Page:Hockey, Canada's Royal Winter Game.djvu/72

 Experiences teaches that in a low, bent position, a man can get up speed a good deal quicker than when he keeps his body upright, and, moreover, he is less liable when skating thus, to suffer from the body check of an opponent.

A body check means the striking of a man with your hip or shoulder in order to cause him to stop or even fall. The most effective check of this kind is striking a man with the hip, upon his hip, because this is more or less the centre of gravity in a human being, and a good, solid weight catching a person in this spot, especially when that person is balancing on his skates or rushing up the ice, seldom fails in the desired result. The forward player who indulges in body-checking makes a fatal mistake, for although he may gain a momentary advantage, he wastes so much energy in the act, that in the long run he is a heavy loser. This is an incontrovertible fact, the testimony any forward will bear out the statement. He should avoid body-checking with even greater care than he should being checked, because the former requires a great effort, and the latter only seldom injures the man who is encountered, A defence man, however, who has but few rushes up the ice, can afford to enjoy the pleasure of "throwing" himself at an opponent, and often to great advantage. He