looking at the puck

[kovalchuk71 212]

hello everyone. I have a bad habit of looking at the puck when im skating which results in lots of bad stuff. anybody have any good drills to help me? I know its practice but are there any good things to do :)

[Dan_The_Man_16 0]

Just try and keep it up at practice. All I did was practice during the circle drill (I'm sure you know it) I just forced myself to keep it up. Nothing else you can really do. Also try and "feel" the puck through your stick. Wood sticks can help you alot.

[hocckey77 0]

You could stickhandle a golf ball or one of those smartballs while you watch tv.

[kovalchuk71 212]

how often should I do it? every day? every 2 days?

[chippa13 1844]

I've found that stickhandling soft foam balls has helped me with my stickhandling because they are so soft and light that it really makes me work to feel them on the blade of my stick. It has really helped me to feel the puck on my blade.

[hocckey77 0]

how often should I do it? every day? every 2 days?

Doing it every day couldn't hurt. You only have to do it for lke 20 minutes.

[kovalchuk71 212]

has anyone noticed major improvement?

[polk 0]

There was one good drill we did at a camp... but you need your whole team to do it. You split the team into four groups with pucks. Then you set each group at a face off dot in each end. Then have the groups do figure fours with diagonally opposite circles going directly through center. Anyone caught looking at the puck usually doesn't live very long.

[kosydar 0]

The best way to get your head up is for you to get leveled while looking down at the puck. I know I have been before, and I definitely keep my head up as much as possible now.

[Eazy_b97 1]

I knew a coach who was able to snake a neckbrace and had kids who looked down at the puck in practice put it on. I would try watcing TV and stickhandling, well I'm going to try that tonight anyways.

[Guest phillyfan]

If you are unable to practice everyday at an ice rink, take golf ball or one of those stickhandling balls and go out in your driveway. You don't have to completely ignore the ball, you can still peak every so often, or keep it within the corner of your eye. Once you start to get the feel of a puck on a blade, it becomes quite easy. Doing a figure 8 with it through your legs passing it when you cross the middle may help as well, try it looking into a mirror. American Hockey usually publishes some training tips, check there for any regarding what you are seeking.

[Kirsch 1]

The best way to get your head up is for you to get leveled while looking down at the puck. I know I have been before, and I definitely keep my head up as much as possible now.

Yeah, that's how I learned, and I learned in a hurry. I was looking down at the puck skating into the offensive zone (I was by myself) and got absolutely lit up by the defensemen. I seldom look down now :)

[Fire0nIce228 1]

Yah getting lit up is one way to learn not to look down. However, it might be detrimental to your health as you can only take getting lit up so many times before something bad happens if you dont learn to keep your head up. I just sit around and play with a hockey ball in my basement kicking it up to the blade and stuff without lookin down.

[Eazy_b97 1]

If you haven't gotten hammered maybe you don't look at the puck as much as you think? It's always good to practice though.

[crosskore 0]

Does the golf ball thing really work? I used to do it and i saw a little improvment, but i also noticed when i went back to using a puck on ice the weight differance showed alot and it felt wierd. what do you guys think?

[mik3 1]

golfballs, handballs, foam balls, all work. it's not really the weight..it's being able to anticipate without the weight. so when you have the weight there of a puck you're even more comfortable due to now being comfortable using no weight at all.

[MDE3 0]

To support a lot of what was said...your eyes are for seeing the game..not for watching the puck.....practice with your eyes closed...first just back and forth, then wide back and forth, then figure eights around objects...all blind and by feel.

The closed eyes will also help you develop more balance as well..move your head around at the same time as though you were watching the rink..but with eyes closed.

The whole objective is try to completely divorce puck control from vision. You can watch TV of course, but your old habits will have you cheating a bit with the periferal vision.....the more completely you substitute "feel" for "sight" in puck control...the faster you will become proficient

[Guest 2048]

To support a lot of what was said...your eyes are for seeing the game..not for watching the puck.....practice with your eyes closed...first just back and forth, then wide back and forth, then figure eights around objects...all blind and by feel.

The closed eyes will also help you develop more balance as well..move your head around at the same time as though you were watching the rink..but with eyes closed.

The whole objective is try to completely divorce puck control from vision. You can watch TV of course, but your old habits will have you cheating a bit with the periferal vision.....the more completely you substitute "feel" for "sight" in puck control...the faster you will become proficient

Yes, Obi-Wan.

Just kidding, that's actually really good advice or at least sounds like it. Might help trying with a blindfold so that you don't cheat and open your eyes or something. Better yet, try it with music blasting so that there's something distracting you and you really have to focus.

[crosskore 0]

Everyday i come to this site I seem to read people who post smarter and smarter posts. People post stuff that is so helpfull and easy to do, but at the same time i never think of it. Iam going to go close my eyes and stickhandle right now!

[Cavs019 710]

stickhandling a golf ball wont do to much because your not moving at gane speed. The best advice i would have is practice, and try to get an image of the puck through your peripheral vision while looking straight ahead.

[Cavs019 710]

To support a lot of what was said...your eyes are for seeing the game..not for watching the puck.....practice with your eyes closed...first just back and forth, then wide back and forth, then figure eights around objects...all blind and by feel.

The closed eyes will also help you develop more balance as well..move your head around at the same time as though you were watching the rink..but with eyes closed.

The whole objective is try to completely divorce puck control from vision. You can watch TV of course, but your old habits will have you cheating a bit with the periferal vision.....the more completely you substitute "feel" for "sight" in puck control...the faster you will become proficient

you can "cheat" with your peripheral vision while playing, so why not practice like that.

[MDE3 0]

you can ..but sometimes the old "head on a swivel" applies while you have the puck as well...why not feel comfortable in even the extreme situations?

PS there is a product available for about $2.00 that I used to use at my clinics which is a pair of "glasses" without lenses and made so you cannot see down without pointing your face at the floor...great help for coaches to see who's cheating...they are to "remove your vertical peripheral vison"

signed "mr. kenobe"

[Cavs019 710]

absolutely, stickhandling with my head up is like second nature at this point, but for those who need work, they should become proficient before practicing with their eyes closed.

[MDE3 0]

sorry again....he he..I used to start 4 year olds off learning like that....the progress is just so much faster...a bit frustrating at first...but...ya gotta believe.....

But seriously the parents of kids who came to the clinics where we taught this could not believe the improvement in 20 - 30 minutes of "blind" practice...the kids would come out on the floor (we practiced this in a smaller practice rink and played in the larger one) and actually be able to carry the puck down the floor after one session..it's really amazing if you commit to the "feel" part of it.

[Guest 2048]

you can ..but sometimes the old "head on a swivel" applies while you have the puck as well...why not feel comfortable in even the extreme situations?

PS there is a product available for about $2.00 that I used to use at my clinics which is a pair of "glasses" without lenses and made so you cannot see down without pointing your face at the floor...great help for coaches to see who's cheating...they are to "remove your vertical peripheral vison"

signed "mr. kenobe"

Damn, and I thought that the last scene reminded me of the scene on the Millenium Falcon. Just out of curiosity, did you do anything like this for goalies?

What about that epuck tool, is it completely useless? They have something that's basically a black piece of plastic over your stick blade so you can't see the puck.

Altogether, you could probably do this at home for under 20 bucks. Get those glasses, a piece of plexiglass or something smooth at home depot and a puck. Practice 20 minutes and you should be golden.