Old fart - Can't win a faceoff

[rink23]

I'm probably the oldest person playing this game, probably the oldest POS playing any video game (49).
But the one thing, I cannot master is the faceoffs.
I started a season on rookie mode. I played very well, going 10-4-2, having won well over half of my faceoffs and the game seemed quite realistic. But it wasn't that challenging, and the constant tips that popped up on the screen were a real turn off.
I moved to pro. My faceoff percentage dropped to about 1 percent -- winning one of 10 -- and while most of the game seemed real, because of my inability to control the puck off the faceoff. I was losing games 3-2, 2-1 etc and being outshot by a wide margin.
Any suggestions? I turned the faceoff slider to zero and it didn't seem to make any difference.
I tried the tutorial, got to the point I was winning 60-70 percent of the faceoffs there, didn't change anything in the game.
It seems other people have had faceoff issues, has a way to master them come about.
Thanks to anyone that can offer some help.

[jyoung]

You need to pick a stance and hold that stance until the ref drops the puck.

Hold the joystick to the left or right, then move your stick once the ref moves his hand.

Players' face off ratings are also important. A rating of 80 or above is usually good enough to get the job done against the CPU.

[stooge 1010]

now I don't feel so bad, im 45 and my wife says im too old for video games,hopefully I will be playing a lot longer.

[13whitebread]

I am 44 and I love playing. Mostly since my athletic days are behind me. I have a blast and have played since the 1st one on the sega. I cannot wait for next gen for the many improvements to come.

[Yundtder]

Trick is to be in a stance, left or right, most do better on strong sides, IE backhand, so if its a lefty C, hold your stick to the right.
Then just watch the refs head, as soon as he looks down and is about to drop the puck, pull it back.

Timing is key. I can win about 70% reliably.

[cemprae48]

I play on PRO with FACE-OFF DIFFICULTY set to 3... I have good games and bad games... My worst center has a rating of 70 (Hanzal)... My best has a rating of 85 (Vermette)... I find that with the better rating you can start your move earlier... The lower rated guys really have to time it up...

BTW... Old fart???... Not even close sonny... I'm a young 68...

[TerryP]

I appreciate the tips here as well. I'm a 40+ gamer myself and still have fairly quick reflexes, but the online manual regarding faceoffs leaves a lot to be desired, so I lose about 90% of mine vs. the cpu. This certainly would've been a good tutorial subject, but that would've made figuring it out too easy I guess(?).

[GlennN]

Nice to know I'm in good company here, I'm 47. Face offs are a problem for me too. I tried turning the slider all the way one way, then the other, with no apparent effect. I wish it could be made easier. I really don't want to have to practice face offs (that's not how I would enjoy spending my limited gaming time) and my results are poor (the ratings do not have nearly enough effect in this area).