Steven Stamkos Incredible Hand Eye Goal

I have my grandson to thank for finding this video. (He loves studying -- and then copying -- the moves of top players, which makes YouTube.com one of his favorite sites.) My understanding is that the goal scored in the following clip has been hyped by many as "THE Goal of the Year".

Now, before I comment further, I'd like you to watch the video (and probably watch the slow-motion part a number of times to really appreciate how the goal was scored). A little later, I'll also suggest why I've placed this post under the "From The MOTION Lab" category.

-- Dennis Chighisola

Steven Stamkos Incredible Hand Eye Goal versus Ducks (2009-2010)

Okay, by now you should realize that Stamkos batted that puck out of the air as he was sliding along the ice on his back-side. Hmmmmm... Oh, and I want to especially insert here the fact that his goal was no accident -- no, far from it. Just watch the video again to see how deliberate Stamkos was it plucking that little black thing into the open net. Of course, I'm thrilled that mention is made here about the unbelievable degree of hand and eye coordination that was needed to score that goal. However, perhaps I ought to explain a little more about what I mean by hand and eye coordination...

Number One, a player's stick-blade has to be an extension of him (or her), or he has to be nearly as dexterous with that stick as he would be with a pencil or an eating utensil.

Secondly, we have to realize how many things are going on in Stamkos' world during that 3-second(?) flurry... I mean, he battled through traffic as he unleashed the initial shot, he fell and slid -- most likely with little control in that slide, yet he was able to keep focus on the rebound and ultimately take a successful swipe at it. Ya, in lots of previous CoachChic.com posts, I and other authors have made mention of that kind of skill -- as I call them, "asymmetric" movements.

Okay, so here's my little bit of input...

Throughout this site, you have access to numerous drills that we (especially Todd Jacobson and I) have created for enhancing our players' ability to focus amid chaos, and to deal with more than one physical problem at a time.

In the case of our goaltenders, you'll see them, for example, performing all sorts of physical tasks while they're juggling. (More recently, we started having our High School Prep goalies juggling while jumping one of those schoolyard gadgets we know as "skip-its".)

My skaters are dribbling several balls at once, or they're doing some sort of footwork challenge (like dealing with a skip-it) while also dribbling a ball.

In each case above, Todd's or my aim is to create the chaotic conditions like those in our crazy game, and we even try to use our imagination to make the practice sessions more difficult than what our kids will face in their games.

Finally, why have I placed this post under the "From The MOTION Lab" heading? It's because I firmly believe a setting such as our Lab -- or at least some off-ice setting -- is really the only place you can create the wild conditions I just described above. Honestly, after 40-years of doing what I do, helter-skelter training -- especially because of all the extra gadgets required -- is far easier to get accomplished away from the ice. :) As a PS here... As I was readying to press "Publish", I suddenly thought about the recent exchanges going on here concerning floorball. And, I know dawgoned well that Craig and Greg or someone else is going to suggest to me that a game such as that will also help create the kind of stick-dexterity I described above. My answer to them? Absolutely (and so will lacrosse, field hockey and some other sports). It's just that we coaches don't have as much control during such games, and the kind of repetition I like with a given skill is really only possible in a practice setting.

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