can unexpectedly spin and/or stick to your glove causing you to miss a pass, shot or turn. Here are a few tips to minimize this possibility. Start your taping from the shaft and move towards the blade. This will minimize stickiness in the most critical direction. Run the head of a screwdriver handle over all the overlapped joints to seal them shut. Finally take some baby powder and work it into the tape. This will remove a lot of the tackiness from the tape. Colour of tape has its pros and cons. Black hides the puck well and might make it easier to protect however, it is corrosive to some materials in hockey gloves. Hope you find this useful. Looking forward to some comments.
Picks
Picks give you traction on the ice so it's important to maintain them properly. Poorly looked after picks will loose their grip on the ice and skip which is very frustrating. Picks usually come in pairs for each stick. Make sure they extend beyond the end of the stick equally (unless of course there is some other reason not to do so e.g. accommodate an upper body disability). Most bolts to hold on picks come with nylon threaded nuts which help keep them from slipping off. They still need to be checked regularly. You might find as you play this sport that your grip and forearm strength starts to become super-human :) be careful not to twist the nut so hard that it shears the bolt! (been there, done that). If the bolts extend beyond the nuts they should be sawn off with a hack saw or circular cutting tool so they don't catch on jerseys, players or equipment. Some players even wrap a little hockey tape around this part of the stick. Don't go too crazy with the tape or it will be more difficult to get it off to check the tightness of the nuts.
Keep your picks sharp! Each pair of picks usually has 6 or more points (3 or more for each pick). Only the outside points need to be sharpened. The inside points are there to distribute pressure so, should you stab another player (hopefully accidentally), you are less likely to harm other players (or if your clumsy like me, yourself). Remember, don't sharpen your picks to a point. That's dangerous and against most governing bodies' rules. Sharpen them to an edge. How you do it depends on the material the picks are made of. Mild steel can be sharpened with a small fine file. Several strokes on one side and the a light stroke on the other side to remove the bur. Hardened steel picks are too much for a file. The best way to sharpen them is with a small sanding drum on the end of a rotary (dremel) tool. Only lightly touch the metal otherwise you'll grind away the point in no time! Which type of picks you use are personal preference. Mild steel will require sharpening more often but are generally less expensive. Hardened steel requires less frequent sharpening but is usually more expensive and are more brittle and not impossible to break. Take your pick!
Shafts
Shafts can be made of many materials. Wood is common in one piece and made sticks. Softwood is good for junior or smaller players because they are so light. Hardwood is better suited to larger stronger players. Composite shafts with wooden or composite blades are now common too. These composite shafts are most inexpensively supplied by AB player who have broken their sticks. Stick length is again a personal preference. Longer sticks will give you a longer stroke and if you have good upper body strength will make you faster. Longer sticks are also good for receiving a less than perfect pass. However, when you're trying to dig a puck out of a corner or make a quick shot or pass they require more skill. Shafts don't usually require a lot of maintenance. Wooden shafts may need to be lightly sanded occassionally to prevent splinters and slivers. Painted shafts also reduce this risk. If you're sticks start to wear away somewhere in the middle they are probably rubbing against your bucket (seat). The usual culprit is hardware attaching the straps that hold you in. Cutting of bolts that extend beyond nuts and/or covering the offending area with a little hockey tape usually solves this problem.
Does anyone have any information on the following:
-One piece composite sledge hockey sticks?
-Proper attachment/reattachment of blades to composite hockey stick shafts?
-What the "lie" of a sledge hockey stick is?
-In AB hockey, one can lean on their stick and get it to bend, storing extra energy, before the puck is released. Is anyone doing this in sledge hockey?
This is particularly important for wooden sticks. Keeping the bottom of your sticks taped helps prevent them from splitting and delaminating. If you do manage to damage the bottom of your stick use a little sandpaper before re taping. It will make your tape job last longer. Unlike AB hockey, the player is constantly gripping the tape and moving their hand from the tape to the shaft. If the tape sticks to your hand the stick can unexpectedly spin and/or stick to your glove causing you to miss a pass, shot or turn. Here are a few tips to minimize this possibility. Start your taping from the shaft and move towards the blade. This will minimize stickiness in the most critical direction. Run the head of a screwdriver handle over all the overlapped joints to seal them shut. Finally take some baby powder and work it into the tape. This will remove a lot of the tackiness from the tape. Colour of tape has its pros and cons. Black hides the puck well and might make it easier to protect however, it is corrosive to some materials in hockey gloves. Hope you find this useful. Looking forward to some comments.
Picks
Picks give you traction on the ice so it's important to maintain them properly. Poorly looked after picks will loose their grip on the ice and skip which is very frustrating. Picks usually come in pairs for each stick. Make sure they extend beyond the end of the stick equally (unless of course there is some other reason not to do so e.g. accommodate an upper body disability). Most bolts to hold on picks come with nylon threaded nuts which help keep them from slipping off. They still need to be checked regularly. You might find as you play this sport that your grip and forearm strength starts to become super-human :) be careful not to twist the nut so hard that it shears the bolt! (been there, done that). If the bolts extend beyond the nuts they should be sawn off with a hack saw or circular cutting tool so they don't catch on jerseys, players or equipment. Some players even wrap a little hockey tape around this part of the stick. Don't go too crazy with the tape or it will be more difficult to get it off to check the tightness of the nuts.
Keep your picks sharp! Each pair of picks usually has 6 or more points (3 or more for each pick). Only the outside points need to be sharpened. The inside points are there to distribute pressure so, should you stab another player (hopefully accidentally), you are less likely to harm other players (or if your clumsy like me, yourself). Remember, don't sharpen your picks to a point. That's dangerous and against most governing bodies' rules. Sharpen them to an edge. How you do it depends on the material the picks are made of. Mild steel can be sharpened with a small fine file. Several strokes on one side and the a light stroke on the other side to remove the bur. Hardened steel picks are too much for a file. The best way to sharpen them is with a small sanding drum on the end of a rotary (dremel) tool. Only lightly touch the metal otherwise you'll grind away the point in no time! Which type of picks you use are personal preference. Mild steel will require sharpening more often but are generally less expensive. Hardened steel requires less frequent sharpening but is usually more expensive and are more brittle and not impossible to break. Take your pick!
Shafts
Shafts can be made of many materials. Wood is common in one piece and made sticks. Softwood is good for junior or smaller players because they are so light. Hardwood is better suited to larger stronger players. Composite shafts with wooden or composite blades are now common too. These composite shafts are most inexpensively supplied by AB player who have broken their sticks. Stick length is again a personal preference. Longer sticks will give you a longer stroke and if you have good upper body strength will make you faster. Longer sticks are also good for receiving a less than perfect pass. However, when you're trying to dig a puck out of a corner or make a quick shot or pass they require more skill. Shafts don't usually require a lot of maintenance. Wooden shafts may need to be lightly sanded occassionally to prevent splinters and slivers. Painted shafts also reduce this risk. If you're sticks start to wear away somewhere in the middle they are probably rubbing against your bucket (seat). The usual culprit is hardware attaching the straps that hold you in. Cutting of bolts that extend beyond nuts and/or covering the offending area with a little hockey tape usually solves this problem.
Does anyone have any information on the following:
-One piece composite sledge hockey sticks?
-Proper attachment/reattachment of blades to composite hockey stick shafts?
-What the "lie" of a sledge hockey stick is?
-In AB hockey, one can lean on their stick and get it to bend, storing extra energy, before the puck is released. Is anyone doing this in sledge hockey?
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