Dare to Dazzle In Your Ringette Provincials

How to Pull Yourself Out of a Scoring Slump

By Lisa Brown

Have you ever started a playoff game thinking, “this is the game I’m going to light it up and score”…

But after five or six shifts, your hope starts to fade? Then, by the second period, you’re barely shooting? And by the end of the ringette game, you feel terrible about yourself?

I’ve been there. I feel your pain.

I’m a pretty consistent goal scorer, and I’ve had this happen to me more than once.

The first secret for breaking out a scoring slump is the most obvious: you must keep shooting. When your confidence is low, you stop shooting and that guarantees you won’t score.

BUT, not all shots are created equal. You will also break out of a slump quicker if you “shoot smart”.

The mistake most ringette players make during a scoring slump is they forget to be a detective and figure out why they aren’t scoring. They just blame themselves and feel bad.

Usually when I’m in a slump, I haven’t had ONE single fast break or 2 on 1 opportunity.

The vast majority of goals in ringette are scored on “odd-man” rushes. It is much harder to score against a set triangle than it is to score on a fast break or broken play (e.g., turnover deep in the other ringette team’s end).

But, I often forget this when I’m in a scoring slump.

You can restore your confidence simply by understanding why you’re not scoring, and then fixing it. Here’s a tip to help you:

If you receive the pass over the offensive blue line, always drive the ringette ring to the net with speed and take a shot.

Many ringette players receive the ring over the offensive blue line and immediately slow down, looking for a pass or to “set up the offence”.

Usually, you’re better off driving to the net. If the defence channels you wide, and there really is no shot, you can always pass after that.

Here’s a long clip for you to watch. Pay attention to the team in black. You’ll notice that every time a forward gets a break on the net, she drives and tries to score. If she really doesn’t have a decent shot, then she sets up her teammate. This is the mentality that will pull you out of your slump. Not only will you shoot more, you’ll get yourself in position behind the other team’s defense more!

Light it up out there,
Lisa B.