A (Puckhandling) Homework Assignment
I’ll be the first to admit that I can only help a player or student so much in an hour. Oh, but if he or she could only devote even 5- or 10-minutes per day to work on a few things! So, with that in mind…
One of the beautiful things about puck-skills is that there’s not a lot of space required to practice. I mean, a player could easily work in a very small area — even indoors or off-ice — to enhance some of the areas I’ll be suggesting for homework.
- Using a ball, attempt to dribble with the eyes closed. As you go along, try to feel — from the vibrations — whether the ball is on the toe, heel or mid-part of the stick blade.
- Similar to the above, attempt to look straight ahead while watching the ball with split vision (or “out of the bottoms of your eyes” as I’ll say to the younger players).
- Next, remember that it’s permissible to look down at the puck (or ball); you just want to be able to look up and around more often than you look downward. So, dribble while alternately checking on the ball and looking up and around.
As an FYI here… I long ago wrote an article on Wayne Gretzky’s uncanny ability to “see the whole ice”. And in preparation for that, I had the chance to talk to a local guy who played a little wing for The Great One. My thinking was that Gretzky had his puckhandling skills almost “on automatic”, or — in comparison to most other players — he could travel with the puck without having to think much about it. That’s what I’m aiming at for you in the above drills — that you get so comfortable dribbling with your eyes up that you can then go on to deal with rival players, open teammates, openings around the goaltender, etc. So, make a habit of doing this drill a lot, huh?
- For those interested in improving their slapshot, I suggested using just the top half of a stick shaft to practice the rocking motion. In this way, you should be able to do it in a small area at home without damaging furniture, whatever. Practice that motion lots, because it’s the coordinated stick speed into the puck that helps a lot of smaller players actually shoot harder than some really big, strong guys. (Ya, think about that one…)
- This might not have ever crossed the minds of less experienced players, coaches or parents, but it’s possible to take the slapshot using the split vision described earlier. So, at some point place a puck-shaped piece of cardboard (that’s too thin to actually hit with the stick), and take some simulated slaps attempting to watch both an imaginary target and the cardboard puck.
