Changing speeds

[Fire0nIce228 1]

In practice the other day my coach told me to slow down when I get the puck. Everytime the pucks on my stick I go balls out as fast as I can. It creates two problems.

A) I can't stickhandle as well, all I can do is kinda push it infront of me and catchup to it little bits at a time, or hold my stick wayout in front and push the puck forward and

B) The defenders can adjust to my speed if their closing the angle and push me wide to the boards

I was watchin the pens game and the announces were talking about how Jagr changes his speed and switches gears so often. What kinda stuff can I do to slow myself down? Is it all mental? Should I practice skating the puck into the offensive zone slower, then speeding up to carry it behind the net or out front into the high slot? The way our breakout is setup the winger usually is carrying the puck in down along the boards, and I can't seem to slow it down ever. If I could go in slow, have the D man adjust his position to that speed and then change gears and go fast enough to step around him to drive to the net, that'd be great, I just can never remember to do it.

[Project_2501 0]

Always change speed as soon as you get the puck. Slow, then quick, throw off the D with your movements. Moving at a linear speed makes their job that much easier.

[2048 0]

I've never heard of anyone who said that slowing down with the puck was a good thing. THe knock on most guys is that they slow down once they get it and are easily caught.

[Project_2501 0]

Well, when manuvering. You never try to go full speed wrapping it around the net, higher chance to lose the puck. Try a studder step or something as such while you're moving to throw off the d's rythm. If their behind you, skate harder...

[Fire0nIce228 1]

Yes, I think what I was getting at was going at a linear speed. I'm not saying I want to slow down so much that people catch up or level me, but a quick change from speed 8 to 7 to 9 in the nutral zone or once inside the blue line. Watching plenty of Pens games I know what you mean about Rico. At times his speed is deadly and he scores goals, at other times he's going so fast that he screws himself up. I'm more of the latter. Alot more.

[LetsGoWings13 0]

i duno i go fast with open space and when i get closer to a guy i start to slow up make my move and accelerate hard n around the person it seems to work very well from me lol i rarely loose the puck when i go end to end from defence my coach just gets pissed when i do it cuz my shot is too in accurate to even hit the goal most of the time so its just a big waste lol.

[Bruin88 0]

i think when you get the puck you always slow down and speed up ,i dont think you notice it though

[malcb33 95]

Could your coach mean, that sometimes you try to go to fast, instead of surveying your options and slowing down (committing the defence) to set-up a team mate? Often when players are busting their ass trying to skate fast, don't see all the options availble to them at the time, and they can't make good passes because the puck is ahead of them and not on their stick. I have never seen you play so I don't know for sure, but this may help?

[Project_2501 0]

I think that may be it.

[2048 0]

Well, when manuvering. You never try to go full speed wrapping it around the net, higher chance to lose the puck. Try a studder step or something as such while you're moving to throw off the d's rythm. If their behind you, skate harder...

I see what you mean. I was thinking more slow down a la Marcel Hossa who gets to the puck and then stops taking strides and loses the puck.

[Fire0nIce228 1]

I think maybe you guys are right. I dont try to be a puckhog or showboat but I go fast as I can into the zone and if none of my teammates are caught up with me I just shoot or lose the puck because they're not even close enough to follow me in for puck support or a drop pass type play at times. I need to find the happy medium where I've got the puck infront of me enough that I can go kinda fast, but not so far infront that its easy to pokecheck. And the medium of going fast enough for the defense not to be able to catch me easily but my teammates be able to get into position.

[technophile 0]

I've never heard of anyone who said that slowing down with the puck was a good thing. THe knock on most guys is that they slow down once they get it and are easily caught.

You want to do it once the D has started to adjust to your speed. If you're burning and you suddenly throw on the brakes, you'll create some space to dish the puck or take a shot (using the D as a screen). If you're slow, a sudden burst of speed can put you right past them.

Basically you want to be unpredictable; if they know what you'll do, or when you'll be at a certain place, it's easier for the D to anticipate you.

[Crazy Otto 0]

If you have the puck coming across the blue line or in neutral ice, and the D-man is skating backwards and there is a reasonably wide gap between you (enough that he can't poke check you), slowing down will force him to slow down too. If you then accelerate he shouldn't be able to react quickly enough.

[chippa13 1844]

To solve problems with carrying the puck at speed, do skating drills with a puck on your stick. It will train you to be able to carry the puck at full speed and give you better control on stops and starts and all the other skating maneuvers that most practice without pucks.

[biff44 0]

You've got two issues.

First, to skate at top speed you have to be able to stickhandle the puck at that speed--without looking down all the time!

Second, what you want to do is to increase the gap between you and the defender. The defender, if he is good, is trying to anticipate where you are going so he can keep a pretty tight gap so you can not get a good shot off. If you come barrelling over the blue line and then slow down, there will be a split second when the defenseman has to react, and the gap can widen as he tries to slow down. When that gap opens, then you want to accelerate and blow by the Dman.

There are other ways to increase the gap, like fake that you are going one way, but go the other way (you have to fake it believably). You can watch the Dman to see if he is crossing over going backward, and the minute he does go the other way (it takes him 2 steps to change direction in a crossover). And, with the new rules, all you have to do is get 1 step ahead of the Dman, and then anything he does to you will likely result in you drawing a penalty.

[pantherfan 0]

maybe he thinks you need to "cradle" the puck more when you recieve it because i see people goin full speed at a puck and it bounces off their stick and they loose it