Learn to play inline hockey


Off-seanson on Dry Land

Improving ones hockey skills does not alwaysput a large rectangle of tape on the wall
entail practicing drills on the ice. Therewith the corners marked as targets. Try to
are always some practice time away from thecopy the dimensions in this diagram. Another
rink that can enhance your ability for whenidea is to transpose this diagram onto a
you are on the ice and moving at full speed.piece of plywood, which can be transported to
A couple of critical aspects of stickwhere  you  want  to  practice.
handling is the ability to control the puck
through your peripheral sight and feel; withOnce you have this shooting target, you can
the feel of the puck on the stick being thebegin to repeated shoot for the corners with
most important aspect because it enables youyour various shots. A way for you to see
to concentrate your vision on watching outwhere your shots hit is to dampen the wrapped
for where you are headed, as well as forball with water, which should leave a water
where your teammates are at on the ice. A fewmark where it hits; the water also adds to
of these drills might seem improbable ofthe ball's weight since it is not as heavy as
enhancing your skill but the drills arean ice puck. This drill should not be rushed
designed for repetition of movement whichbecause you want to assign a number of direct
forms a foundation for your hand-to-eyehits to each corner triangle (15 per corner)
coordination.before shooting at the next corner. The
higher the number of direct hits you assign
An example of a short drill as noted by Miketo each corner will gradually lead to an
Hartman and Sam Mercurio in 'STAY IN SHAPEincrease of your hand-to-eye coordination
BUT HAVE FUN' is to "work on little thingsbecause you are not just haphazardly shooting
like stickhandling. Take out a golf ball andat a goal. You need to take your time to aim
stickhandle in the driveway for an hour orat each target mentally, locate the ball, and
so. Controlling the golf ball will furtherthen shoot at the target while your is head
enhance your hand-eye coordination and,up looking at it. Hitting the corner
again, you will be amazed at the differencesuccessfully while your head is up will also
when you step back onto the ice in the fall"increase your confidence and feel for
( For all practical purposes, all you needshooting by relying on your peripheral
for stick handling improvement is your hockeyvision. You can call it looking out of the
stick and something to hit. Common choicescorner  of  you eyes, or how you see the ice.
for something to hit can be: golf ball (as
stated before), tennis ball, roller hockeyBattling the off season blues should not be
ball or puck, racket or hand ball, or anywasted by laying around watching TV or
comparable sized object in your vicinity.playing video games. You could take the
Balls tend to work the best for drills offinitiative to improve your stickhandling and
the ice because the ball naturally returns toshooting aim by practicing these fun, basic
the shooter, depending on where you arefundamental drills mentioned in this article.
practicing.You could come up with a new drill of your
own that builds your own confidence. The main
Another fun drill to practice is to take apoint is to take some quality time in
hockey stick, a tennis ball wrapped inpracticing stickhandling and shooting. The
1-layer of hockey tape to lessen the bounce,more often you practice, the easier and more
a brick wall, and something to mark the wallnatural handling a ball or puck will become
with. Chalk can be used on the wall, but youto you. The benefits you will receive from
do not want someone accusing you offthis diligent practice will be realized when
graffiti; therefore, it is best to take someyou return to the ice for the beginning of
hockey tape and stick it on the wall. If younext season. Your teammates will be really
want the exact dimension of a regulationpleased that you took the time off the ice
goal, 72"x48" what most goals opening areand used it to your and their advantage.
scaled at; however, for your purposes, just



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