Developing Soft Hands

[kovalchuk71 212]

What can I do to develop soft(er) hands? I started with the toilet paper tube and have noticed an improvement, but what else can I do? Any good products?

[Thockey17 1]

Stick handle with golfballs.

[TBLfan 25]

this might sound stupid but if you can hackysack a ball on your stick, just catch it. Keep tossing the ball up in the air and catching it on your blade. It gives you the basic motion on accepting a pass but requires you to be nearly perfect.

[UMWhockey 0]

since you are going to be at the shop tomorow, you can watch some of the stuff i do with that roller hockey team that is in at 10

[BK 0]

Maybe do a search on one of the many many many topics on this already....

http://www.modsquadhockey.com/forums/index...lite=soft+hands

[kovalchuk71 212]

I did search, but I only searched "soft hands" as a title only. Thanks BK

[sabre09923 0]

this might sound stupid but if you can hackysack a ball on your stick, just catch it. Keep tossing the ball up in the air and catching it on your blade. It gives you the basic motion on accepting a pass but requires you to be nearly perfect.

TBL, what kind of ball do you use for that (catching it)? I use a tennis ball for hackysacking and I can't imagine catching that from in the air

EDIT: Nevermind, reading that thread on the toilet paper roll I found you use a smarthockey ball.

[TBLfan 25]

smarthockey ball or roller ball. The roller ball is easier because it weighs less and is bigger, so I recommend starting with that.

[Muzza_77 0]

What about ping png balls? they work wonders for me. Also, with the smart hockey ball, here in Australia, I am to cheap tp buy the thing. As I play field hockey, and my field hockey ball is always lying around, I started to use that, it is really good, it is almost the same size and the roller ball, it gives thte wrists a good work out, though it doesn't develop soft hands.

[biff44 0]

Have not tried this, but read about it somewhere: slide a 10" long plastic tube down the shaft of your stick, and hold the stick normally at the butt end, but hold on to the sliding tube with the other hand. As you practice stickhandling, you learn to do it without grasping the shaft of the stick with too much force.

Of course, the other thing is just to stickhandle normally WITHOUT looking at the puck (by feel only). If you can not do it due to force of habit, you can put a piece of cardboard sticking out from your neck to stop you from seeing the puck.

[sabre09923 0]

Of course, the other thing is just to stickhandle normally WITHOUT looking at the puck (by feel only). If you can not do it due to force of habit, you can put a piece of cardboard sticking out from your neck to stop you from seeing the puck.

I try and close my eyes when I stickhandle by feel. The problem is, you can't see (duh!) and when I try to move around, I knock stuff over.

Also, putting a toilet paper roll down the shaft definetly helps your top hand strength and stops you from rolling your wrists with both hands, which is not proper technique. It also, like you said, keeps you from gripping the shaft too hard with your bottom hand, which helps with "smooth" stickhandling motion and stops you being a lumberjack of sorts chopping into the ice.

[Jarick 5]

Thanks for the TP roll tip, I'll give that a shot if/when the ponds around here ever freeze :(

I just do some work with the smart hockey ball everyday, stickhandling around pucks and objects. My roommate and I do lots of passing "drills" around our living room with multiple smart hockey balls and street hockey pucks. Seems to help a bit. Best though is to get on the ice with a couple guys and practice...that helped me a lot last year.