I think I might have a problem, I just can’t bring myself to throw out my broken hockey sticks. Many people pay over $100 for a stick, so when it breaks half way through the season it might be hard to accept the $100 loss and throw the hockey stick out. In this article I will share a few things that you can do with broken hockey sticks. I also have a video showing you how you can build your own defencemen to use while practicing your stickhandling and dekes.

Stick a Blade in it

If you have a one piece hockey stick and you break the blade, or pretty close to the blade you can continue to use the shaft, this is very easy to do.

• Take off the grip from the top of the stick, this is where the blade will go
• Buy a blade from the store
• Heat the glue up with a heat gun, or over the stove (try not to drop glue on the burner)
• Jam that blade in there, tape the spot where your blade USED to be, and you are good to go.

There are a few disadvantages to doing this, the stick might be shorter you are used to (depending where it broke) and also some high-end sticks have a specific technologies. For example many sticks have the kick-point manufactured into the stick, by flipping the stick the kick point will be at the top rather than at the bottom.

Give it to Your Kids, or make a street hockey stick

If the stick broke near the blade, you can flip it and put a blade in it like mentioned above. If the stick is too short after doing this you can keep it for ball hockey or road hockey, or give it to your kids (if you have any)

If the stick broke in the middle of the shaft just cut the jagged part off the shaft, tape a grip on it and give it to your kids to use for road hockey or mini sticks.

Make A Defencemen

This is my favourite option as it will help you improve your skills and you get a free hockey training aid. I did this as a kid and use it quite a bit, I just made another one and thought I would share it with my readers.

More Uses Suggested by Readers

• Collect a few and make a “tree” out of it. Use the hockey stick tree to hang your gear on for it to dry out after a game
• Attach a weight to it and use it to strengthen your wrists
• Buy a road hockey blade (they are plastic and slide over the shaft) and use it for road hockey (similar to my suggestion above) A broken hockey stick = a NEW road hockey stick
• Use it to hold up tomato plants (for the Italians out there )

What have you used broken hockey sticks for? Let me know in the comments section below.

Last year I wrote a guide for buying Christmas gifts for hockey players and it got a great response from our visitors. I thought I would update the list this year with some more cool Christmas gift ideas for hockey players. Here it is in no particular order

A hockey Shooting Pad

When I was a kid (about 13) I saved up $50 to buy a tiny piece of fake ice. I loved it and shot off of it almost every day. A hockey shooting pad will help your hockey player improve their stickhandling and shooting BIG TIME. The one I bought was tiny, but I used it for about 5 years until it got misplaced. These things are great and last forever, every hockey player should have one!

Where to buy a hockey shooting pad: Hockey Shot has a great variety of sizes and varieties (roll-up, pads, tiles, etc) Visit this page to shop. Use our coupon code   HOWHCKY001     to save $10 on orders over $100

An Outdoor Rink

If you live in the colder regions of the world an outdoor hockey rink is the place to be in the winter. As a hockey player I spent quite a bit of time on our pond, I don’t know what I would have done in the winter without a place to play puck! (probably gone crazy) If you want to build your own rink you can use a rink kit, but you should probably order it right now and get started on building (early Christmas present)

Where to buy: If you wan’t to make it really easy you can buy a backyard rink building kit Here is a list of tips for building a backyard rink

A Green Biscuit

This is by far my favourite puck to use off the ice. I am VERY skeptical when it comes to hockey training aids and I thought this would be a huge gimmick and waste of money, but when I tried it for the first time I LOVED it. This thing slides like a dream on cement, no other off ice puck comes close to it. If you have a hockey player that likes to practice at home grab a few of these for them. Pro tip: If you order just one the shipping is almost as much as the puck, order a 4 or more and give them as a package. That way the player has extra in case they lose or break one.

Where to Buy: You can order these on this page of Hockey Shot. Use our coupon code     HOWHCKY001    to save $10 on orders over $100

A new Hockey Stick

I always loved getting a new twig for Christmas (my mom would hide it under the couch so I didn’t know I was getting a stick), I would imagine all the goals I would score with it, take my time putting on the perfect tape job, and then practice my dangles and shooting for a few days before I could use it on the ice. You can get some good deals for hockey sticks online

Where to buy: I have seen some really good deals on Hockey Monkey, check their clearance section for 50% or more off hockey gear

Rock’em Sock’em Hockey (Don Cherry Hockey)

Since I can remember I have gotten this video for Christmas, it has all the best hits, best goals, best plays and best saves from the previous season. This is like a new playbook every year, I would watch the movie over and over and practice the new goals and moves on my outdoor rink. I remember inviting my friends over on new years and we would all watch Rock’em Sock’em and then play some late night hockey (with the lights on our rink)

Where to buy: The video above is Rock’em Sock’em 22, the newest version is Rock’em Sock’em Vol. 23 (amazon.ca link)

NHL 12 Video Game

When I was a kid I was playing Blades of Steel for Nintendo, or going to my friends house to play NHL 94 for Super Nintendo, needles to say the graphics are a lot better today but I think I have just as much fun playing NHL 12 as I did with NHL 94. If you hockey player is into video games you can always grab the newest hockey video game, I have it and it is a lot of fun!

Where to buy: You can get it here for XBOX 360 and here for PS3

Tickets to a Hockey Game

If you are looking for some good bonding time with your hockey fan then nothing beats going to a game with them. If you can’t afford NHL tickets you could always look for other semi-pro teams in your area, even a Junior A game will be exciting and a good time out with your favourite hockey player. In most areas NHL tickets are fairly affordable so take a look, the hockey player on your list will love you for it!

Where to buy: Ticketmaster.com is always a good place to look for pro sports, and semi pro hockey tickets.

A Hockey Net

If your kid plays hockey, and does not have a net THEY NEED ONE. Also if their net is held together with duct tape and shoelaces they probably need a new one! When it comes to buying nets there are three categories

• Road hockey nets
• Usually made with plastic or VERY thin steel, these are useless to use with pucks as any shot harder then 20mph will either shatter the plastic (especially in cold weather) or bend the posts, the mesh is also pretty terrible. If you buy this type of net only use tennis balls on it
• A recreational net
• The are the nets that are solid enough to withstand the force of a puck. They vary in quality and the netting is usually all the same. For a good need look for 1.5 inch posts or bigger, and decent netting. The net I use and also recommend is the EZ-Goal. You can actually fold it up, it comes with targets and a backstop is optional (and recommended). The posts are durable and the netting is decent. I did need to repair the netting though, but I was shooting 100 shots a day for a while.
• A regulation net
• These nets are practically invincible, the only problem is they cost A LOT (starting at $600) and they are very heavy. If you do get this type of net you will want to buy it locally and not move it around too much.

Where to buy: Most road hockey nets can be found in your big-box stores, for a good recreational net I suggest the EZ-Goal you can Buy it here (Use our coupon code    HOWHCKY001     to save $10 on orders over $100), for a regulation net you should ask the guys at your local hockey rink on how to get one.

A Hockey Jersey of their Favourite Player

Every hockey player (kid, or adult) has a favourite NHL player, whether from the past or currently playing. A great gift for a hockey player is a jersey of their favourite hockey player. When I was a kid I got a Pavel Bure jersey and I wore it all the time. Right now I think it would be cool to get a vintage Wendel Clark Leafs jersey.

Where to buy: If you live where hockey is popular you can get custom jerseys at most sports stores, you can also shop online at this page on Hockey Monkey otherwise try this page on Amazon

 Under Armour

I know this might sound like a lame gift (who wants socks and underwear right?) and I thought the same thing when my mom bought this for me one year. She asked the salesman at the store what hockey players like and he suggested this. I never wore it before my mom bought it for me and I didn’t plan on ever wearing it, but since then I have worn it every time I’ve stepped on the ice. Under armour really does make playing a bit more comfortable, it wicks the sweat away from your body and helps it evaporate. This helps keep your gear dry, makes it easier to do laundry, and also (I find) helps stop my gear from stinking.

Where to Buy: They make a lot of stuff so make sure you get the gear made for hockey. I have linked to the hockey pages for  Under Armour Canada (for Canadians) Under Armour USA

Hockey Swag from Gong Show Gear

Most hockey players would wear there jerseys to school if they didn’t smell so bad, but lets be honest you can’t wear a jersey to school everyday, that’s where Gong Show Gear comes in. They make sweet hockey swag for hockey players. Their entire line of clothing is made for hockey players, they have shirts, sweaters, hats, and more.

Where to Buy: Check out Gong Show Gear

Hockey Stocking Stuffers

Here is a quick list of ideas for stocking stuffers

The Obvious

• Stick tape
• Skate laces
• Stick wax
• A stone
• Hockey Pucks

The Ultra Cool

• Weighted Hockey Pucks
• Stickhandling Balls
• A Green Biscuit (or get a few and give it as a gift) my favourite off ice puck and all the kids on the hockey team I coach love it -Get it here (I recommend the Green Biscuit, and stickhandling balls as a combo)
• Magic Stick – This is a cool tool that you can use to put an edge on your skates. I use it all the time when I forget to get my skates sharpened and it works much better than a stone! check it out here
• Hockey Skate socks – I used to peel my dripping wet socks off my feet and slop them into my hockey bag where they would stew for about a month before I would wash about 10 pairs of them. Then I started skating barefoot to avoid that mess and ended up with stinky skates. Eventually I used hockey skate socks which are ultra moisture absorbent and nice and thin. I bought 4 pairs and use them about 2-4 times in a row before I even need to wash them, they are almost dry when I take them off! Check them out here

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone

How To Hockey Christmas Gift Contest

If you would like to be entered to win prizes all you need to do is like this post on facebook (twitter too if you are in the festive spirit) buttons are below for sharing and then leave a comment about what hockey item you want the most for Christmas. Remember to leave a valid email because that is how we will contact the winners

Prizes

From HockeyShot.com

Grand prize of a hockey shooting pad, and two prize packs including a green biscuit and a stickhandling ball

From Gongshow Hockey

5 prize packs of one t-shirt and one hat

To enter just like this post on facebook and then leave a comment below telling us what hockey gift you want for Christmas!

If you need a new practice jersey (or a cool jersey to wear around town) check out the winning jersey design from Rink Gear

Want to Buy it?

Thank you to all the designers

I wanted to say thank you to everyone who submited a design, there were a lot of really good designs submitted and it was hard to pick a favourite. I wish I could have one of each!

Easton sent Ken and I two Easton Stealth RS hockey sticks to review. We got them in the mail the other day and our first ice time is tonight. I thought I would give a sneak peak at the new Easton Stealth RS hockey stick.

If you are looking to buy one – I found the best price online so far is $249 visit this page for the best price

Jeremy’s Stick: Easton Stealth RS, Getzlaf curve, 85 Flex
Ken’s Stick: Easton Stealth RS, Hall curve, 100 flex

We are going to use the sticks in a few games and then come back and update this review with more feedback.

First Impression

Right when I pulled it out of the box I liked it, the graphics are cool and stay true to the “stealth” theme. The black on black graphics are low-key which is how I like my sticks, but there is still the splash of yellow so the design isn’t too boring.

Feel

When I picked the stick up I immediately noticed how light is was I weighed it and it came out at 455 grams which is a full 40 grams lighter than the Winnell GX8 that we reviewed last year.

The shaft had the matte finish which I like much better than the sticky grip that some sticks have. The shape of the shaft feels great in the hand

Technologies worth mentioning

The big one here is the elliptical shape of the lower part of the shaft. The shaft near the blade is tapered which was designed to give shots more “pop”. The elliptical profile should increase the release of snapshots and wristshots and ensure that less energy is lost while shooting.

Easton Stealth RS Specs

• Construction:
  • Kevlar® wrapped – For added durability
  • Compression molded – Using thinner layers of material Easton is able to use more layers, giving Easton shafts an unmatched responsiveness and allowing them to stay lively longer
  • High-end carbon fiber construction for an extremely light feel
• Shaft:
  • TORX™ technology with Elliptical Profile™ – Improved torsional strength for better puck feel and shot accuracy
  • Tuned taper section built with Easton’s Elite Stiffness Profile to pro specs – Offers quick shot release and controlled puck reaction
• Geometry: Pro inspired shaft dimensions
• Straight side walls, and rounded corners
• Shaft dimensions used by most Easton Pro players
• Grip: Smooth matte finish stick coating
• Blade:
  • Multi-Core design provides dampening
  • Upper core – Structural honeycomb like material for excellent dampening
  • Lower core – Solid core for improved feel
    • Solid dense lower core keeps the blade in contact with the puck longer resulting great puck control and feel

Easton Stealth RS Video Review

Have you used the Easton Stealth RS? Got a favorite hockey stick? Tell us about it in the comments below.

Check out the Easton Stealth RS for sale here

A few months back I was sent a few slideboards to use and review. I tested out a few of them and did a full review on another website that I have been adding reviews to, but I did not want to add the review to How To Hockey until I had a good grasp of what you can do on the board, and how it can help you develop as a player. Now that I have been using the powerslide for a while I feel confident in providing a good review and also recommending this product to the readers of this blog.

What the PowerSlide Does

This product was designed for people to work on lateral movement exercises, and to build the leg muscles but hockey players and speed skaters soon learned that it is the perfect tool to replicate the skating stride off-ice and build the muscles used for skating. At the very basic level you can use a slideboard to slide back an forth while working on the proper skating stance, and stride. This movement is very similar to the push you use in hockey to generate power and speed from your legs.

Hockey players and speed-skaters have used slideboards for YEARS to improve work on stride, power and a number of other things. Kevin Neeld sent me a bunch of slideboard exercises that he uses at Endeavor Sports Performance to train hockey players so stay tuned to see how many drills you can actually do on a slideboard!

What you Get with the Powerslide

With the powerslide you get an 8ft or 10ft length of slick plastic, two adjustable stoppers, two nylon booties, and one carrying bag. The stoppers are used at either end and you can use them to adjust how far you want to slide. You have to wear the booties to be able to slide on the board provided, and the bag is a nice addition to store the slideboard in if you are not using it (I just leave mine set-up in the basement)

How it works – Just set it up and put on the booties, the booties let you slide better. Put one foot on one stopper and push out to slide to the other side. Each stopper has a nice foam padding so that you don’t hurt your feet.

Setting up the Slideboard

This is easy to do, all you need to do is roll out the slideboard portion and one of the stoppers is already attached. Simply attach the other stopper and adjust it to any length that you would like. While practicing stickhandling I usually set up the stopper so it is fairly easy to slide back and forth. If I want a good workout I make the distance longer.

How I use the PowerSlide Slideboard

When I first got the slideboard I figured it would be fun to slide back and forth, but that got a bit old. Then I figured out I could use it while shooting and stickhandling and now I use it all the time

• Work on your stride, and explosiveness from the legs
• Practice stickhandling while moving ( great for dekes where you need to practice side stepping a player, or moving laterally)
• Practice shooting while moving
• Practice generating power from your legs and weight transfer while shooting
• A number of leg, arm and core muscle workouts (will post soon)

PowerSlide Video Review

I give you a full review and show you a few drills you can do with the PowerSlide

Where to Buy the PowerSlide

You can get the PowerSlide on this page at Hockey Shot use our coupon code to save $10 just enter HOWHCKY001 at checkout in the coupon code section. You may also be interested in the slideboard / shooting pad combo

I know that a lot of people will want to keep their hockey skills sharp over the summer. Every spring after a month or so without playing hockey I start to get the itch to play. I love hockey, and I not only want to play, but I also want to keep my skills sharp. I recently found a great combination of training aids that help me train, and get a bit of the feeling of hockey!

I have been using the Shooting pad and Slideboard combo for a few months now and LOVE IT. Hockey Shot sent me the slideboard to review and I thought it was pretty good to work the muscles involved with skating, but just sliding back and forth was not enough for me. In an effort to get the most out of the slideboard I put it in front of my shooting pad and started sliding while stickhandling. This combo gives me the sensation of skating while stickhandling while working my leg muscles and my stickhandling muscles! Then I thought what about using the slideboard while shooting? This was also a lot of fun and is a great way to hone your weight transfer and shooting skills.

How the Slideboard / Shooting pad Combo helps

Using just the shooting pad is a good way to practice shooting and stickhandling, but in hockey you are always moving. Using a slideboard gets your body moving in a similar way that your body moves on the ice. This will help train your muscles while you are off the ice so that you can move better while on the ice.

This combo will help with the following:

• improve your stickhandling while moving
• Practice moves that require lateral movement (dekes)
• Bridge the gap between off ice practice, and on ice skills (more game like situation)
• Build your skating muscles
• Become a faster skater
• Good whole body workout while improving your stickhandling, skating and shooting muscles!

I am a huge skeptic when it comes to products so that is why I only really review and recommend products I believe in on How To Hockey. I have been using this combo for a while now and definitely think it will help players improve. I actually told Hockey shot about it and they added a page to their site where you can buy the shooting pad and slideboard together and you save $10 by buying them both at the same time! You can also use our coupon code in the right sidebar to save another $10 off your order

What if I already have a slideboard or Shooting Pad?

If you want to pick up any of the products mentioned and used in this article / video here are the links

• Powerslide Slideboard
• Roll up shooting pad
  • See our Roll-up shooting pad review
• X-passer pass rebounder
• EZ goal hockey net
• Green Biscuit

Slideboard / Shooting Pad Video

Recently I was browsing the stick selection at Source for Sports and I noticed a cool looking stick. I picked it up and immediately noticed how nice it felt, and how light it was. I checked the price tag and was fully expecting to see a $175, to my surprise it was only $99! I compared this to EVERY other stick at this price and none of them compared. I thought this would be a great hockey stick to review for the fans of How To Hockey because I know a lot of you are looking for a high-end stick, without the high price.

Graphics

I figured since the first thing you notice about a stick is the way it looks, the first thing I will cover in this review is the look of the stick. I’m not one to care about looks, if it’s a good stick I will buy it, although it never hurts to have a cool looking stick, and I think the GX8 is pretty nifty looking. It’s not too flashy like a lot of the sticks, it kind of has a “stealth” look going on, which I dig. You get cool chrome lettering over a big-weave graphite design. Take a look at the video for a close-up look.

They re-did the graphics on the sticks for 2011 so you might see something a bit flashier in the stores. You can see the pictures on the Winnwell site by visiting the Winnwell GX8 page.

Feel of the Stick – Grip and Weight

When I picked the stick up I immediately liked the feel of it. I’m not a fan of the rubber-like feel that a lot of sticks come with. The GX8 had a cool matte finish, there is still some grip but it doesn’t have that clingy feeling.

The stick only weighs 480 grams, which is much lighter than any other hockey stick under $100

Construction of the stick

The stick is 100% graphite which allows them to keep it under 500 grams. The cheaper sticks on the market usually use a mix of graphite and fiberglass, which makes them heavier, but a bit more durable.

Flexes and Curves

The sticks come in stiff, and regular and whip, although in the store I only saw whip flex in intermediate. For the curves they have  two patterns (161-Nash–more subtle Sakic, 119-Sakic).

Taking the Winnwell GX8 to the rink

Ken and I tested the stick out at the rink. I had the regular flex with the 119 curve and Ken got the stiff flex with the 119 curve (see the video for more). We have been using the stick for the past few months now. The first thing I noticed was how light it was, which makes me feel a bit quicker while stickhandling. I liked the curve, but it took me a few shots before I got used to it as it was a bit different from my last one. You can see us messing around with the stick in the video below

Overall Thoughts

Penalty Box

I can’t really think of anything I didn’t like about the stick. Ken always uses a fairly flat curve pattern so he mentioned it would be nice to have more pattern options.

Scoresheet

• Great overall feel
• Nice and light, 480 grams – super light for it’s price
• Affordable price
• Looks cool (in my opinion)
• Quick release

Winnwell GX8 Video Review

Where to buy the Winnwell GX8

You can get the GX8 and other Winnwell sticks at Canadian Tire and some Source For Sports stores in Canada. You can also check their store locator for other locations in the US and Canada

Be sure to check out our updated list Best Christmas gifts for hockey players 2011

If you have a hockey player in your family or group of friends then you might be looking for the perfect gift for them. Sometimes finding that perfect gift can be tricky, but when it comes to hockey players anything that has to do with hockey will be sure to make them grin from ear to ear! There are a lot of products out there, so I asked a whole bunch of hockey players* what they wanted for Christmas and the list below will help you get that perfect gift.

Top 10 Gift Ideas for Hockey Players

In no particular order, here is the top 10 list.

Outdoor Rink (synthetic or ice)

You can’t exactly fit this under the tree, but an outdoor rink is the ultimate gift for anyone in the family. A lot of memories were created on our outdoor rink, and I credit our rink to 80% of my skill. There are some products that will help you out, but the best way to get started is to do your research.  Here is a list of tips for building a backyard rink and if you wan’t to make it really easy you can buy a backyard rink building kit

Rock’em Sock’em

Every year for Christmas I would get Rock’em Sock’em (Don Cherry videos) I have 1-21 and this year #22 comes out. This is a non-stop highlight reel of the previous NHL season showing all the best goals, passes, plays, dekes, hits, and fights. I watch each one about 10 times before new years and I still reach back and watch the old ones on VHS. This is a must have for true hockey players and fans (I usually pick up a few new deke’s to use!) Buy it Here – this is a hot product, if it is sold out you can still order and they will ship when available.

Hockey shooting Surface

We have reviewed the hockey shooting pads, tiles, and the Extreme passing kit. These are all great surfaces to practice stickhandling and shooting. If you want your kid (or kid at heart) to practice stickhandling and shooting then a smooth surface is all they need. BUY IT HERE - I recommend the roll-up pad with bungee cord, lots of room to practice with a pass rebounder.

Hockey Net / Backstop

A hockey net is a great gift for any hockey player because they will get a lot of use out of it. The net will be great for pond hockey, or on a backyard rink during the winter, and great for road hockey and target practice in the summer. You can pick up the EZ-Goal that folds up for easy storage and the backstop which is a godsend when you are practicing shooting! BUY IT HERE – Comes with free targets!

Hockey Video Game

Whether it’s Blades of Steel or NHL 11 most hockey players love playing hockey video games, chances are the hockey player on your Christmas shopping list does too. You could reach back and get ice hockey for regular Nintendo, but the hot consoles this year are X-Box 360 and PS3. I am sure you already knew that though. The hot hockey game this year is NHL 11 you can get it here

New Stick

A hockey stick is a great gift for any hockey player. If the person on your list plays high level hockey then you will want to spend around $150 or more on a stick, other wise they won’t want to use it. If you have a casual player they will be thrilled to get any composite stick. I recommend the Winnwell GX-8 as it feels like a $200 stick with only a $100 price tag! Hockey Money and Hockey Giant do not carry it, but a How To Hockey reader found it for sale online here

New Hockey Equipment

Whether it is new skates, a helmet, or protective equipment it seems around this time of year every hockey player could use a new something or another. If you are a parent of a hockey player you are going to have to buy new hockey equipment anyways, so you might as well pass it off as a Christmas gift! Some good sites for hockey equipment are Hockey Monkey, Total Hockey, Hockey Giant, or search for a deal here.

Quick Stickz

I recently did a QuickStickz review, this device hooks up to your computer and uses a stickhandling ball as the controller. You can complete drills and games online to improve your skills. This is a great way to encourage a kid to practice their stickhandling, and keep their head up. You can get the QuickStickz and a free three month membership on their official website.

Tickets to the Game

Nothing is more exciting than watching your home town hockey team play their hearts out. If you live near a city with an NHL team then tickets for you and your special hockey player is a great idea. If you don’t have an NHL team maybe there is another team around. I have watched everything from Junior up to AHL and they are all fun to watch, and a good night out. If you are looking for cheap tickets check out Save Fans, where you can negotiate the price with other fans and get cheap tickets.

Jersey of their favourite player or team

Most hockey players are also hockey fans, find out who their favourite hockey player in the NHL is and pick up one of their Jersey’s. You can get NHL Jersey’s at most hockey stores, if you are looking for a rare jersey or a good deal you can try searching here

Stocking Stuffers

Here is a quick list of ideas for stocking stuffers

The Obvious

• Stick tape
• Skate laces
• Stick wax
• A stone
• Hockey Pucks

The Ultra Cool

• Weighted Hockey Pucks
• Stickhandling Balls
• A Green Biscuit (my favourite off ice puck and all the kids on the hockey team I coach love it) -Get it here (I recommend the Green Biscuit, and stickhandling balls as a combo)
• Magic Stick (it really does work great, I love it!)

For more stocking stuffer ideas check out the stocking stuffer page on Hockey Shot

*Special thanks to everyone from  “the rink” at HF Boards, Reddit Hockey, and the fans of How To Hockey on Facebook for helping me compile this list!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone

Update Jan 2011 – A few people who purchased this product had some problems with it. Sunlight will interfere with the camera and cause the on-screen puck to jump around. Please only purchase it if you have a low / no sunlight area in your house. In my video I used a room with no windows.

A while ago I stumbled across the QuickStickz product and website and was very intrigued. For those of you who do not know the QuickStickz is a stickhandling ball with a tracking system that displays on your television. When I saw some videos about it I instantly wanted to test it out so I sent an email to the company. They were very helpful and sent the product out for me to review.

QuickStickz Overview

What you get – The Quickstickz package comes with one stickhandling ball (with infrared light reflectors on it), One webcam / infrared light unit, a quick start guide, and a short USB cable to plug the device into your computer.

What it does – The webcam unit plugs into your computer and then sends out infrared light, this light is reflected by the stickhandling ball and sent back to the webcam unit. The unit then send the information to your computer which gets displayed on your screen. When you log into the QuickStickz website there are a number of drills and games you can complete, and you use the stickhandling ball as the controller

Price -The unit sells for $199 and you can get it on the QuickStickz website

QuickStickz Review

Set up – Setting up the QuickStickz was a lot easier than I thought. I figured there would be a CD and drivers and all that jazz, but all you have to do is log onto the QuickStickz site and then download the install program from there. This is a smart idea because it reduces waste, and they can update the program whenever they want.

The installation process takes about two minutes. Once you have the program installed you can plug in the camera / infrared unit and that’s it. Pick a drill that you want to try, and start stickhandling.

How to play – The system is really easy to use, but you have to be online to play any of the games. I talked to the owner of the company and he said that they are considering releasing a cd with some games and drills that people can use when they do not have an internet connection.

To do one of the drills, just log onto the QuickStickz site with your username and password, pick any drill, and go.

Does it work - The system worked fine for me, but I did notice a bit of a lag (it could be because my hands are as fast as lighting, haha ) When I am just doing simple movement with the ball it was great, but if I was doing some quick stickhandling I noticed a bit of delay, it was not a huge problem though because it still registered each movement and I was able to hit the targets.

Overall Thoughts

Penalty box - There were a few things I wasn’t to keen about, so I will assess a few penalties here. The first one is the price, $200 is fairly steep, I am sure it would cost quite a bit to develop and produce the product, but it would still be nice to see it come down in price.

The next penalty is for the game-play. There was a bit of lag / delay from when I moved the ball to when the puck moved on the screen. This was not a big issue and I was still able to play the games and drills, but it would be nice to have better motion tracking. I also emailed the QuickStickz company and they said they said that there should not be any delay, so it could be an issue with my computer (or how lightning fast my hands are )

Warning: I would ONLY use this product if you have a low light area in your house. If any sunlight hits the IR camera the puck on the screen will jump around. This was an issue for me in the upstairs of my house, but I did not have a problem in my basement in a room away from the windows.

Score Sheet

There are a number of things that I really liked about the QuickStickz

• Very cool idea / concept
• A lot of fun to play with
• Drills and games are very well made with good graphics
• Drills are designed to teach skills like developing fast twitch muscles, teaching toe-drags, puck control, protecting the puck and more
• Having the drills on the screen will help teach heads-up hockey
• Great for beginner players to practice stickhandling at home
• Will turn slow hands into fast hands!
• Will provide a lot of motivation to practice stickhandling skills

QuickStickz Video Review

In this video I show you the product, hook it up, and give you a sneak peak at the games and drills that you can do.

Where to Buy the QuickStickz

if you want to buy the QuickStickz and get the 3 month free elite membership then visit the official QuickStickz website.

If you are looking for another review then check out the Quicstickz review on Hockey University.

This is our review of the Extreme passing kit which you can find for sale on this page

As a hockey player you should always be looking for ways to improve your skills. When I was a kid I would practice my shooting and stickhandling on a regular basis in my parents barn, but the biggest problem was finding a good surface to stickhandle on.

Trust me, I tried everything, I kept my eyes open for nice smooth surfaces, I used Plexiglas, laminate flooring, particle board, cardboard….everything. Despite my best efforts, the best surface I ever found was $50 at National Sports for a tiny hockey shooting pad. I used it until it turned black, and eventually misplaced it, but I loved it and I actually practiced a lot more because I knew I had a decent surface to stickhandle on, and shoot from.

Now that I am a bit older I want to help other players who may be going through the same thing I am, so that is why I like to review new products and test them out, it gives other hockey players a chance to see what they are like, and if they are worth buying!

The Extreme Passing Kit Review

The Extreme passing kit is a product by hockey shot that is meant to provide hockey players with a smooth surface for stickhandling and shooting, and also a pass rebounder for players to practice passing and one-timers.

Compared to Other Products

The extreme passing kit is similar to the tape 2 tape, and the hockey skill pad, but cheaper with a larger surface area and not so bulky

Out of the Box

The passing kit comes rolled up in a large box.The box is about 4 feet tall, and a foot wide

Size

The extreme passing kit is 8 feet long and 4 feet wide, giving you plenty of room to line up a bunch of pucks in a row for rapid fire slapshots, or practice a few moves before you test them out on the ice.

Price

You can buy this product for $139.95 on this hockeyshot page you can save $10 if you put in our coupon code HOWHCKY001 that means you get an 8×4 roll up shooting pad, along with a pass rebounder for $129, at that price you get the best value, and you will get a lot more use out of the pad than if you bought a smaller one.

Set-up instructions

You don’t have to do much to start shooting. The “extreme passing kit” is basically just a roll-up shooting pad with a pass re-bounder built into it. The key is to get the passing kit nice and flat before you start practicing. In order to get it really flat I was told it should be laid flat with something heavy on it for a few days.

For my roll-up shooting pad I just put a sheet of plywood on top, and that worked great!

Detailed Review of the Extreme Passing Kit

The kit is pretty simple, like I said before it is a roll-up shooting pad with a pass re-bounder. In the picture to the left you can see the re-bounder. The concept is pretty simple, a bungee cord attached to two posts. Could you make something like that yourself? Yeah probably, but this is done professionally, and it is really solid, so you don’t have to struggle with it to get it to work

The bungee cord posts are attached to the back with a solid steel (I think it is aluminum) backing.

Bungee cord vs elastic band – A lot of puck re-bounders in the past have used elastic bands, the problem with these is that the band tends to break after extended use. The Extreme passing kit uses a bungee cord because they are known to last a lot longer than a simple elastic band.

How does the puck slide?

The puck slides great on the shooting pad, one thing I like about the passing kit is the size. My previous shooting pad was big, but this one is huge! I can actually stand on it and pull a few moves. The puck moves just as well on the roll up shooting pad as it does on a hockey shooting pad, and the dry land hockey training tiles. If you want to get even closer to the on ice feeling I recommend the Green Biscuit, you can even use it on rough surfaces.

Passing

Passing is simple, just pass the puck into the bungee cord and it comes back to you. If you have a bad pass (wobbly) the puck will either go over the bungee cord, or come back, but flip over a bit.

If the shooting pad is not nice and flat, the puck will be more likely to roll over the bungee cord and not come back to you. The roll up pad comes rolled up, so to get it flat you should put something heavy around the edges for a few days. I put a sheet of plywood on top and it worked great.

One-Timers

I had a lot fun of practicing my one-timers with this product. It can’t get any simpler, pass the puck into the bungee cord, wind up, then shoot. I would definitely recommend the extreme passing kit rather than just getting one that attaches to a smaller shooting pad. With a smaller shooting pad you will not have a lot of time to set up.

The roll-up shooting pad / extreme passing kit is 8 feet long, so you have a lot of time to set up the one timer. I think this is important because it allows you to focus on proper form and technique.

You can also move the shooting pad around and practice receiving a one timer from different angles.

Shooting

This one is a no-brainer, the roll up pad is perfect for shooting. With some of the small hockey shooting pads you will run out of room if you want to do a full wrist shot with a nice big wind-up.

With the extreme passing kit you can use a full wind-up and then some. Slapshots are great, I was hammering them at full force and the shooting pad held up to all my abuse. Another great option is lining up a bunch of pucks all along the pad, being 8 feet long you can put a puck every foot and practice rapid fire slapshots.

Overall Thoughts

In the penalty box

There are only a few things I would like to mention about the extreme passing kit. The first one is that if  you REALLY fire a puck into the bungee cord it will not send the puck back, I don’t see any point in passing them full force into the bungee cord though so that was not really a problem for me.

The next would be if you have ripples in the shooting pad, and then give a hard pass into the bungee cord, the puck may come a bit off the pad and then go over the bungee cord. I only had this problem if I tried using the extreme passing kit right after I un-rolled it. For the best results, just make sure the roll up shooting pad is nice and flat

On the scoreboard

I really like the fact that I can practice stickhandling, passing, shooting, and one-timers all with one product. Here are a few benefits of the roll up shooting pad

• Fairly easy to transport ( a bit of a pain to roll up, use a belt to keep it rolled up) much easier to move than a regular hockey shooting pad of the same size
• Puck slides great
• Puck re-bounder works well
• Lies nice and flat
• Allows hockey players to practice a number of skills
• Large area is great for practicing a bunch of different stickhandling moves comfortably
• Good for practicing the one-timer

If there were a product like this when I was younger I would have bought it in a heartbeat. I am a firm believer in spending money on good products, especially if they will help you better yourself, or improve a skill. Money comes and goes, but when you learn a new skill it will stick with you forever.

Extreme Passing Kit Video Review

In this video we give you a detailed extreme passing kit review. I show you a close up of the product, show you how big it is, how the puck slides, and how the pass rebounder works.

Where to Buy the Extreme Passing Kit

If you want to buy the passing kit then check out the product page on hockey shot don’t forget to use our coupon to save $10 HOWHCKY001