PACIFIC HOCKEY ASSOCIATION
Beginner Program

NEXT BEGINNER CLASS STARTS SUNDAY, January 9, 2022

Thank you for your interest in the Pacific Hockey Association Beginner Program. This detail sheet will act as a guide to the operation of our Beginner Program and will spell out the benefits of this type of program over other local programs. We have missed out on 3 seasons of Beginner Hockey because of Covid, so we anticipate a lot of pent-up demand for the Winter 2022 Beginner School. We think it will fill up fast, so please get your registrations in as quickly as possible. We can only accept 30 students for the upcoming class; we’ve already accepted deposits for this class.

The coordinator for the PHA Beginner Program is David Greene. If you have any questions, you may contact the PHA office at 408-515-0743 or email us at pacifichockey@gmail.com . He will be happy to answer any questions that you might have that are not answered in this informational package.

OVERVIEW

The PHA is the original adult league in the Bay Area. We have been involved with beginner hockey since 1982. Our longevity is due to a company-wide, customer-oriented business philosophy. Two years ago, we fielded two Beginner teams, with players just like your self. Those teams played in their first experienced season together in what we call the E Conference of the Summer 2019 season.

Our Beginner Program stresses building a solid foundation of fundamentals in a school-type environment, giving you the tools to work with to enjoy a lifetime of playing recreational ice hockey. Our experience has taught us that this method allows all participants to learn at their own speed while maximizing the time actually spent ON THE ICE. We have had over 1,900 beginners that graduated from our program and are playing in various rinks around the Bay Area.

Once you have completed the Beginner Program, you will move up and play on a team in the experienced conferences. Usually, our beginner teams move up as a group and participate in a conference made up of other teams at the same skill level. At this level, the PHA provides you and your teammates with a game format complete with standings, statistics and playoffs. We also have the best ice times of any league or beginner program. Our Beginner classes mostly meet on Sunday afternoons; no other program offers such great ice times for you to learn the fun and exciting sport of ice hockey.

SCHOOL

Generally, the Program is divided into three broad areas of attention, namely skating, stick handling and positional play. Toward the end of the Program, you will also get some game experience playing in controlled scrimmages; the instructor will have you participate in a game setting where the action might be stopped at any time to stress a certain point or answer questions. There are a total of 15 on-ice sessions, on the average of once per week.

Skating is the one fundamental necessity in ice hockey, and as such is stressed throughout the Program, especially in the first several sessions. Proper skating technique, which covers all aspects of skating, is taught at these sessions. The concepts will be discussed and demonstrated for the class, but individual instruction will also be used to pinpoint problem areas for each participant. For all subsequent sessions in the Beginner Program, skating will be reviewed and some drills undertaken in order to keep the proper techniques in mind.

Stick handling is the focus of the next several sessions following skating. Again, this is a combination of class and individual instruction, with the goal being the establishment of solid puck control skills for each individual participant. Of course, the puck control skills will be taught in combination with skating skills, so that by the end of these sessions each participant should have a grasp of the individual skills necessary to play recreational ice hockey.

The next group of sessions will include positional play instruction and controlled scrimmages. Here, you will be learning the team concepts necessary to enjoy playing in a game situation. You will be able to use your individual skills learned in the previous sessions and apply them to team play.

EQUIPMENT

Like many sports, ice hockey requires the proper equipment, fitted to each individual, for the most complete enjoyment. A complete list of equipment is available on our web site, in the Beginner section.

We would like to make your equipment purchasing experience as easy as possible. There are several outstanding Hockey Pro Shops in the Bay Area, with Pure Hockey in San Jose as an example. This store is completely familiar with our beginner program, offering competitive packages for equipment and are experienced in fitting an incoming beginner player. There are also several online stores such as Pure Hockey and Hockey Monkey out of Southern California with very competitive prices.

At your orientation class (discussed below), we will discuss the full range of equipment, its function, and sizing and proper placement. It is our opinion that you will get the best value locally, especially when you consider overall price, service, sizing and speed of delivery.

ORIENTATION CLASSES

The orientation sessions are off-ice meetings, prior to your first on-ice class, lasting one hour. We will hold two of these sessions, or more if necessary; dates and times TBA. At these sessions, we will discuss equipment topics, hand out information, answer any questions and finalize your paperwork, and make sure your equipment is set up properly. We try to limit the orientation classes to 15 people each so that we can cover all the information and answer individual questions in 60 minutes or less.

CLASS SCHEDULE

All classes will be at the Ice Center of Cupertino in the Vallco Shopping Center next to the Benihana Restaurant. The class schedule will be posted on our web site and will be distributed again at your orientation meeting in case of any minor changes. You can expect most of your instruction sessions to be early Sunday evenings.

CLASS SIZE

We have had to set a class limit of 30 and 2 goalie students due to popularity. We will deploy instructors according to the final number of students, ensuring enough instructors are on the ice at all times, including a goalie instructor when needed

INSTRUCTORS

The instructors are the backbone of any Beginner Program. Many of our instructors have been with us for over 20 years and have developed this program to best meet the needs of the beginner player. Our Chief Instructor Chris Kamalani, has received unanimous positive feedback from outgoing players after each class and taught this class for over 20 years. His assistant Jack McDonnal has been with us for over 15 years.

COST

The total cost for the Beginner Program is $460.00. In addition to the aforementioned instruction sessions, this cost also includes a set of personalized hockey jerseys (one white, one a color TBA) that has the PHA logo, your name and a number you have selected, suitable to be used as a team set of jerseys in your next season of play. Your deposit of $120.00 secures a place on the Beginner Program roster. Your final payment of $340.00 will be due at your orientation meeting. If needed, we can set up a payment schedule of $115 a month for four months. The PHA also accepts checks or cash. Please note that your deposit and payment ensures your place in the Beginner Program, and the PHA has excluded others from the Program based upon enrollment. Therefore, your deposit and full payment for this class are non-refundable and non-transferable. Refunds will only be made if and when the PHA has found a suitable replacement participant.

DETAIL SUMMARY

- 15 on-ice classes, each 1 hour in length
- Professional instruction from PHA staff
- Excellent ice times throughout class
- Orientation meeting prior to first class
- cost $460: includes jerseys with your name and personally selected number on the back.

NEXT BEGINNER CLASS STARTS January 9th, 2022. SO SIGN UP NOW !!!

CLICK HERE FOR REGISTRATION FORM

CLICK HERE TO PAY ONLINE (We also accept check or cash with your registration form submission)

PHA Information:

Email:pacifichockey@gmail.com
Phone: 408-515-0743