Improve Your Hockey Game: How to Stickhandle Better on the Ice

As any hockey player knows, stickhandling is an essential skill for success on the ice. Mastering stickhandling requires a combination of speed, precision, and control that can be tough to achieve, but the rewards are well worth the effort. In this article, we’ll show you how to stickhandle better and take your game to the next level.

First, we’ll cover the basics of stickhandling, including proper hand positioning and movement techniques. Next, we’ll delve into advanced stickhandling skills, such as toe drags and dekes, and discuss how to incorporate them into your game. We’ll also share proven drills and exercises to help you improve your stickhandling ability and develop your control and coordination skills.

Whether you’re a seasoned player or just starting out, this article will provide you with valuable insights and actionable tips to take your stickhandling skills to the next level. So grab your stick, hit the ice, and let’s get started!

Are you ready to become a stickhandling pro? Keep reading to learn how to improve your hockey game and dominate on the ice.

Master the Basics of Stickhandling in Hockey

Stickhandling is one of the most important skills in hockey. It’s the ability to control the puck while skating, and it’s what separates the great players from the average ones. To become a great stickhandler, you need to master the basics. The first step is to get comfortable with your stick. Hold it with your bottom hand about halfway down the stick, and your top hand about a foot above that. Keep your hands close together, and keep your elbows bent. This will give you the most control over the puck.

The next step is to practice your stickhandling technique. Start with basic drills like skating in a straight line while controlling the puck, and progress to more complex drills like figure eights and crossovers. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes; the only way to get better is to push yourself outside of your comfort zone. The more you practice, the more comfortable you’ll become with the puck on your stick.

Another important aspect of stickhandling is vision. You need to be aware of what’s happening on the ice at all times. Keep your head up and look around, and be ready to make quick decisions. If you’re not paying attention, you might miss an opportunity to make a play.

Finally, don’t forget the importance of footwork. You need to be able to move quickly and smoothly on the ice while controlling the puck. Practice your balance and agility, and work on your edge work to improve your ability to change direction quickly. The better your footwork, the better your stickhandling will be.

Mastering the basics of stickhandling is crucial if you want to become a great hockey player. By focusing on your grip, practicing your technique, keeping your head up, and improving your footwork, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a skilled stickhandler. Keep reading to learn more about how you can take your stickhandling abilities to the next level.

Position Your Body and Stick Correctly

1. Keep your knees bent: This allows you to move quickly and change direction while maintaining balance.

2. Position your body over the puck: This provides better control and allows you to protect the puck from opponents.

3. Use your stick to control the puck: Keep your top hand loose and your bottom hand firm to maintain control of the stick and the puck.

4. Keep your head up: This allows you to see the ice and anticipate the movement of your opponents and teammates.

5. Practice with both hands: Stickhandling with both your dominant and non-dominant hand will make you a more versatile player and improve your overall stickhandling ability.

By following these tips, you can improve your stickhandling skills and become a more effective player on the ice.

Get a Feel for the Puck with Soft Hands

• Practice with a tennis ball: One way to improve your soft hands is by practicing with a tennis ball. This will help you get a feel for the puck without relying on its weight.
• Keep your grip loose: Don’t grip the stick too tightly, as this will hinder your ability to stickhandle smoothly. Keep your hands relaxed and loose to improve your touch on the puck.
• Work on your hand-eye coordination: Stickhandling requires good hand-eye coordination. Incorporate hand-eye drills into your practice routine to improve your soft hands.
• Focus on your wrist movement: Your wrists are a key component of stickhandling. Practice rolling your wrists and making small movements to improve your feel for the puck.
• Experiment with different angles: Try stickhandling with the puck at different angles to improve your touch. This will help you get a better feel for the puck and improve your overall stickhandling ability.

Mastering the art of stickhandling requires practice and patience. By incorporating these tips and drills into your training routine, you’ll be well on your way to improving your soft hands and taking your game to the next level.

Practice Stickhandling While Skating and Stationary

• Practice stationary stickhandling: Stationary stickhandling drills can help you get comfortable with the puck and develop your coordination and control skills. Start by standing still with your feet shoulder-width apart and stickhandling with the puck in front of you.

• Combine stickhandling with skating: Once you feel comfortable with stationary stickhandling, try incorporating movement. Skate forward with the puck while stickhandling, and then skate backward while stickhandling.

• Use obstacles to challenge yourself: Set up cones, pucks, or other obstacles on the ice to practice stickhandling around. This will help you develop your agility and quickness with the puck.

• Practice in game-like situations: Use game-like situations to practice stickhandling, such as stickhandling through defenders or around cones in a zigzag pattern. This will help you improve your stickhandling under pressure.

• Get feedback from a coach or teammate: Ask a coach or teammate to watch you practice stickhandling and give you feedback on your technique. This can help you identify areas for improvement and refine your skills.

Whether you’re practicing stationary stickhandling or stickhandling while skating, it’s important to focus on developing your control and coordination skills. With consistent practice and dedication, you can become a skilled stickhandler and improve your overall performance on the ice. Keep pushing yourself to improve and you’ll see the results!

Develop Your Control and Coordination Skills

Stickhandle Blindfolded – Blindfolding yourself while stickhandling forces you to rely on your sense of touch and feel for the puck. This drill helps to develop your coordination and muscle memory.

Use an Obstacle Course – Create an obstacle course with cones or other objects and practice stickhandling through it. This drill helps to improve your control and coordination as you maneuver around obstacles.

Improve Your Hand-Eye Coordination – Practicing hand-eye coordination exercises such as juggling, wall ball, and reaction ball drills can help improve your control and coordination skills on the ice. These drills help you to develop quick reflexes and improve your ability to track the puck.

Improve Your Hand-Eye Coordination with Reaction Ball Training

Hand-eye coordination is a critical skill for hockey players looking to improve their stickhandling ability. One way to develop this skill is through reaction ball training.

Reaction balls are small, multi-sided balls that bounce unpredictably when thrown against a hard surface. By practicing catching and reacting to the ball, players can improve their hand-eye coordination, reaction time, and overall stickhandling control.

To start, stand in front of a wall and throw the reaction ball against it. As the ball bounces back, try to catch it with your stick while keeping your eyes on the ball. Start with a slow bounce and work your way up to more unpredictable bounces for an added challenge.

Use These Proven Drills to Improve Your Stickhandling Ability

Figure Eight Drill: Set up two cones or obstacles in the shape of a figure eight and practice stickhandling through the pattern, alternating between your forehand and backhand.

Toe Drag Drill: Start with the puck in front of you, drag it behind your back foot and pull it back to your forehand before pushing it forward again. Repeat while skating forward and backward.

Four Cone Drill: Set up four cones in a square formation and stickhandle around them, focusing on tight turns and maintaining control of the puck.

Circle Drill: Skate in a circle with the puck while stickhandling, gradually increasing speed and challenging yourself to maintain control.

One-Handed Drill: Use only one hand on your stick and stickhandle while skating, focusing on using your body to protect the puck while maintaining control.

By incorporating these drills into your training routine, you’ll be on your way to improving your stickhandling ability and dominating on the ice!

Figure 8s and Obstacle Courses

Drill 1: Figure 8s

One of the most basic and effective drills for improving stickhandling is the figure 8 drill. Start by setting up two cones approximately six feet apart. Dribble the puck in a figure 8 pattern around the cones, keeping your head up and eyes forward. Try to keep the puck close to your body and use a variety of stickhandling moves as you go around the cones.

Drill 2: Obstacle Course

Set up a course using cones, pylons, or other obstacles. Dribble the puck through the course, using a variety of stickhandling moves to get around each obstacle. Challenge yourself by setting up a more complex course or timing yourself to see how quickly you can complete it.

Drill 3: One-Handed Stickhandling

Improving your stickhandling with one hand can help you become more effective on the ice. Start by holding your stick with one hand and dribbling the puck with the other. Use a variety of moves, such as crossovers and between-the-legs dribbles, to improve your control with one hand.

Drill 4: Mirror Drill

Find a partner and face each other with a few feet of space between you. One player starts by stickhandling, while the other player tries to mirror their moves. Switch roles after a set amount of time or after one player successfully copies the other’s moves.

Drill 5: Blindfolded Stickhandling

This drill helps improve your feel for the puck and your ability to stickhandle without looking at the puck. Blindfold yourself and dribble the puck around cones or other obstacles, focusing on your sense of touch and feel for the puck. This drill can also be done with a partner who gives you verbal instructions on where to go.

One-Handed Stickhandling Drills

One-handed stickhandling drills are great for improving your control and coordination with the puck. Start by placing a cone or other obstacle on the ice and stickhandling around it using only one hand. Repeat with the other hand.

You can also practice one-handed stickhandling while moving forward, backward, and sideways on the ice. This will help you develop your agility and balance while controlling the puck.

Another drill is to place a partner or coach in front of you and stickhandle around them using only one hand. This will help you improve your ability to protect the puck from defenders while maintaining control.

For an added challenge, try doing these drills with a weighted or heavier stick. This will help you develop strength and endurance in your hands and forearms, making it easier to handle the puck during a game.

Remember to start slow and focus on technique before increasing speed or difficulty. With consistent practice, you will develop the skills necessary to become a proficient stickhandler in hockey.

Shuffle and Cut Drills

• Quick Cuts: Practice changing directions quickly by placing two cones a few feet apart and shuffling between them. Then, quickly cut in the opposite direction and repeat.

• Inside and Outside Shuffle: This drill involves shuffling laterally with the inside or outside foot leading. Place cones in a line and shuffle to one side with the inside foot leading, then back with the outside foot leading.

• Stickhandling Shuffle: Practice stickhandling while shuffling laterally. Move a few feet to one side while stickhandling, then shuffle to the other side and repeat.

• Shuffle and Pivot: This drill incorporates a pivot to change directions. Shuffle a few feet to one side, pivot on the outside foot, and then shuffle back the other way.

• Figure 8 Shuffle: Place two cones in a figure 8 shape and shuffle around them while stickhandling. Challenge yourself by increasing your speed or using only one hand to stickhandle.

Get Tips From Hockey Pros on How to Stickhandle Better

If you want to take your stickhandling skills to the next level, why not learn from the best? Professional hockey players have honed their skills over years of practice and competition. Here are a few tips they recommend to improve your stickhandling:

Keep your eyes up: It’s tempting to look down at the puck, but the best stickhandlers keep their eyes up to see the whole ice and anticipate their next move.

Practice with both hands: Great stickhandlers can handle the puck equally well with both hands. Make sure to practice with both hands so you don’t become one-dimensional on the ice.

Master the basics: Stickhandling is all about control, so make sure you’ve mastered the basics like puck positioning and weight transfer before moving on to more advanced techniques.

With these tips from the pros and plenty of practice, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a stickhandling master.

Watch Videos of Top Players Stickhandling Techniques

• Study the Pros: One of the best ways to improve your stickhandling skills is to watch videos of top players like Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid. Analyze their technique and try to replicate their moves in your own practice.

• Focus on Specific Skills: Look for videos that focus on specific skills such as dekes, fakes, and toe drags. This will help you to identify areas where you need improvement and give you a roadmap for your practice.

• Use Slow Motion: Many videos have a slow-motion feature that allows you to see the players’ moves in detail. Use this to your advantage by watching the video in slow motion and breaking down each move.

• Watch from Different Angles: Watch videos from different angles to get a better understanding of the players’ body positioning and how they use their stick. This will help you to develop a better sense of how to move your own body and stick.

• Practice Regularly: Watching videos alone won’t make you a better stickhandler. You need to put in the practice time to develop your skills. Use what you’ve learned from the videos and apply it to your own practice sessions.

Maximize Your Practice Time with These Stickhandling Exercises

Toe Taps

This drill involves tapping the puck back and forth with the blade of your stick. The key to this exercise is to keep your head up and maintain good control of the puck. Start by tapping the puck with your dominant foot and then switch to your non-dominant foot. Repeat this process as quickly as possible for a set amount of time.

Stickhandling Through Cones

Set up a series of cones and stickhandle through them in a zig-zag pattern. This exercise will improve your ability to maneuver through tight spaces and maintain control of the puck. Vary the distance between cones and the pattern to increase the difficulty.

Quick Hands Drill

In this drill, you will practice stickhandling as quickly as possible. Set a timer for 30 seconds and see how many times you can move the puck back and forth between your stick and the ground. This exercise will help you develop quick reflexes and improve your overall stickhandling speed. Try to increase the number of repetitions each time you practice.

Stickhandling with Weights and Resistance Bands

If you want to improve your stickhandling ability, you should consider incorporating weights and resistance bands into your training routine. These tools will help you build strength and improve your hand-eye coordination.

One way to use weights in your stickhandling training is to attach ankle weights to your stick. This will make your stick feel heavier and more difficult to control, forcing you to use more strength and precision. You can also use resistance bands to add tension and resistance to your stickhandling drills.

When using weights or resistance bands, it’s important to start with lighter weights and bands and gradually increase the resistance over time. It’s also important to make sure that you are using proper form and technique to avoid injury.

Wall Work and Mirror Drills

If you don’t have a partner to practice with, wall work can be a great way to improve your stickhandling. Find a sturdy wall and practice stickhandling while facing it. Use your backhand, forehand, and both hands. You can also incorporate mirror drills to analyze your technique and correct any flaws in your stickhandling. Place a mirror near the wall and watch yourself as you practice.

Another variation of wall work is the side-to-side drill. Stand perpendicular to the wall and practice stickhandling back and forth using only your wrists. This will help improve your hand-eye coordination and agility.

For more advanced players, try incorporating blind stickhandling into your wall work routine. Close your eyes or wear a blindfold and practice stickhandling against the wall. This will help you develop a better feel for the puck and improve your stickhandling instincts.

Frequently Asked Questions