The Art of Fighting
Welcome to the Art of Hockey Fighting. Here, I will give you tips on hockey fighting,
from personal experience. I will not guarantee you winning a fight by using these
tips, but your chances will improve. Remember that this list will help you out when the time comes for you to fight, and keep it on the ice!!!
HAVE GOOD BALANCE
Probably the most overlooked aspect of fighting. It doesn't matter how big or strong you are, you
are going to have a very hard time winning a fight without good balance. Here is
a little tip on balance. Keep both knees slightly bent and have your feet slightly more than shoulder
width apart. If you want to improve your balance, try this little drill my hockey coach once told me. Take a teammate of yours
and try to knock them off their feet by pushing or pulling on them. Do this for
about 30-45 seconds and then let your partner try to knock you down. This is a
very tiring excercise but it will help you alot in keeping your balance during a fight.
DON'T TRY TO KNOCK THE GUY OUT WITH ONE SHOT
The biggest mistake anyone can make is to try to knock the other guys head off with one punch as soon
as the fight starts. The reason why I don't like this is because the chance of you missing is high and
that leaves you open for punishment. Be smart. I am not saying don't throw hard, but don't use all your energy on one punch. Throw the jab, uppercut, or cross then, if there is
an opening, throw the bomb. Also, it takes more energy to throw a bomb than it takes to throw a few hooks or uppercuts.
NEVER, EVER TURTLE
There is nothing worse, or more frusterating (trust me, it is REALLY frusterating) than when a guy drops the mitts or provokes you to fight, then turtles. Turtleing
is the worst thing that you can do, but if you mind losing the respect of others or being called a wuss, then go ahead and turtle. Another reason I am not fond of turtleing is because you can get seriously hurt if you turtle and there is a line brawl or something taking place. What are you going to do if there are no linesman tojump in and save you? It is better to hold on for dear life than to turtle.
If you are afraid, tentative, or getting your butt whipped, then hold on to the guy's jersey that you are fighting. You will not take as much punishment as the linesman will jump in when they see that you have had enough.
It is the linesmans job to jump in if the fight gets too one sided. If you are afraid to get hit with a punch, KEEP THE GLOVES ON!!!
Don't drop them if you are not willing to dance.
DOES THE HELMET STAY ON OR COME OFF?
That depends on whether you are wearing a visor or not. If you are wearing a visor, drop the helmet as soon as you drop the mitts.
The reason for this is if a guy smacks you right on the visor, it will cut you. Another reason is during a fight, your helmet can
get moved around and can hurt your vision. It is also difficult to defend yourself if you can't see.
If you have a helmet without a visor, then it is your preference on whether you should leave it on or take it off, but remember to have a tight fitting helmet and have the chinstrap relatively snug to your chin. That way the helmet cannot get into the way.
YOU MUST BE IN GOOD, PHYSICAL SHAPE!!
I don't know why I am telling you this. This one is a no brainer. The most tiring thing you can do in a hockey game is fight, bar none. Just think of the energy you spend trying to land and avoid punches and trying to keep your balance. That is why it is a good idea to time your fights and never fight after you have played a long shift, otherwise you will be in trouble.
IT IS ALRIGHT TO BE SCARED WHEN YOU FIGHT
Too many people think that if you are scared, you will lose. This is not always the case. Guys seem to fight better when they are scared. I personally have been scared in lots of fights and I tend to do better. The reason for this is simple. if you are overconfident, you tend to take the other guy less seriously and underestimate him. NEVER EVER UNDERESTIMATE YOUR OPPONENT!! just because you are bigger than the guy doesn't mean you will beat him. Look at a guy like Joey Kocur. He was at one time one of the premier heavyweights in the game and he is only 6 feet tall but he used to beat almost everyone he fought. When you are scared, you tend to fight harder.
TRY TO HAVE YOUR OWN UNIQUE FIGHTING STYLE
My main goal in a hockey fight is to confuse and beat the other guy. What I tend to do is when I drop the gloves, I will set up to look like I am gonna throw lefts. Why I do this is because the guy I am fighting will grab a hold of my left arm because he thinks that is my power arm and he will let my right hand free. That enables me to rain down with the rights, which is my power hand. Another thing you should do is mix up your punches. Like I said before, don't try to throw only the bomb. Throwing a variety of punches will confuse the guy because he won't know what you are gonna throw next. A punch that you rarely see in a hockey fight is the gut shot. A shot to the guys stomach can turn a fight around like night and day and is, in my view, the most effective weapon. The reason why this works is because guys don't expect to get hit in the stomach in a hockey fight. They expect to get hit only in the head, and it stuns them when they get hit in the stomach. Try this the next time you are in a hockey fight.
Well, that is it for the hockey tips. They seem to have worked for me and I hope they will work for you when the situation comes where you have to fight. These tips aren't posted on here for you to go out looking for a fight. Remember to leave it on the ice, and not take it outside or in the parking lot. Most hockey fights aren't personal, but some are. Hockey fights happen between two guys that are frusterated or trying to protect their teammates. After most of my fights,the guy that I fought comes up to me and we start to talk. Usually after my hockey fights,I give the guy a little tap on the head to let him know that I respect him. Hockey fighting is something I do, but it is because I get emotional and I am there to protect my teammates when I play. You should never,ever go instigating a fight unless there is a really good reason or unless it is your job to play that role.
Email: top_gun19@hotmail.com
