What do you do when you need a good work-out, but still can't get a full work-out on skates cos you find yourself crawling about more than actually skating? I found a piece of equipment that is supposedly found in various hockey training facilities (though judging by their instructional video, it might've been found in the Hurricanes training room for a little while a few years back), a piece of equipment I'm only knocking because the promotional content for it is not that timeless and because it reminded me of a product I recalled seeing on TV back in the mid-90s. The Power Glide (or Glider...or Slide...what the hell was it called? I can't find it anywhere). I just remember seeing this typical body builder fella sliding back and forth on a thin strip of plastic.
This is essentially that...only on a bigger scale: the Goaler One G1 Extreme.
Apparently there have been rather favorable reviews on it as a training tool used to help strengthen muscle memory associated with skating, and that is exactly what I need...since I don't have synthetic ice in my basement (although the thought did enter my mind)!. I found one of these on eBay for a hefty amount cheaper than the suggest retail value, then found some of the goalie pad covers at an online retailer much cheaper than I found them being sold on eBay. Oh, online shopping - I've found it's practically the only way to find goalie equipment when you live in the South. Risky when it comes to ordering rather pricey items for something you barely know how to do, but it's a risk I'm willing to take (thanks to Return Policies - the jock strap of online shopping).
The Goaler One G1 Extreme came in handy, especially when I figured out one of the troubles I was having with my skates was the skates were rockered for turning - NOT GOOD for beginning skaters. I began investigating in inline goalie skates, only to find there were more wheels, shorter wheels and in a nice straight line. Hmm...lateral movement is a bit crap for inline skates, isn't it?
As I keep using the G1, me thinks I should just toss out the idea of inline all together, find a pair of goalie skates and hit up Centennial Sportsplex one morning. Any suggestions? I did begin working on T-Stops and butterfly movements in the inline skates thanks to this lovely book: Hockey Goaltending by Brian Daccord. The link should take you to the updated 2nd edition that comes with a DVD. I had the previous edition for a little while due in part to that little seedling in the back of my head that told me I should've been doing this all along - too bad I didn't listen to it until now!
So much for regrets! It's time to slide!
Cheers.
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