Working on stickhandling is a critical individual skill that can be honed during your off ice time. But there are so many tools out there to choose from.
How do you know what is worthwhile spending money on and what isn’t? What if you have a limited budget? What should your priorities be? Well this video will help provide answers to all of these questions and more.
Smooth surface
The first issue to tackle is where will you practice your stickhandling? Indoors? Outdoors? Both? What equipment do you need to more closely simulate stickhandling on ice? A good, smooth surface is what you need. Three different products are reviewed:
Each of the above products has different pricing as well as pros and cons which are discussed in the video. Do you need something portable or not? Can you dedicate floor space in a garage or room? How smooth is the underlying surface? All these questions are discussed to help you decide what is best for your situation.
Pucks and balls
After you have flooring covered, you need a variety of pucks and balls to work with. The video discusses a variety of products including Extreme Stickhandling Balls, Swedish Wooden Stickhandling Balls, Heavy Weight Pucks, the Green Biscuits, etc. Each type of puck and ball is discussed and what types of skills they help with developing. And again they all differ in price as well.
Construct a routine
Now you need to create a routine that you can repeat over and over again to work on various skills. Repetition is the key to improving your skills. And stickhandling is an excellent individual skill to work on as an individual at every opportunity. The key is to develop skills to the point where it is second nature and you don’t have to look at the puck. Over time you can make adjustments as your skills improve.
What to include in a routine? You can get ideas from a variety of sources including NHL highlights and others. Some ideas are offered in the video.
Practice every day
Keep working at it every day. To become a better player requires work and dedication. So get into the habit of setting aside time each day to work on your stickhandling skills routine. It will pay off on the ice.
Extreme Dangler
Designed with moveable middle legs, the Extreme Dangler gives you the freedom to create more custom puck control and stick-handling drills.
Visit the Extreme Dangler page
Shooting Pad
Perfect for anyone who wants to improve their on-ice game at home, the HockeyShot Shooting Pad makes an excellent indoor and outdoor trainer. It simulates the smooth, slick feeling of the rink so you can work on passing, stickhandling and shooting.
Extreme Radar 2.0
If you’re serious about becoming a sniper, start by tracking the strength of your shot. Nothing makes that easier or more affordable to do than HockeyShot’s Extreme Radar 2.0! It’s easy to set up and easy to see as you train your howitzer. It even has audio functionality if you’d prefer to leave your head down and keep firing.
Visit the HockeyShot Extreme Radar 2.0 page
Black Standard 6 oz. Pucks
Standard 6 oz. black hockey pucks, official size and weight. Manufactured by In Glas Co, an official supplier of the NHL.
