Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/68638
DESCRIBE THE BEST PLAYERS. MY COACH TALKS ABOUT HOCKEY SENSE ONCE IN A WHILE ALSO. KYLE GORDMAN, DALLAS HEARD IT USED MANY TIMES WHEN THEY HOCKEY SENSE? I'VE WHAT IS HOCKEY SENSE IS ALL ABOUT MAGIC. YOU ARE BORN WITH "THE SENSE." IF YOU HAVE IT, YOU'RE AN "ICE WIZARD." WITHOUT THE SENSE YOU'RE A "PYLON." AN ICE WIZARD CAN SEE AND PREDICT THE FUTURE. AN ICE WIZARD CAN DISAPPEAR AND REAPPEAR AT WILL, IN THE RIGHT PLACE, ALL OVER THE RINK. MAGIC ASIDE, HOCKEY SENSE IS USED TO DESCRIBE PLAYERS THAT ALWAYS SEEM TO BE AT THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME TO MAKE A PLAY ON THE PUCK, OFFENSIVELY AND DEFENSIVELY. THESE PLAYERS ANTICIPATE AND REACT TO THE PLAY FASTER THAN OTHER PLAYERS ON THE ICE. STUDY the GAME MENTAL SKILLS. WHILE WORKING ON THOSE, LEARN THE GAME. KNOW THE RESPONSIBILI- TIES OF EACH POSITION ON THE ICE. STUDY THE GAME TO UNDERSTAND THE VARIOUS PLAY IN ALL THREE ZONES (DEFENSIVE, NEUTRAL, OFFENSIVE) SO YOU CAN ANTICIPATE AND REACT TO ANY SITUATION QUICKLY. YOU WILL NEED THE PHYSICAL SKILLS (SKATING, STICK HANDLING, PASSING) BEFORE YOU CAN EFFECTIVELY USE THE WHEN WATCHING A PRO OR COLLEGE GAME, LOOK FOR THE PLAYERS THAT MAKE THE BIG- GEST IMPACT ON EACH SHIFT. DON'T ALWAYS WATCH THE PUCK CARRIER, SEE WHAT THE TOP PLAYERS ARE DOING AWAY FROM THE PUCK. ON THE OFFENSIVE ATTACK YOU'LL SEE THESE PLAYERS MOVE TO OPEN ICE FOR A PASS OR GO TO THE NET FOR A REBOUND. DEFENSIVELY, THESE PLAYERS ARE MOVING TO SPOTS IN ANTICIPATION OF BREAKING UP A PLAY OR INTERCEPTING A CROSSING PASS. LIKE SKATING, PASSING AND STICK HANDLING, HOCKEY SENSE IS A SKILL. IT IS A MENTAL SKILL THAT CAN AND SHOULD BE WORKED ON IN GAMES, PRACTICES AND ANY KIND OF PICK UP HOCKEY YOU MAY PLAY. THE MORE YOU USE THIS "THINKING" SKILL, THE QUICKER AND EASIER IT WILL COME TO YOU WHEN YOU NEED IT. THEN YOU CAN START WORKING YOUR MAGIC ON THE ICE. USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM JUNE/JULY.2012 45 BE WHOLLY TRUE. AS WITH PHYSICAL SKILLS, SOME PLAYER'S MENTAL SKILLS WILL BE NATURALLY BETTER THAN OTHERS. BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN A PLAYER CAN'T IMPROVE HIS OR HER HOCKEY SENSE SKILLS WITH HELP FROM COACHES OR WORK ON HIS OR HER OWN. SOME SAY THAT HOCKEY SENSE CAN'T BE TAUGHT, EITHER YOU HAVE IT OR YOU DON'T. I DON'T BELIEVE THAT TO SEE the GAME IF YOU ARE WATCHING A GAME ON TV, LISTEN TO THE ANNOUNCERS AS THEY DESCRIBE THE GAME. MANY TIMES THEY WILL EXPLAIN THE DETAILS OF THE GAME THAT CAN BE DESCRIBED AS HOCKEY SENSE. DURING PRACTICES AND GAMES, HEAR the GAME LISTEN TO YOUR COACHES, THEY ARE GREAT RESOURCES FOR YOUR STUDIES OF THE GAME ALSO. MANY OF YOUR COACHES HAVE PLAYED THE GAME FOR MANY YEARS AND CAN GIVE YOU MANY TIPS THAT WILL HELP YOU PLAY SMARTER.