looking at the puck

[cobrAA 0]

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 :)

why do you need that?? do u will play contact ??

anyways my trick was first...getting a longer stick i was using a really low stick cuz they were not contact so lolll

2:in pratice and roller hockey snipe a spot on your net and shot there and never look at the ball-puck

3:after doing this never look ak my puck and make pass to other guys

4:when i'm waiting to make my team drill i was all time stickhandling the puck!!!

and now i think i played 90% without looking the puck

[biff44 0]

You are lucky/skilled. I would estimate that 1/3 of the men on my son's Junior Bteam from 2 years ago skated with their heads down. And they got killed! Some were out for 1/2 the season with injuries. My kid seldom got checked, and never had a really rough check all season--it is all about keeping your head up.

Now, you would think that getting pummelled was enough to teach these guys to skate with their heads up? Nah. They couldn't learn. Some people just need training aides to learn to do it. It is probably hard for you to believe, but it is true.

[thejackal 46]

As cobra said, a longer stick/ lower lie does help but the most important thing is to make a concious effort and practice as much as possible.

[Kovy_Ribs_Fedo 3]

Just got some ping pong balls, man they are crazy, they are so hard to handle, they bonce like crazy and if u stickhandle it and hit the ball too hard it goes flying out of reach so i gotta go soft, this might help me develop soft hands.

Just curious what good is soft hands? I hear alot of ppl talk about it but what are the benfitis of haivng soft hands?

Look at Datsyuk's hands and see the benefits it gave to him. It gives you confidence with the puck.

[Dan_The_Man_16 0]

I agree. Once you develop soft hands, your confidence will improve greatly. I can say my confidence improved 200% from what it was before I couldn't. Remember though, you still have to look down sometimes, just to make sure before you shoot the puck is in the correct spot for you. Also make sure to keep your eye on the puck while taking a slapshot, but as soon as you make contact, look up so you don't get creamed.

[bulletproof_funk 0]

I've read that some coaches teach their players to shoot without looking at the puck. I've seen Spezza wind up on a slapper without looking down first, put it where he want to as well.

[Dan_The_Man_16 0]

Well, see thats Jason Spezza, LOL. I don't think I will ever be that good, unless I find a few more gears <_< . Anyways thats just one time I would say to look at the puck. On wristers I think you should be able to do it without making sure it's on the right spot, but if you have time/space it's worth a quick check.

[bulletproof_funk 0]

I think it's a matter of practice and eventually habit to not look down before and during a slapper. I know I haven't practiced it yet since I only take slappers during warm-up and rarely in a game (pickup). It's still a good skill worth learning though I don't know how many coaches actually teach that.

I find I don't have to look down before pulling off a wrister as long as I'm stickhandling when I have the puck. It gets difficult to keep the head up if the puck bounces alot or won't settle easily like in warmer conditions (summer hockey) or bad ice. I'll glance down briefly at the puck in those cases and try not to get too mesmorized.

[biff44 0]

Bret Hull recommends looking down briefly, and he seems to know how to shoot. If the puck is too far forward or back, it will dramatically change the height of the slapshot. If you are moving fast at the time, it is hard to be sure where the puck is.

[bulletproof_funk 0]

Maybe a slapper isn't the best choice of shot when you're skating fast. If you're going to blast one to create a rebound, okay. No question that knowing where the puck is before you hit it will give better control of your shot than if you didn't. I'm saying you don't always *have* to look down at the puck prior to blasting one. It's situationial obviously. It's hard to argue that looking at your target as you shoot makes you more of a scoring threat since the goaltender is less likely to try something vs. when you drop your head/eyes down for that split second to double-check the puck position.

[Guest hunter4]

the best thing to do is to leave your stick and a ball by an area that you pass by alot in or outside your house, that way, everytime you pass it, stickhandle a little bit, the more the better, this is a good way to remember and is pretty convinient ...

[Gongshow11 1]

I've read that some coaches teach their players to shoot without looking at the puck. I've seen Spezza wind up on a slapper without looking down first, put it where he want to as well.

it's actually not that hard to do. If you do it in practice it's wicked easy in games. It's much easier to pick opposite corners when skating down the wing

[Hockeyman9621 0]

I've read that some coaches teach their players to shoot without looking at the puck.  I've seen Spezza wind up on a slapper without looking down first, put it where he want to as well.

I can do that it's not all that hard.

[sn1per 0]

if you guys are worried about the weight issue, try a baseball.