Making it official

The NHL season has started, and our fall league starts this week, and I couldn't be more relieved. I actually felt incredibly out of sorts in the last two weeks when my "normal" schedule was turned upside down. Now I'll get back into the rhythm of league games and open hockey, and watching the pros on TV. The lack of clinics scheduled by the rink won't be a problem for me personally, because I've found something better suited to my needs anyway.

I finally got in touch with the goalie instructor I mentioned a while ago, and am signed up for 4 weekly lessons. I requested private lessons, because of my experience with the last guy. (I told him I was a raw beginner, but I ended up in a lesson with a few other guys who were light years ahead of me, and felt that I brought the lesson down too much). The kicker is, the lessons are going to be on weekday mornings, from 6:30 - 7:30. Good lord. But it's just for one month, and hopefully having games later the same night won't be so bad because they're late enough that I have time to take a nap after work.

But I'm nervous. So far all the people I've encountered in teaching roles in hockey have been great. But what if this guy is a jerk? What if he takes a look at me once I get on the ice and thinks "oh my god, where do I even start?". I need so much help on so many things that I couldn't even identify what my weakest area is. Fundamentals. I think I need to learn the technical fundamentals and build on that. Because I really have no idea what I'm doing. I just know that I need to get better and I hope this will help. I read a lot and watch a lot and talk to other goalies, but nothing can take the place of personal, in-person instruction on the ice. It's pricey, but I look at it this way: my hockey is like my gym membership, my shrink, and my social time all rolled into one. A lot of people spend a lot more on all those things combined than I do on hockey. I have a hard time allowing myself to believe I deserve to spend this money on myself, so I have to keep reinforcing that. Hopefully I'll see a benefit from these lessons and it will be easy to justify to myself.