How to Toe Drag

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!)

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

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