Teaching a six year-old how to raise the puck

[Filthy Dangles]

I mean 6 is young, not something i'd really worry about too much

6 year olds who can really lift it and shelf it are probably bordering on prodigious at that age.

 

[DannyGallivan]

As regards the original question, I’m amazed that someone so young is learning to lift the puck, but I guess hockey is a big sport in North America, unlike in my country.

Most 6 year-olds can't raise the puck, but there's always one or two on each team who can. He'll be seven in a week, and the good news is... he can now raise the puck.

This summer has been mostly golf and bike riding, but I have the net in the back yard and one of those plastic sheets that you can buy at Canadian Tire to practice shooting. I use it more than him (cuz shooting at a net is fun and therapeutic), but I've been getting him to shoot heel-to-toe and add a little bit of torque. It worked, and better yet, his shots are nice, level discs... not fluttering lame ducks.

The good thing about the kid is that he's enthusiastic about everything he does. But at this time of year, golf and bike riding are the priorities.

Thanks to all those who added suggestions. Very helpful and illuminating.

 

[I am toxic]

My son is six (almost seven) and is either the best or second best on his team in hockey in terms of skating and puck handling. However, it seems that there are one or two kids on each team who can raise the puck and therefore score a lot of goals. He has a nice shot along the ice, but there's no way he can get it airborne. He really wants to, but it just isn't clicking with him.

I tell him that there is certainly no rush, and that his skating skills are more important at this time. I also go over the mantra of "work hard and just have fun". He's very competitive, though, and tends to compare himself to other kids. I've tried my best to teach him (for me, it was just an epiphany moment when I was a kid... nobody ever taught me how to raise the puck, it just happened). Any suggestions?

Two things, the second will make a huge difference:

First, get a 20 flex stick. Get it the right length off the rack, or a bit long. Do not get a stick that has to be cut down, you will then have a 30 or 40 flex, which is too high.

Second, understand and apply the design of the shaft, which is intended to flex when the butt end is well in front of the blade - when looking at in profile, the stick should be angled 30 to 45 degrees (butt end way in front, obviously up in the air, while blade is "roofed" on the ice with the bottom of blade flush to the ice surface.

Simply tell your child to make a 45 degree "roof" over the puck. Doing it will naturally force the stick angle.

This achieves two critical things:

One, they will develop proper technique for getting the most out of the flex of the stick later on when they are bigger and heavier, and

Two, (this is helpful for the little guys especially) the roof will push down the back of the puck/lifting the front of the puck such that when they release, the puck is already "pointed" on an upward trajectory. The follow through naturally "unroofs" the puck allowing for a higher shot, and the wrist roll mentioned in an earlier post can be used to get the puck even higher.

To prevent fluttering, shoot from heel releasing towards toe, puck should be spinning.

Get a red (10 oz) puck and a blue(4 oz) puck to go along with the 6 oz black puck. At the beginning of each session take 3 shots with the red puck (no more), then 3 with the blue, then go to the black puck.

The heavy puck forces the shooter to put their weight into it (but tires the wrist muscles quickly so only 3 shots)
The lighter puck allows a small kid to feel what a shot should feel like in terms of speed of release. The black puck puts it all together.

 

[TwineTickler99]

Show him how to roll the wrists.

Start with a light ball -tennis ball. Have him shoot at a wall and observe the results.

If he is lifting, try a heavier ball.

If lifting, try a puck on its edge working the flat and rounded sides.

Finally the puck flat on the ice.

I have been helping my 5 year old learn the game. He started learning to raise in mini hockey and road hockey. As with pucks, his level uses blue pucks, so I always use black pucks when we go to outdoor rinks or free skate with sticks. I also wax his blade for the extra bit of stick to his tape. I give him a little tweak to work on whenever we go out. He can lift it up, but is also also starting to raise a saucer shot. Yesterday he did a drill at practice and at the end of the course he did a pretty hard wrister into the top corner. I was ecstatic! A bit of reps and tweaking of the basics will get them lifting it in no time.

 

[I am toxic]

I have been helping my 5 year old learn the game. He started learning to raise in mini hockey and road hockey. As with pucks, his level uses blue pucks, so I always use black pucks when we go to outdoor rinks or free skate with sticks. I also wax his blade for the extra bit of stick to his tape. I give him a little tweak to work on whenever we go out. He can lift it up, but is also also starting to raise a saucer shot. Yesterday he did a drill at practice and at the end of the course he did a pretty hard wrister into the top corner. I was ecstatic! A bit of reps and tweaking of the basics will get them lifting it in no time.

Nice.

Having coached/watched a lot of H1's (5-6 year olds), my belief is that shooting should be an expectation at that age, if they are strong skaters (ie. having been skating for a couple years already). It takes proper instruction (yeah the strength is not there, but the technique can be), repetition (not lots of time, just a few minutes but a several time a week) and the 20 flex sticks help as well. When my son was in H1, we had a half dozen of these kids on the team, all could shoot high (bar down from in close say the hash marks). We were allowed one real game in that first season (refs etc) called a "banner" game and the other team hadn't trained any of their players as a goalie, so the poor kid in their net lay down on the ice in the hopes of stopping something. It didn't work.

 

[DannyGallivan]

Nice.

Having coached/watched a lot of H1's (5-6 year olds), my belief is that shooting should be an expectation at that age, if they are strong skaters (ie. having been skating for a couple years already). It takes proper instruction (yeah the strength is not there, but the technique can be), repetition (not lots of time, just a few minutes but a several time a week) and the 20 flex sticks help as well. When my son was in H1, we had a half dozen of these kids on the team, all could shoot high (bar down from in close say the hash marks). We were allowed one real game in that first season (refs etc) called a "banner" game and the other team hadn't trained any of their players as a goalie, so the poor kid in their net lay down on the ice in the hopes of stopping something. It didn't work.

Ultimately, my view is that hockey is a skating game first. Shooting is important, but I see that as something that can be developed the other skills. In other words, it's nice to raise the puck, but I'd rather my kid be proficient at speed, agility and puckhandling.

Of course, I'm the one who started this thread because I wanted to give my kid every opportunity to flourish without putting undue pressure on him. Now, at age seven, his favorite shot is the "snap" shot (for him, it's kind of a quarter slap shot), where he can get maximum velocity. On a good shot, the puck will sail about six inches off the ice, but it's the hardness of the shot that I like. He still doesn't roof it, but as I watch these kids I find those shots more "gimmicky" at that age because it's more like a flick than an actual shot. The occasion kid who can raise the puck three feet off the ice with a hard, level shot are the best shooters (but still rare). However, I just want my kid to get used to picking the corners just inside the post, even if it's along the ice, as long as it's a good hard shot.

 

[I am toxic]

Ultimately, my view is that hockey is a skating game first. Shooting is important, but I see that as something that can be developed the other skills. In other words, it's nice to raise the puck, but I'd rather my kid be proficient at speed, agility and puckhandling.

Of course, I'm the one who started this thread because I wanted to give my kid every opportunity to flourish without putting undue pressure on him. Now, at age seven, his favorite shot is the "snap" shot (for him, it's kind of a quarter slap shot), where he can get maximum velocity. On a good shot, the puck will sail about six inches off the ice, but it's the hardness of the shot that I like. He still doesn't roof it, but as I watch these kids I find those shots more "gimmicky" at that age because it's more like a flick than an actual shot. The occasion kid who can raise the puck three feet off the ice with a hard, level shot are the best shooters (but still rare). However, I just want my kid to get used to picking the corners just inside the post, even if it's along the ice, as long as it's a good hard shot.

Fully agree - shooting is more of a late-development activity, while skating is an early-development activity and should be the focus at that age.


But I am a bit biased, as my kid was a final cut as a player from our AAA peeweee team last year, largely because of his shot (we had lengthy discussions with the HC of the AAA team) - he had done AAA as a goalie for 4 years so we were behind on that aspect of his skills. Normally it wouldn't have been a big deal but the B team that he landed on had some issues . . . should have been a great place for him to develop but it didn't work out.

 

[Yukon Joe]

Of course, I'm the one who started this thread because I wanted to give my kid every opportunity to flourish without putting undue pressure on him. Now, at age seven, his favorite shot is the "snap" shot (for him, it's kind of a quarter slap shot), where he can get maximum velocity. On a good shot, the puck will sail about six inches off the ice, but it's the hardness of the shot that I like. He still doesn't roof it, but as I watch these kids I find those shots more "gimmicky" at that age because it's more like a flick than an actual shot. The occasion kid who can raise the puck three feet off the ice with a hard, level shot are the best shooters (but still rare). However, I just want my kid to get used to picking the corners just inside the post, even if it's along the ice, as long as it's a good hard shot.

My third year coaching that age range, and yes - several of the kids figure out how to "flip" the puck up into the net. I mean it works great for them as little kids, where the goalie is probably just sprawled out on the ice to try and stop pucks, but I always worry it builds bad habits.

That being said, coaching that age I'll spend a lot more time on skating and passing, and not much at all on shooting.

 

[TwineTickler99]

i am now sitting in the fence of proper shaft size for a strong handle on the stick. I bought a stick handling practice ball and I noticed if he shot it his stick would collapse back bringing a weak shot with no lift. Considering if maybe having the larger shaft junior stick might make it easier to have a strong grip to prevent the collapsing. It’s not so bad when he’s on the ice at practice as they use the blue puck at his age, but I practice with him using a black puck to help his wrist strength. Just trying to see how I can help his progression, I guess!

Nice.

Having coached/watched a lot of H1's (5-6 year olds), my belief is that shooting should be an expectation at that age, if they are strong skaters (ie. having been skating for a couple years already). It takes proper instruction (yeah the strength is not there, but the technique can be), repetition (not lots of time, just a few minutes but a several time a week) and the 20 flex sticks help as well. When my son was in H1, we had a half dozen of these kids on the team, all could shoot high (bar down from in close say the hash marks). We were allowed one real game in that first season (refs etc) called a "banner" game and the other team hadn't trained any of their players as a goalie, so the poor kid in their net lay down on the ice in the hopes of stopping something. It didn't work.

 

[puckpilot]

i am now sitting in the fence of proper shaft size for a strong handle on the stick. I bought a stick handling practice ball and I noticed if he shot it his stick would collapse back bringing a weak shot with no lift. Considering if maybe having the larger shaft junior stick might make it easier to have a strong grip to prevent the collapsing. It’s not so bad when he’s on the ice at practice as they use the blue puck at his age, but I practice with him using a black puck to help his wrist strength. Just trying to see how I can help his progression, I guess!

When you say collapse, do you mean the stick is bending? If that's the case, that's what's supposed to be happening. You flex the stick to generate power. And if his technique needs work, it will just dribble along the ice. You do not want to give him a stick that's too stiff.

 

[TwineTickler99]

When you say collapse, do you mean the stick is bending? If that's the case, that's what's supposed to be happening. You flex the stick to generate power. And if his technique needs work, it will just dribble along the ice. You do not want to give him a stick that's too stiff.

No, i meant that the tip of his blade doesn’t stay “up and down” so to speak. It falls back under the weight of the puck/weighted ball. I was just wondering if a thicker shaft with more defined edges would make it easier to get a strong grip so that it wouldn’t “roll” in his grasp when he was shooting something with more weight. Don’t know if that is clearer. I know what you mean on flex of the stick. That’s not the issue he’s experiencing. It’s the connection of the weight he is applying to his shot disconnecting once it has to move the weight of the puck. I think it’s grip of the stick that is the issue.