Two hockey skills that are easy to practice over the summer are stickhandling and shooting. All you need is a smooth surface and a net, and you’re good to go! The only issue with off-ice stickhandling is the lack of movement. On the ice we’re constantly skating, gliding, turning and moving. The only way to replicate this off the ice is with roller blades. Regular roller blades work well to add movement, and are a great way to add more of a challenge to your off ice practice routine, but aren’t perfect.
If you want to make the most of your inline training session I recommend the Marsblade roller frame. They will help you improve your balance and agility more than any standard set of roller blades. Below I have included 5 stickhandling drills for you to practice on roller blades.
Inline Stickhandling Drills with the Marsblade
Per Mars from Marsblade invited me to California to shoot some videos. I thought this would be a great opportunity to share some stickhandling drills while also using the Marsblade roller frame. I chose these drills because I feel they can easily transfer from off-ice to on-ice. They work on combining the hands and feet, separating the upper body and lower body, puck recovery, puck control around the entire body, and over speed.
These drills work even better with the Marsblade roller frame because of the rocker motion, especially with the shuffle stride and slalom skate technique.
Pavel Barber Stickhandling Drills
Stickhandling extraordinaire Pavel Barber also got in on the action and recorded some of his favourite stickhandling drills to do while using roller blades. Watch his video to pick up some tips from some of the best hands on Youtube!
If you’re interested in the Marsblade roller frames you can learn more on the Marsblade website. To see some more dangles from Barber check out his Youtube channel. You can also follow me on social media using the links below in my author bio, and check out Verbero Hockey (I’m using their boots and Cypress stick in this video)