Dallas Ice Jets

July 10, 2010
Ice Jets Hockey

On average, most players only touch the puck less than one minute per game. Because of this, it is essential that you, as a developing athlete, have excellent puck handling skills. The summer is a great opportunity to use your time to improve your puck handling skills.

Whether you have a chance to practice on ice or not, you can make significant improvements in your puck handling just from knowing the foundations and making the time to practice.

Utilize the resources available to you online. There are countless drills and short videos available at no cost for players. These can provide you with many at-home drill ideas that do not require ice, and many drills you may want to practice if you do have the chance to skate.

Remember that when practicing stickhandling, your technique is very important. By focusing on technique, players are training their brain and muscles to work together in unison. The proper technique will result in the highest level of proficiency for mastering the skill. Once players understand and begin utilizing correct technique, they can progress by increasing the speed of their movements.

All stickhandling drills should eventually be practiced at top speed in order to push players out of their comfort zone, which raises their level of confidence and the skill of stickhandling then becomes more useful in games. Also, if you practice your puck handling skills at top speed consistently, this will become second nature and when you gain possession of the puck you will not have to sacrifice your speed to keep control of the puck and therefore you can make more efficient moves and dekes.

Foundations of puck handling

1. Rolling of wrists

Use your wrists and not your arms or shoulders to cup the puck. The stick should cradle the puck back and forth by rolling your wrists.

2. Vision

Always keep your head up while in control of the puck. This allows you to read all your options and also “see” your puck without directly looking at it. Use your peripheral vision.

3. Soft hands

Remember that you are in control of the puck, it is your ally and under your control. If you’re clenching your hands and you slap the puck around, it’s not going to do what you want. Keep your hands light and soft, especially the bottom hand and feel for the puck to keep control.

4. Dribbling

Use short and long range dribbling movements to get comfortable in all dribbling situations. Practice dribbling in front, at the side, and behind your body.

5. Use of stick blade

Get comfortable stickhandling using all areas of the blade - the middle of blade, heel and toe. This will increase your effectiveness in using your hockey stick.