Chop wood, carry water - Inside edge, outside edge - the work of learning the game

To those that have been considering learning the sport, those that are learning or relearning the sport, and those that want to understand the process, I must tell you that it is not easy. By now you know a bit about me and know that I am picking up again after a long layoff. To say it has been humbling, would be an understatement. Also it has been a fantastically enjoyable process.

In an earlier post I mentioned that I had played a bit of hockey, most of that time spent was as a child. I had great time, enjoyed play and never developed into the best skater. I was and still am in love with the sport. It truly is a magnificent spectacle, when played at the highest levels. Speed, grace, brutality, are all on display in the USA and Canada Women's World Championships, The Stanley Cup playoffs and countless other games at the college, professional, junior and international level showcase amazing talent.

I belong in none of the above. I am what is referred to in the hockey world as a beer leaguer, playing only for recreation and the occasional after game beer. Which does a disservice to beer leaguers everywhere. My talent, as it were , was never fully developed  and was further impacted by years of Inline Hockey, a similar, but different enough sport that served to develop and further cement bad habits.

This brings me to day one of my return. Armed with basic knowledge of the game and remembering practice of my youth, I had a semi-sick nervous feeling that seemed to permeate every fiber of my being. This was made worse by the fact that I was running late due to traffic. No one wants to be the last person out of the locker room, especially the new guy. So, there I was, the last guy in the locker room, when the coach pops his head in and tells me, to get on the ice. Upon not recognizing me, he introduces him self and his son. His son, a young man half of my 46 years will be my guide, my Sifu or guru if you will.

At this point I am trying desperately to embody the spirit  of shoshin, and keep an exuberant attitude and a willingness to learn at the forefront of my mind. At this point, I should let you in on a few  things to provide a bit of context:

1. No one is born knowing how to skate. Nope, not even the Canadians.
2. Most hockey people are really good people. The kind that will be there for you in life, on or off the rink.
3. I have always pursued athletics and was hyper competitive into my 30s and my expectations of myself have sucked the fun out of more that one pursuit over the past few decades.

With the beginning of class I checked my ego at the glass and took my first steps onto the ice. This was my first attempt at shoshin in an athletic context.  How'd it go?
I didn't fall when I skated over to the start, so it was a good start. The rest of the class had begun a power skating drill session. A series of exercises that consists of high speed stops, towing other players, high speed turns around cones and other impressive movement.

That was not my drill.

I was standing there at the end of the curved boards with my guide, as he began working me through the most basic skating drills. We did swizzles, weaving your skates in and out, forward skating, using your inside and outside edges of the skates, stopping and backward skating. These actions provide the  quickest evaluation of a players skills on the ice, with the goal of keeping everyone safe. Hockey is a sport that is impossible to hit midstream and be up to speed. So, there I was doing the drills and not doing them well, I might add, but I was enjoying myself more than I had in a very long time.

The ability to remove the ego, in as much as is possible and just allow for failure was an eye opening experience for me. So much so that I felt I should share my experience with each of you.

Be inspired, allow for failure, keep an open mind and sense of humor have become my mantra. Take from it what you will.

Take care, be well and have fun!

- Daniel