I have had a tonne of requests from the subscribers of how to hockey to teach them how to toe drag. I wanted to wait until the ice is in, but I know a few good ways to practice the toe drag off ice so I thought I would write this article (and make a cool video!).
Why Use a Toe Drag
In my article and video on how to stickhandle I mention that to be master of the puck, you need to be able to control the puck around your entire body, and also have the ability to move the puck from side to side, and front to back in any situation. Perfecting the toe drag will give you the ability to move the puck quickly backwards and forwards, and side to side no matter where it is.
Another great advantage to the toe drag is to use it to deke out the opposition or the goalie. There are a number of situations where a quick toe drag can be the best (and prettiest) way to get around the defense. Sometimes the defensemen thinks you have no room to move the puck, but by using the toe of the stick to pull the puck backwards you give yourself more room move the puck. Then you can move it over and up and blow past the D (and look awesome!)
How To Toe Drag
I was hesitant to show people how to toe drag off-ice. I learned how to toe drag with a stickhandling ball, I had it perfected, then I stepped onto the ice and tried it with a puck….not good. The puck flew backwards…over, and over, and over. I did have the general motion down, but I had to adjust a bit to get it to work on the ice. I think the biggest problem was that I learned with a ball, and with a lot of friction, but on the ice you use a puck, and there is very little friction. So my best recommendation for learning to toe drag off-ice… get a green biscuit, and a hockey shooting pad (I really like the roll up shooting pad don’t forget to use our coupon)
The Green Biscuit is a great puck to use to perfect the toe drag off-ice.
The toe drag is pretty simple on paper (or computer screen), but actually getting it down is tough, here is how to toe drag
- Roll your wrists to roll the blade of the stick over, so the toe of the blade of the stick is pointing down
- Catch the puck with the toe, and pull it backwards (or sideways if the puck is to your side)
- As the puck is coming backwards, roll your hands back and catch the puck
Make sure you have the toe centered on the puck, otherwise it will slide to the side.
This is the most basic toe drag, once you get better you can use the toe drag to move the puck straight back, in a J motion, or a wide U to pull the puck from one side of your body, all the way to the other.
How To Toe Drag Video
In this video I show you the toe-drag, and how I practice it off the ice. I also show you in detail how you can learn to toe drag off ice with a detailed step-by-step guide. If you have any problems you can leave a comment in this article, on the video, or on our facebook page
If you like this video you can subscribe to our channel on Youtube
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi, I’m a girl hockey player and I love it as much as guys. Maybe just as good at it as they are. I went to a hockey camp last summer and they taught me all that, but I forgot most of it by the next hockey season. So thank you for showing me how to toe-drag again. I wouldn’t mind if you put up more tutorials for different dekes. It’d really help. Thanks.
thanx jeremy , im in a atom league so i can just deke all those little kids out . Im 12 so next is peewee and though the extreme hockey words i can still understand them and this helped out alot ,
Nice video and explanation. If your top hand is holding the stick for stickhandling it seems it is in a poor position to completely and strongly roll forward or backward for a forehand or backhand toe drag. In the video I also see you grab the stick with your top hand slightly more rolled before you execute a drag. How does your top hand go from a normal grip to a slightly rolled grip to execute a drag at speed? If I grab a stick “normally” and I try to roll my wrist to execute a drag it feels very weak and awkward unless I alter my grip as you do in the video. This is especially true for a backhand drag. Do you clench your bottom hand a little to allow the top hand to slightly roll, regrip, then execute a drag? How do you transition from a stickhandling grip to a toe drag grip and back to a stickhandling grip? Please help!
Great question, I actually never noticed I do this until you mentioned it. While stickhandling the top of the stick is generally in my palm and fingers. When doing the toe drag I loosen the grip and let the stick roll a bit into my finger tips, so instead of having a tight grip with my palm and fingers it is more of a fingers only grip. When I am pulling the puck back I tighten my grip and return to a full grip.
Well, I perfected the toe drag motion as well using a swedish stickhandling ball on concrete and pavement. But when i hit the ice in a one-on-one drill, it just will not work for me. Sometimes the puck will slide right off my stick and sometimes itwill not even move from the spot i started the toe drag. What is the best way to perfect the toe drag on ice like on pavement and concrete
Hey I had the same problem so that is why I mentioned it in the article. You have made some gains by starting with a stickhandling ball, but it will take some adjustment until you can do it on the ice. That is why I recommend using the shooting pad and a green biscuit. The shooting pad / Green Biscuit combo makes your environment closer to what you will experience on the ice
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