Smart hockey hockey balls

[Chappie 0]

Didn't see a topic anywhere else, so I figured I'd post up.

First saw it here: http://www.playersbench.com/prod.ihtml?pid=2565 when looking for sticks, and I was wondering if this is a gimmick or is it legit? That sounds like a great idea, I just don't see how it can really deliver, especially just based on shape alone.

[DavidT 11]

I have a few of these around the house.

I like them simply because it gives me something to practice with in weight and movement that I cant get with a puck on my floors.

It all boils down to muscle memory and not the shape of the object.

[DBLMINR 0]

go to hobby lobby and buy a pack of 6 wood balls for about 4 bucks

[TBLfan 25]

Smarthockey balls are nice because they are heavier. Wood or golf balls are much faster because they are lightweight. The combination is great to use for off-ice training... but of course nothing is as good as on-ice practice.

[pizzakid13 5]

i remember john leclair saying he used to use a tennis ball for off ice and if you can control that, you can control anything.

[SolarWind 23]

It all boils down to muscle memory and not the shape of the object.

here's exactly where I feel the problem with the smart ball lies - using it actually promotes incorrect muscle memory!

yes - the bounce might be the same (but not really in my opition because of the difference in shape/height), but it's still a ball - not a puck: it's rounded vs angled corners + it's faller + narrower

because of that it's a LOT easier to stick handle with the ball especially if you are doing a dribble (quick narrow stickhandling) since you can just sort of cup it & roll it - you can not do it with a puck - at the very least the dribble can't be that narrow as it can be with the ball

[CTK30 0]

The smart ball is still better than a golf ball

It's not that hard to adapt from a ball to a puck, but the golf ball is way easier to move than a puck so it kind of messes you up

[Chappie 0]

It all boils down to muscle memory and not the shape of the object.

here's exactly where I feel the problem with the smart ball lies - using it actually promotes incorrect muscle memory!

yes - the bounce might be the same (but not really in my opition because of the difference in shape/height), but it's still a ball - not a puck: it's rounded vs angled corners + it's faller + narrower

because of that it's a LOT easier to stick handle with the ball especially if you are doing a dribble (quick narrow stickhandling) since you can just sort of cup it & roll it - you can not do it with a puck - at the very least the dribble can't be that narrow as it can be with the ball

That would be my main concern with using it. I want find something that I can do, not to replace stick and puck time, but to definitely accompany it off ice.

[caldakid 0]

I use them to mess around with in the house, can't hurt you thats for sure. A lot better then a hockey ball

[Jackal_17 0]

I use them to mess around with in the house, can't hurt you thats for sure. A lot better then a hockey ball

I have tried tennis ball, cricket ball (it is heavy), golf ball, wooden ball and a soft squishy ball. None of them really give the feel of the puck so I ended up building a practice pad myself. Nothing is quite like a puck.

[Darkbyte 0]

Smarthockey balls are nice because they are heavier. Wood or golf balls are much faster because they are lightweight. The combination is great to use for off-ice training...

Add an inline puck for shooting and you have my set up.

Agreed using a ball is not like using a puck, especially when you go wide. I find the smart hockey and golf balls are harder to maneuvour far away from my body (i.e. as far as i can reach) because of their shape. However, the majority of the actions translate and I find that I can pull it off nicely with a puck when I get the chance.

I agree, there is no way to mimic the feel of a puck.

Further from that, no matter what off ice surface you use, you will never be able to mimick the speed/characteristics of a puck travelling across your chosen playing surface (whether it be ice, painted concrete, sport/whatever court, etc), therefore off ice training can never be a replacement for proper training sessions.

I dont see that you can really screw yourself up by using stickhandling balls as an accompanyment to proper training, as long as you acknowledge that you cant do everything with a ball that you can do with a puck. For those things you can do, its better than nothing.

[reyno2ac 0]

IMO, no matter what off ice surface you use, you will never be able to mimick the speed/characteristics of a puck travelling across your chosen playing surface (whether it be ice, painted concrete, sport/whatever court, etc), therefore off ice training can never be a replacement for proper training sessions.

I completely agree but like you said the motions still translate.

[Darkbyte 0]

I completely agree but like you said the motions still translate.

Exactly.

[SolarWind 23]

muscle memory is an interesting thing to screw around with - I just wouldn't do it since correcting an established pattern is a royal pain in the rear!

getting a inexpensive home made training pad & stickhandling on it with a real puck was the answer to me personally

[Darkbyte 0]

muscle memory is an interesting thing to screw around with - I just wouldn't do it since correcting an established pattern is a royal pain in the rear!

Thats fair enough. Im sure it takes 10 times as long to undo something that you have learned to do incorrectly.

IMO, you either like it or you dont. It would be a boring world if we all agreed!

[Chappie 0]

muscle memory is an interesting thing to screw around with - I just wouldn't do it since correcting an established pattern is a royal pain in the rear!

getting a inexpensive home made training pad & stickhandling on it with a real puck was the answer to me personally

could you link me to such a thing? I have not ever seen an at home training pad!

[armada 0]

Solar I'm going to have to agree with you. I've used the ball all summer and when I went on the ice this fall and tried the same moves it was a little disappointing. The biggest problems were controlling the slipperiness of the puck, the difference of cupping the puck and doing the stickhandling while moving. I would say about 50% of the skill translated to the ice, the other got left with the ball. None the less it's better then not doing anything.

[texspeleo 0]

link

[Chappie 0]

Thanks man! :)

[SolarWind 23]

muscle memory is an interesting thing to screw around with - I just wouldn't do it since correcting an established pattern is a royal pain in the rear!

getting a inexpensive home made training pad & stickhandling on it with a real puck was the answer to me personally

could you link me to such a thing? I have not ever seen an at home training pad!

just search - lots of topics here! and commercial pads aren't any "better" then the ones you can make yourself since you can just buy the same meterial

BTW many people on the site use HDPE - what I found recently is that there're widely available plastics with lower coefficient of friction that are better for the pad

[Chappie 0]

Alright... so that's a lot of info to digest at once... lol i must search into this I guess.