My eyes bugged out of my head as I got about 10-seconds into watching the following video. There in front of me were a bunch of NHL hotshots scoring pretty neat goals. Better than that, though, the camera angles and the real closeups were making it possible for me to really inspect those elite hockey attackers.
-- Dennis Chighisola
Inspecting Elite Hockey Attackers
Okay, I've been saying something for probably a decade and a half, this having to do with elite level attackers. On the other hand, I don't think we have to be talking about elite level players, but more like players of any age who are able to carry a puck fairly well.
Here's what I'm getting at... Very recently I did a post aimed at helping an adult rec hockey player with his puckhandling problems. In that, I mentioned something about the process of stickhandling that I suspect went over some heads, or went completely unnoticed by others. I'm not trying to insult my members at all, but I know I say some things that might cause members to roll their eyeballs or just mutter to themselves, "There he goes again, off to another planet." :) I get that, and I'll even suggest that it's partly true. Still...
Once I saw that video, I knew I had to show it to you. If I'm doing anything differently here tonight, it's in talking about that video before I show you. After all, I'm going to ask you to watch for something...
What I mentioned to that adult rec guy -- and what I want you to look for -- is the fact that high level attackers actually lose the puck a lot on their way up the ice, most often with each dribble. I mean, even on a regular dribble, watch that each player tosses the puck away to one spot or another, and then he has to quickly gather it back in. Of course, what makes the plays on the following tape even more exciting is that the attackers often really lose the puck -- even if momentarily, as they jump, dodge or in some other way avoid a checker (or two or three).
Okay, please do your own inspecting of some truly elite hockey attackers, and let me know if you see what I do. Again, notice that it's this video's real closeups that make it possible for us to see what I've been trying to explain for so long...
Okay, I don't get into this kind of stuff for no reason. No, I spend a great deal of my time inspecting elite hockey players in search of things I can use with developmental kids. And, that's the case in discovering that those elite guys lose the puck a lot while on the attack.
Next, though, I have to explore ways to develop a given trait in younger kids. So, are you with me here yet? I mean, how can we help young kids to rather easily deal with lost pucks?
Hmmmmm... What I did was to include a lot of work with balls and other objects that aren't very easily controlled. As I mentioned in that earlier article, Swedish stickhandling balls and golf balls bounce wildly, which forces the puckhandler to constantly reach out to gather in the ball. Or, a player has to really react quickly to catch the crazily bouncing ball.
As also mentioned in that other article, I find dribbling a balloon in the air helpful to developing stick reactions. For less experienced players, that form of training is awesome for stick dexterity. For more advanced or even elite hockey attackers, however, I think dribbling the balloon faster -- and kinda hot-dogging with it -- can lead to it bouncing wildly like a lost puck.
*
Okay, a little time has passed between the above and what I'm about to enclose. For, while I thought I had at some time declared the importance of dealing with lost pucks, I couldn't for the life of me remember when or where. Well, I ultimately found it, in an old video that was included as a bonus with my Incredible Stickhandling video. Phew...
There wasn't a date on that video, but my best guess would be 2005 -- at the latest, and most likely much earlier.
The name of the video is "The Best Puck-drill Ever", which deals especially with the problem I've described above. The early part of the video, though, explains how I arrived at noticing that problem, and how I went about solving it. Perhaps, had I found this video earlier, I could have saved myself all the above writing. You'll see what I mean, however...
https://coachchic2.s3.amazonaws.com/Incred-stickhandling/The-Best-Puck-Drill-EVER.flv
In closing, I hope coaches, parents and adult players can see how it's fairly easy to improve the above described puckhandling problem -- with a number of different drills, whether at home, at a gym, or even on the ice. Yes, on the ice, because either balls or pucks can be used on the ice for what I described as The Best Puck-drill Ever.
