Using A Hockey Stick Correctly

There are two basic skills and talents in ice hockey - stick handling and skating. The first thing to consider with stickhandling is to know whether the hockey stick you are using is the right one for you.

While there is no best material or best shape for a hockey stick, the most important thing to look for in a stick is that it should have as much of the stick blade on the ice as possible. This is called the stick lie. To verify this on your stick, look at the wear on the edge of your stick blade. It would be evenly worn-out all along the middle. If it is uneven, along the toe, or at the heel, you might want a different stick, one with a different 'lie number'.

There are some players like Wayne Gretzky, who play hunched over a bit and take a lower lie number, such as a five, while those who skate upright use higher lie numbers. The stick needs to be long enough for one to feel comfortable while one deals with passes, and if you try with different sticks, you'd realise this yourself. Experiment a bit with other sticks, choose the best one for yourself and your own style of playing. There is an old rule that a stick needs to come up to your chin. This is just an estimate, not a hard and fast rule. Another rule is, that 'the younger a player, the less curved the stick'. This is there as it is easier for younger players to develop their passing skills with a straighter stick. Once, a player grows and his skills develop, he can try to use different sticks.

Yet like all instruments, there are some hard obvious techniques to use. For one, a player should place their hands on the stick far apart to be comfortable. And the farther down the lower hand can get, the more you'd have to bend at the waist. So try to take a suitable standing position, and experiment with your hands as a result. When you have to pass, the puck should be taken behind the body and swept across the midline of your body. Once the puck is in your area, you should shift your weight to the front leg, point the stick blade at target, and in the same motion, as a skating golfer, you need to strike the puck, in the right direction, and allow yourself a follow through. You should know, that it needs to be a sweeping motion, not a slapping motion. Instead of sliding, a puck that's slapped may dance around the ice or may reach a teammate with such explosive force that it could be difficult for him to receive the puck.

You should try to aim the puck from your hockey stick to your teammate's hockey stick, or to his play, if you can read his mind. A lot of passing is pure anticipation and you should pass into an area you know your teammate can get to, and you need to pass the puck, in the right speed, to avoid the other team, and for your partner to be capable of gathering.