Coach JeremyIn my last post I showed you how to make a weighted hockey stick, now I will show you what you can do with it. Stickhandling is a very important skill to master if you want to be a great hockey player. There are many ways that you can improve your stickhandling and in this article I will show you the benefits of using a weighted hockey stick, and how to make your own weighted stick.
The benefits of practicing with a weighted hockey stick
When you practice with a weighted hockey stick you will be working all of the muscles involved in stickhandling BEYOND the point they are typically worked when you normally stickhandle. This is great because you will be building sport specific muscles, and training them beyond the level that they would normally develop. Here is a great analogy, if you bench press 150 pounds every day, then your muscles will plateau and only be able to lift 150 pounds. If you continue to push your muscles and eventually bench 300 pounds, then when you go back and lift 150 pounds, it will feel VERY light.
The same concept applies to stickhandling, if you only use a regular stick and puck, your muscles will learn the motions, but they will not be as quick as they could be. If you train with a weighted hockey stick for a while and then go back to using a regular stick you will be able to move the puck a lot faster.
What about the muscles
Another great benefit of using a weighted stick is the muscles you will build. When you practice your stickhandling with a weighted stick you will be building your wrists, forearms, bicep and triceps, pecs and core muscles. These muscles are involved in shooting and stickhandling and your core muscles will help with balance and stability, as well as shooting and stickhandling.
How to practice stickhandling with a weighted hockey stick
You should practice moving the puck all around you, just like you normally would. I like to train in segments, this is my typical session with my weighted stick.
- Stickhandling with the puck in front of me
Two minutes stickhandling the puck in front of me, moving the puck wide to the left and to the right- One minute stickhandling the puck in close, moving the puck quickly side to side, about one to two foot distance
- One minute with the puck in front of me, I move it as far as I can on my backhand, then reach with one hand and pull the puck back in
- Toss in a few toe drags, and moving the puck forwards and backwards
- Stickhandling on my shooting side
- Two minutes moving the puck as far forwards and backwards as I can
- One minute of toe drags, and moving the puck side to side
- One minute moving the puck as far forwards as I can, reaching with one hand and pulling
it back
- Stickhandling on my backhand side
- Two minutes practicing back and forth, and side to side on my backhand side, also practice moving the puck from your backhand side to your forehand side
- Stickhandling with the puck behind me
- Four minutes with the puck behind me. I practice reaching around to the right and stickhandling, and then reaching around to the left and stickhandling, also moving the puck from behind me to in front of me. This is a great way to twist, and work the core muscles
Take Your Time
I take short breaks when I need them, you can come up with your own routine, and be sure to change up the weight, duration, speed and intensity of each session. After doing training with a weighted hockey stick I noticed a HUGE improvement in my stickhandling. The two main benefits I noticed was that I could move the puck a lot faster, and I was also a lot stronger on the puck.
I hope these tips have helped, but remember reading this information will not make you a better hockey player PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!
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