Kovy_Ribs' infamous video

[ktang 34]

From what I finally got to see, Kovy uses the Quebec way of dribbling the puck; as the puck comes to the right, he sends it back to the left by moving the blade toe to the left, and vice versa, with wrist action. Or, at least that's what I think I see...

[Kovy_Ribs_Fedo 3]

I didn't know there was a Quebce way of dribbling.

[gavin 0]

From what I finally got to see, Kovy uses the Quebec way of dribbling the puck; as the puck comes to the right, he sends it back to the left by moving the blade toe to the left, and vice versa, with wrist action. Or, at least that's what I think I see...

That's not the "Quebecois" way of doing it so much as it's the "right" way to do it.

[Langenbrunner15 0]

That is just the right way of doing it..

[ktang 34]

You guys are young, but it used to be taught the other way; cupping the puck, too. We had a coach from Ontario (back in the 70's) who wanted us to switch the way we dribbled.

Last year I was teaching stickhandling, and one of the other coaches insisted on doing it the other way, probably because that was how he learned it. But, he thought the wingers should stay along their boards all the time, too.

[Langenbrunner15 0]

I wonder how I do it...mhm..

will have a video when I have time to do so..

[Jbone 0]

Ok I'm sorry for posting these here but your videos inspired me and I didn't think it would be necessary to make a new thread, but if need be, by all means I will.

BUT

Here are some vids I took of me.

[Adam91 0]

First one was really hard to see, second one looked really good

[Jbone 0]

It was dark out when I filmed them. But what can you do?

[Kovy_Ribs_Fedo 3]

Please don't post them here guys, post them in phots of yourself or start a new topic.

[Jbone 0]

Alright.

[JR Boucicaut 3803]

Please don't post them here guys, post them in phots of yourself or start a new topic.

Just wait man...just wait til I get drunk, and have access to a digicam...short shorts and long socks...haha

[Langenbrunner15 0]

Ok...

JR- PLEASE warn us befoer you do it....I am too young to be mentally scared...

[gavin 0]

You guys are young, but it used to be taught the other way; cupping the puck, too. We had a coach from Ontario (back in the 70's) who wanted us to switch the way we dribbled.

Last year I was teaching stickhandling, and one of the other coaches insisted on doing it the other way, probably because that was how he learned it. But, he thought the wingers should stay along their boards all the time, too.

I'm very interested to understand what you mean by "cupping" the puck, I guess all I know is the technique that Kovy is using here.

[ktang 34]

OK, I've thought about how to explain this, hope this works. If only I had a video camera!

We were taught by coaches who learned the game in the '50s and '60s. They used short straight-blade sticks with flat bottoms on the blades, and a true angle (not rounded) where the bottom of the blades met the shaft.

To cup the puck with a straight blade, you absorb the puck's movement by placing the top of the blade over the puck. So, viewed at ice level, the blade looks like this:

/ m \

as the puck moves side-to-side (the "m" is the puck).

However, as you do this quickly by rolling the wrists without moving your arms, the toe of the blade doesn't move as much as the heel. So, viewed from the top, the blade looks like this:

/\

and it is the heel moving from side-to-side that dribbles the puck.

For a long time the instruction manuals taught "rolling the wrists". Because there wasn't much video available, the technique above was interpreted by the majority of coaches. It's a slower way to dribble, because you have to move your forearms, too.

There is a recent Hockey Canada video that shows that fast dribbling with the technique above causes the puck to bounce, because the bottom of the blade lifts the bottom of the puck as it is sent back and forth.

As the heel of the blade moves the puck back to the other side, at the end of contact the blade looks like this from ice level:

\ m /

which explains the bouncing.

Fast forward to today, and the kids who were taught that technique are now coaches themselves, and teaching it this way to the next generation of players.

--------------------

You don't see Kovy-Ribs-Fedo's puck bounce, and probably yours either, because you use the technique where the toe moves more than the heel. The blade stays more upright. Viewed at ice level, the blade looks like this when the puck arrives:

| m |

or slightly

\ m /

and like this when the puck leaves:

/ m \

You can dribble faster this way because you don't move the forearms very much: everything is in the twisting motion.

[Hockeyman9621 0]

Now your gonna confuse people. It doesn't matter how you stick handle, as long as it's nice and smooooooth. :)

[Patrick67 1]

Nice and smooth with a goal scoring touch. ;)

[kovalchuk71 212]

Hey Kovy_Ribs, how much of your blade is off the ice when you stickhandle?

[Kovy_Ribs_Fedo 3]

not a lot, I stickhandle mostly on my mid-heel.

Edit:

If you mean the toe of my blade, my toe is 2 inches off the ice when I stickhandle.

[kovalchuk71 212]

Kovy_Ribs, How long did it actually take you to be able to do that?

[Dougie8 0]

Jbone, the first one, was kinda hard to see but it still looked sick.

The second one was really good.

What are you using, the first one looked like one of those orange/hard road hockey balls.

[Neo5370 132]

Does anyone handle with the mid-toe to toe part of their blade or is using the mid to mid-heel the "proper" way?

[Roach 0]

Isn't this determined by the 'sweet spot' or where the blade curves? At least to me it has.

If I have a mid or toe curve I will handle at the mid point of the blade, but if I had a heel curve such as Kovy, it would be at the heel portion. I wouldn't handle at the toe, for fear of losing the puck

That's what I thought too.

[ktang 34]

I think if you have a toe curve, you would still handle mostly with the heel and use the toe only on the drags. The heel and mid in a toe curve blade is mostly flat, so these parts are good for stickhandling.

I think it also depends on the style of stickhandling. If you dribble it like Kovy_Ribs_Fedo, you would use mostly the heel and you can even keep the toe slightly in the air. If you dribble it like Quintin, you would use the middle of the blade.

Quintin's stickhandling

[Kovy_Ribs_Fedo 3]

I think if you have a toe curve, you would still handle mostly with the heel and use the toe only on the drags. The heel and mid in a toe curve blade is mostly flat, so these parts are good for stickhandling.

Exactly, toe curve, heel curve, mid curve, it doesn't matter you still stickhandle mostly with the heel. Of course, if you have that big Lidstrom curve, you'll have to stickhandle at the very beginning of the blade.