CLICK HERE TO SEE A VIDEO OF THE DRILL

Welcome to our eighth Drill of the Week powered by Kenny Brandt and SkilledAdvantageHockey.com. In the first seven lessons we followed a stick-handling progression, starting off the ice at the “Rookie” level and advancing weekly with drills that built upon one another until we got to the “Pro” level and were doing our work on the ice. If you missed that progression you can start from the beginning and follow it all the way through each of the seven lessons by using the links below: 

Click Here for Drill of the Week 1. 

Click Here for Drill of the Week 2.

Click Here for Drill of the Week 3. 

Click Here for Drill of the Week 4.

Click Here for Drill of the Week 5.

Click Here for Drill of the Week 6.

Click Here for Drill of the Week 7.

Feel free to go back and try the previous drills if necessary so you can catch up, or you can start from scratch here this week as we take it back off the ice for a “Rookie” level drill. Mastering this drill will allow you to move on to whatever Kenny has in store for us next week.

The details about the eighth drill in our weekly series also can be found below, and the accompanying video of the drill being performed is posted each week on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Make sure to follow @KBDangles on Instagram and to check out the Skilled Advantage Hockey website for more great video content and lessons.

Also, if you shoot a video of yourself doing the drill and post it on Instagram, tagging @KBDangles and @MYHockeyRanking, you will be eligible to win a free membership to www.SkilledAdvantageHockey.com. 

As mentioned previously, we head back off the ice to provide you with more stickhandling building blocks with this week’s drill.

The great thing about the off-ice drills is that if you’re watching a game or movie on TV, you can get your stickhandling board or stickhandling ball and practice the drills while trying to watch. You also can do them while you’re waiting for your turn to play a video game. In fact, doing the drills – once you are comfortable and can do them properly – while watching TV will help you learn to play with your head up when you stickhandle on the ice. 

After perfecting this drill and working on it in your free time away from practice, you should be ready to ramp it up and take your new moves to the ice and to execute whatever drills we post in future weeks. 

As always, a word of warning, though. You must practice the right way to see positive results.

You shouldn’t be able to look up while performing these drills right away. Don’t rush a drill the first few times you try it. It’s not a race. Practicing the drill properly is the only way to improve. If you take shortcuts and don’t follow the pattern as you see it in the video or if you don’t try all the variations, you’re not going to see positive results. You can practice all you want, but if you practice the wrong way or don’t put the proper effort into what you are doing, you’ll never see the improvement you seek.

People who look for results from diets and exercise programs often veer from the course because they don’t like a certain food, don’t feel like taking the time to prepare or buy the required foods or don’t like a certain exercise. Instead, they substitute something else or just ignore what they are supposed to do. Ultimately, they don’t get the results they want or aren’t patient enough to wait for the results, get frustrated and give up.

Don’t be that person.   

Take your time. Read the drill description. Watch the video. Imitate the movements and try to perform the drill exactly as you see it. Go slow so you can do it properly. It’s okay if you mess up, because that means it’s a skill you haven’t mastered and that you are learning something new. 

You only get better by doing things that are outside your comfort zone. As you get better at the drill and get the feel of the movements, you certainly can speed up a little bit, but even more important you can start to pick your head up and see whatever is in front of you as you do the drill. This will help make it second nature for you to pick your head up and be able to see the ice when you carry the puck or stickhandle in game situations.

 

Don’t Forget to Join Our Contest!

As an added bonus, if you record yourself doing this drill on video and post it on Instagram and tag both @KBDangles and @MYHockeyRanking, you will be entered into a drawing to win a free month’s membership to the Skilled Advantage Hockey Website!

 

CLICK HERE TO SEE A VIDEO OF THE DRILL

 

Drill of the Week #8

Wide Figure Eight

Category: Stickhandling Progression 2

Level: 1 - Rookie 

 

Variations: 3

Middle

Forehand

Backhand

 

Reps: Complete 8-12 reps, take a break and try again.

Materials Needed: Three pucks – two as obstacles and one to handle.

 

Drill Mechanics:

The video shows all three variations. The first variation is preformed out in front of you with your body centered between two pucks that are placed out about 4-5 feet apart. They should at a distance away from your body where you can maneuver the puck around them by reaching slightly beyond the distance at which you might normally prefer to handle the puck.

Perform 8-12 reps out in front of the middle of your body then take a break before moving to the forehand. After 8-12 forehand reps it’s time to try the backhand variation.

Doing each variation properly will help you get used to keeping your hands away from the body and to become more comfortable once you get on the ice as far as your ability to attack the defense from any angle or adjust your handle based on how the defense plays you.

 

Drill Breakdown:

• Place two pucks about 4-5 feet apart out in front of you for the middle variation. They should be at a distance where you have to reach forward slightly beyond where you normally might handle the puck. You will handle the third puck. 

• The two pucks should be placed about the same distance apart and in the same location for the forehand variation. You will just turn your body so that you are emphasizing the movement on your forehand side. Once you have completed the forehand reps, turn your body appropriately again to allow yourself to work on the backhand variation. Watch the video to make sure you are clear on the puck positioning and how to execute the drill properly for each variation.

• For this drill it is important to have a strong, firm top hand and a loose bottom hand to facilitate proper movement and execution. If you really want to ramp up the difficulty and give your hands and forearms a workout, try the drill only using your top hand.

• Start with the puck at the center of your body and move it with your forehand to a spot outside the puck on your backhand side. Then, using your backhand, pull the puck back around the puck and in between the two pucks using your backhand. Continue that movement to a point outside of the puck on the other side of your body before working the puck around that puck and back toward the center using your forehand.

• Repeat for 8-12 repetitions then try the next variation.

• Imitate the movements you see them in the video for the forehand and backhand variations.

• Make sure to perform the drill in the middle of your body, on the forehand side and on the backhand side.

 

Good luck and have fun!