Faceoff techniques?

[kovalchuk71 212]

I'm curious to hear what your guys faceoff strategys are? I'm looking to improve my winning percentage and could use some ideas...

[dumbpolak9 1]

get bottom hand low

[n3ss 0]

like ^^^ said, bottom hand low, eyes on the hand/puck.

i won a few faceoffs tonight more or less like that^^

[kovalchuk71 212]

Nvm.

[SuperMan3 1]

Just as the the ref lets go of the puck turn your body so you can get position on the puck, try to tie up the other player, if you can do that you can either kick it back, or if a teammate is watching, assist you by grabbing the loose puck.

[yrhmblnr8r 69]

I've found a lot of refs raise their hand ever so slightly before throwing the puck down. I start my move as soon as I see the start of the twitch.

[Law Goalie 147]

Just as you see the hand twitch, scream like a banshee - works at least once.

[junior 1]

I like to get my bottom hand low as well as my top hand. I'm in a crouch, very low. I find this wins a lot more face offs, but puts you in a bad postion if you lose.

[regularjoe 1]

I've only played C league ice and some ball/dek hockey but have compiled this info based on players/coaches I've talked to so take this information for what it's worth.

The 1st thing you have to decide is your intent.

Intent to win.

Intent to lose.

Intent to tie.

Intent to win.

Who do you want to win it to? Most guys try to draw it back but I like to vary it, like if see a mismatch on the wing where I know my guy is clearly better than their guy. I don't even have to win it cleanly, just slap it in that general vicinity. A lot of guys turn their bottom hand over to gain more leverage but I don't so I can disguise my intentions better and keep the forehand as an option. I do choke both hands down lower on the stick though. However, I think you need a good idea of where you want to go with it.

Intent to lose.

Sometimes you want to lose the draw on purpose so the other center doesn't get a fix on your rhythm. In the neutral zone, sometimes I will just let the other guy win it now and then.

Intent to tie.

If the other guy is just hammering you in the dot, another alternative depending on how tightly your refs call the game is just to skate into the other guy and tie him up so your wingers can come in and "win" the draw.

Other important things include looking at the puck in the ref's hand all the way down and also get a feel for how the ref drops the puck. Some drop it softly, others chuck it down so the puck/ball bounces. That plays into your timing and what your alternatives are.

[sitzlejd 0]

I try to shove my stick forward so the shaft goes under the other guy's shaft, then come back.

[Rocketking 0]

Its a combo of strength and quickness.

I was taught to look for the refs hand and try to trigger your movement when you see his hand muscle begin to flex to release the puck.

Aside from getting the jump, there are few substitutes for having strong hands.

[Chadd 916]

I've found a lot of refs raise their hand ever so slightly before throwing the puck down. I start my move as soon as I see the start of the twitch.

With the guys working my games you can pass through the dot two or three times before the puck hits the ice. As a winger though, that should be your key to start moving.

As for the original question; It all depends on what hand the other guy is, how good he is, what he wants to do and how well the ref drops the puck. My favorite move is to chip the puck at my left winger right off the draw, especially if the other center is a lefty. It really opens up the LW side of the ice for me.

[yrhmblnr8r 69]

I've also iced the puck on a draw in my own end on the penalty kill. The opposing center is usually trying to win that draw back to his D so he is already working in that direction. He won't see it coming and it takes a good 15-20 seconds off the clock.

+1 for choking down with both hands. Shortens the lever of your stick to increase power and quickness.

Resist the natural urge to over-reach for the puck. If you're trying to win the puck back and it is going to land 6" in front of you, don't reach 10" and sweep. Just reach the 6" you need.

[Chadd 916]

+1 for choking down with both hands. Shortens the lever of your stick to increase power and quickness.

Shortening the lever doesn't really increase your speed or quickness on a draw. If you need to move the stick 12" to win the faceoff, you can move your bottom hand 12" if you hold down low or you can move it 4" if you hold up higher.

[kovyperron5727 0]

Its a combo of strength and quickness.

I was taught to look for the refs hand and try to trigger your movement when you see his hand muscle begin to flex to release the puck.

Aside from getting the jump, there are few substitutes for having strong hands.

Bingo. I win most of my faceoffs and thats one of the things I do. That and practice.. I used to get a coach with a bunch of pucks and do it repeatedly to help my quickness.

Another tidbit of advice I got from a pro player who used to come out to my practices- always try to cheat on it.. When you line up, get your stick as far into the dot at the last second. I can honestly say it works up to 60 percent, but for the other 40 its more about watching his hand as opposed to the other sixty.

However if in the draw in my Defensive zone and its late, I'll just do all means necessary to tie the guy up and shield the puck from the opposite player and try to leave the puck sitting for my Dman behind me

[rebel96 0]

One technique I've been told is to set up your stick with the shaft almost vertical with just the top end of your blade on the ice. Your top hand should be high on the shaft (on your grip or just below it) exerting alot of pressure downwards (keep the elbow of your top arm high). In your setup you must find the point where you can put as much downwards pressure on the stick without the blade sliding forwards. Once the ref drops the puck all you have to do is exceed that threshold and your blade will slip forwards with great acceleration. With a little practice on setup and control this can work really well.

[adam14 182]

If you're a righty vs lefty, put youyr bottom hand on the same side of the shaft as the top hand, and when the puck drops, push your blade behind his, then pull back from under his heel, lifting his stick and taking the puck.

As a center it is your job to line guys up accorfing to how you play the faceoff. In the defensive zone, it shoould be common knowledge to always win the faceoff towards the corner, so place a dman there.

If you're trying to win a faceoff on the forehand, using you're stick isn't enough, you need to pivot, as a righty on your left foot allowing your right foot to arch through the faceoff dot as you gain control of the puck.

[tro 4]

The first thing I do is size up my opponent on the 1st draw of the game, what kind of draw guy is he.

A banger or a quick draw. The guy who likes to bash his stick down and tries to smack the puck and your stick as hard as possible is the guy I have the most difficulty with and I will usually try and block his stick and tie him up, let your feet or your teamates get the puck out. Or tip & jump forward.

For the quick draw, the kind of center I am, I wait for him to line up and see where he wants to go with it and then try to undercut his move.

I get low with my body and my hands, being low can leave you in a tough position if the guy jumps forward on you, I have been taken a couple of times. But for the most part being low, so my eyes are level with the refs hand is key for me.

And with anything PRACTICE, get your girl or a friend to drop pucks for you at home, or

get a teammate to drop some pucks for you in warmup

[dw91 0]

My suggestions are: get as low as possible to the ice, and dont turn your bottom hand over

[starsfan71 9]

If you wear a cage it's a lot easier because you can be a lot more reckless.

1.Get your legs wide and get down low.

2.Get your bottom hand as low as possible

3. Get your edges deep into the ice.

4. Turn as fast as possible as the puck drops.

This video helps A LOT

[yrhmblnr8r 69]

+1 for choking down with both hands. Shortens the lever of your stick to increase power and quickness.

Shortening the lever doesn't really increase your speed or quickness on a draw. If you need to move the stick 12" to win the faceoff, you can move your bottom hand 12" if you hold down low or you can move it 4" if you hold up higher.

Fair enough. Physics is obviously not my strong suit.

My point was just that it feels easier to me to sweep forward when I'm choked down on the stick. It may just be a PP thing, though, based on some of the other replies to this post.

[Chadd 916]

+1 for choking down with both hands. Shortens the lever of your stick to increase power and quickness.

Shortening the lever doesn't really increase your speed or quickness on a draw. If you need to move the stick 12" to win the faceoff, you can move your bottom hand 12" if you hold down low or you can move it 4" if you hold up higher.

Fair enough. Physics is obviously not my strong suit.

My point was just that it feels easier to me to sweep forward when I'm choked down on the stick. It may just be a PP thing, though, based on some of the other replies to this post.

You absolutely have more power, but not speed. The other thing to factor in is what the other guy is doing. Being able to lose a draw in the direction you want can make a huge difference.

[chk hrd 164]

My suggestions are: get as low as possible to the ice, and dont turn your bottom hand over

Only turn your bottom hand over if you want to try and win the draw by pulling the puck back on your backhand side. If your not trying to do that than keep your hand in the regulr position. It gives you more options on the draw and you don't need to take your hand off the stick to reset it after the draw.

[Chadd 916]

My suggestions are: get as low as possible to the ice, and dont turn your bottom hand over

Only turn your bottom hand over if you want to try and win the draw by pulling the puck back on your backhand side. If your not trying to do that than keep your hand in the regulr position. It gives you more options on the draw and you don't need to take your hand off the stick to reset it after the draw.

It's also a dead giveaway to the other guy. It's great if you can over power him but you better hope he doesn't beat you on quickness.

[BlackIce 1]

If you wear a cage it's a lot easier because you can be a lot more reckless.

1.Get your legs wide and get down low.

2.Get your bottom hand as low as possible

3. Get your edges deep into the ice.

4. Turn as fast as possible as the puck drops.

This video helps A LOT

Thanks for posting the video. I never realized how low their bottom hand is to the ice.