Good for my stickhandling?

[slightlystoopid]

I'm going to sports authority tommorow to buy a smart puck, but if they don't have it, is a roller hockey puck a good alternative? It looks fine to me, but I'd like to see what you all think.

 

[SoundwaveIsCharisma]

I found the golf ball helped my stickhandling a lot just because it bounces off the stick so much faster, it forces you to develop softer, hands in the sense that if you're stiffly handling the golfball it'll go all over the place, whereas if you learn to cradle, and neatly one-touch the golf ball you can do crazy things.

Also try to keep your feet moving. For me personally I dribbled a soccer ball from foot to foot as I'd do my stickhandling excercise. It kinda resemble skating and if nothing else gets your brain used to stickhandling as you're moving.

I also highly recommend the smart ball, they've got more heft to them (basically puck weight) and they have a really weird center of gravity to them that does feel a lot like a puck. Anyways, the biggest difference maker is practice, practice, practice.

Good luck with your endeavors.

 

[TBLfan]

the gold ball feels a lot like a wooden hockey ball, but the wooden hockey ball rolls straight(doesn't have dimples to effect it) and it bounces less. It's a bit larger than a golf ball too.

 

[Backstrom #19]

Maybe try this stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji1LfPPnvuk

 

[Whiplash27]

Maybe try this stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji1LfPPnvuk

That's all from Sean Skinner's stickhandling beyond belief video series. I have the whole thing, it's pretty awesome. Except in those videos he tells you how to do everything and it's much more of a progression to get there.

 

[Backstrom #19]

That's all from Sean Skinner's stickhandling beyond belief video series. I have the whole thing, it's pretty awesome. Except in those videos he tells you how to do everything and it's much more of a progression to get there.

Some of the stuff he does is amazing, i might check out the full video series.

 

[Boja]

Years ago my friend lived on the same street as Wojtek Wolski in Mississauga, and he went to school with him for a few years. I remember he told me that Wojtek used to go outside onto the road and stickhandle a golf ball all the time. He asked why and Wojtek gave the same reply that is here, that it has similar physics to a puck on ice.

 

[McNasty]

Practice is the best thing you can do. I would suggest a smart puck or a roller hockey puck.

 

[Whiplash27]

roller hockey is a very tough transition from ice I've noticed. It is good to just practice on if you have something like the attack triangle:
http://www.epuck.com/webapp/wcs/sto...1&categoryId=891822&parent_category_rn=891747
Where you can practice moves and such at a moving speed on a target of some sort instead of just a cone or something.

However, roller hockey is tough in that first off if you're playing on asphalt it kills the blade of your stick. I just taped my stick and after like an hour of roller hockey the tape was completely ripped off.

Also, skating is so much different. I can't back skate at all on roller blades and you can't cut or stop quick and it's very hard to power skate... it's quite hard. I don't know how people do it.

 

[crashlanding]

asphalt

This is your problem right there. Playing on asphalt is fun but it is no way like ice or proper roller hockey at all. You can't play with a wooden blade on asphalt, you need an ABS blade. Skating backwards should be similar but you can't expect to cut like you can on ice.

If you played on wood, sport court, or even smooth concrete it would be a very different story.

 

[Backstrom #19]

roller hockey is a very tough transition from ice I've noticed. It is good to just practice on if you have something like the attack triangle:
http://www.epuck.com/webapp/wcs/sto...1&categoryId=891822&parent_category_rn=891747
Where you can practice moves and such at a moving speed on a target of some sort instead of just a cone or something.

However, roller hockey is tough in that first off if you're playing on asphalt it kills the blade of your stick. I just taped my stick and after like an hour of roller hockey the tape was completely ripped off.

Also, skating is so much different. I can't back skate at all on roller blades and you can't cut or stop quick and it's very hard to power skate... it's quite hard. I don't know how people do it.

Roller hockey on Asphalt is harder, that's why it's good to train during the off-season on it. You have to skate harder to go fast and the puck rolls, it helps with your skating on the ice by skating on asphalt.

 

[Jeffw-13]

Here's about 20 off ice stick handling drills (with video) from the USA Hockey National Development Team.
http://www.usahockey.com/ntdp/ntdp_features/main/ntdp/off_ice_drills_home//

One suggestion I'd make is to use a stick without tape on the blade. The tape will make the stick blade 'roll over' the ball.

 

[MacBeatsPang]

One suggestion I'd make is to use a stick without tape on the blade. The tape will make the stick blade 'roll over' the ball.

Very good advice. I occasionally play a pickup roller game using a ball and I have to switch from the stick I use for roller hockey with a puck (it has a tacki-mac attack pad on the blade) to one without any tape or covering. Otherwise the ball gets "stuck" between the stick blade and the floor and won't glide while you're stickhandling. I don't have that problem when practicing with a smarthockey ball or a wooden ball, but I imagine it depends on the surface you're practicing on. I use a SkillPad and it works fine.

 

[Whiplash27]

Is this the move you are talking about. You might have to watch a commercial 1st.

http://www.nhl.com/video/app?compon...10_save.wmv&sp=20062007&sp=211&sp=3&sp=SSaves

Was able to pull it off in a pick-up game yesterday and split through like 3 guys (was 3 v 3). Almost scored right after too, heh.

IDK if I'll want to try it in a real game, though, I have to get more comfortable doing it.

 

[Backstrom #19]

Was able to pull it off in a pick-up game yesterday and split through like 3 guys (was 3 v 3). Almost scored right after too, heh.

IDK if I'll want to try it in a real game, though, I have to get more comfortable doing it.

yeah i'm the same way, i use it during practice and pick-up games but i think i have barely used it during games i don't want to look stupid.

 

[Backstrom #19]

Try a Krokay(sp) ball i tried it today it's all right.

 

[brother52]

I practiced with SmartHockey ball for some time and it helped. But I found it way too different and too forgiving to realy learn to stickhandle a puck with it. Now I bought a sheet of white plastic, a silicone spray lubricant and a light (blue) puck - and it's so much better. You only need to lubricate the puck and the blade (use no tape) very-very little, and here you go. I also taped the puck with a plastic tape on the side, so it has an even lesser chance to roll. Regular puck also works, but slides slower, so I prefer a light (half-weight) one. Might be not as perfect as artifical ice, but cheap, and much more realistic than any ball.