Dribbling is a form of active play in which you chase the puck rather than stay at home and defend your own goals.
It’s a great way to enjoy playing hockey, and it can be a decent way to score goals if performed correctly. However, if you want to avoid injury, you need to know the proper way to do it.
Here’s a quick guide to the essentials of dribbling in hockey.
Table of Contents
How To Properly Start Dribbling
The first step in dribbling is to determine whether you are going to run with the puck or without it. You can’t actually start dribbling without the puck, but you can start running with it. Before heading in to any sort of effort, it’s important to make sure that you have the safety of your team in mind. You can tell if you are making the right decision by considering the speed of the opposing team and whether you are one-on-one or in a group.
If you’re heading in to a fast game with a mix of skilled and unskilled players, it’s probably a bad idea to start dribbling. Even if you’re playing against another team in a casual game, it can still be a bad idea to dribble too soon. Your teammates will have to cover for you while you figure out the rules of the game, and that means you’ll be more open to injury. When you make a smart decision and the puck doesn’t move very fast, then it’s probably best to wait until the game slows down a bit before you dive in.
Where Do You Want To Go With The Puck?
Once you’ve decided to start dribbling, the next step is to pick a spot where you want to go with the puck. You are not playing keep-away with the puck, you are playing a game, and the object is to score. It’s therefore important that you locate a spot where you think you can safely make a play. The place you choose should be in a good scoring position and close to your net. This will put you in the perfect position to shoot the puck if you manage to steal it. If you want to show off your dribbling skill, then you can use the boards to your advantage by passing the puck to your teammate, who is standing next to you on the ice. If you choose, you can also go around the boards and start a breakaway or a one-on-one rush with the goalie.
Protecting The Ball
Once you’ve picked a spot for the puck, you need to focus on protecting it with a screen or stick. This will help you prevent the puck from getting away and injure someone or cause damage on the ice. If you fail to do this properly, then you become a dangerous player and, eventually, someone could end up in the hospital. Even if you don’t hit anyone with the puck, the force of the collision could cause injuries.
You must take care not to put yourself in a bad position by losing the puck. If you’re too far away from the net, then it’s almost certain that you’ll lose the puck. This could result in you being in a one-on-one rush with the goalie, and there’s no clear way to protect yourself from injury during that sort of situation. It’s not the goalie’s job to guard against one-on-one rushes from his own goal line. That’s your job.
What Is The Optimal Speed For Dribbling?
The speed at which you run with the puck is not fixed, and it varies from sport to sport. In general, fast-paced sports like hockey allow you to run a little faster than other sports, and that means you can use your speed to your advantage. You can gain an upper hand by outrunning your opponent. If you’re playing against another team, then it’s usually a good idea to go full out because the last thing you want is for the opposing team to have an advantage. The bottom line is that you need to look at how fast you can go while still protecting the ball, and that will depend on your own skill level as a hockey player. If you feel that you can run faster than anyone else on the team without hurting yourself, then it’s usually a good idea to go for it.
When Do You Need To Stop Dribbling?
Just because you’ve started doesn’t mean that you’ve finished playing the game. Once you’ve had enough fun and it’s safe for your team to stop protecting you, then it’s time to stop dribbling. There’s no reason to continue running if you’re not going to make a play with the puck. You can always come back and start running again after you’ve scored, but in the meantime, your team needs you to stay at home and defend your goal. It’s also a good idea to stop dribbling once the other team’s goalie has had a chance to rest and prepare for the next game. In some situations, it’s best to let the other team get the last laugh and not run around with the goalie after you’ve taken the puck.
Avoiding Injuries During Dribbling
As a rule of thumb, when playing any sort of fast-paced sport, it’s always best to take it easy at first and ease into a good run. You don’t want to rush into anything and end up injuring yourself. Just because you’re feeling good doesn’t mean that you have to push yourself too hard. Even if you think you can go a little faster than the rest of your teammates, you should still be careful and avoid any undue stress. Remember: your body is a temple, and you need to take care of it so that you can keep enjoying the game. Make sure to work out regularly so that you don’t end up suffering from any sort of injuries. It’s also important to ice and compress the injuries you do suffer from so that they don’t become worse.
Key Points
Starting a game of hockey with a dribble is a great way to have some fun, but it’s also a potentially dangerous action. Make sure to learn the basics – including how to protect the ball – before you try anything fancy. Just because you can skate fast doesn’t mean you have to, and it’s always best to start slow before ramping up your speed. Last but not least, make sure to enjoy the game and have fun with your friends. After all, that’s why we play hockey, right?