BayToday Weekly Hockey Tip # 2 - Heads up Hockey

Former OHLer and North Bay native Cassidy Preston runs a local hockey development program, Complete Hockey Training, and will be offering his experience, knowledge and enthusiasm in his "Weekly Hockey Tip." Preston played three years in the OHL for the St. Michael's Majors organization, where he won the OPJHL championship with the Buzzers, the Majors affiliate team, in 2006. Enjoy

Everyone has been told to keep their head up, but I have found a couple details about this popular saying that may help some players get to the next level.

One distinction I have made is that the average player almost always glances down to check to see if the puck is still on their stick when they are shooting. Every half second a player takes their eyes off of what is going on around them, they will be missing critical information to make decisions from and they will be less accurate especially if they are moving.

As an example, if you watch Nicklas Lidstrom drag the puck along the blue line then take a full wind slap shot, he will not once look down at the puck. Lidstrom is obviously one of the best of the best, and gives us all something to work towards. Most players will need to start practicing with just their wrist shot, where there is no wind up, but they will still glance down to check. This is a reflex habit and the only way to break it is with a lot of practice.

Another subtle distinction I found is that the average player focuses on not losing the puck when they are under pressure, which makes it hard to make the best play. The elite players (watch any player in the upcoming game seven) when they have the puck they are constantly looking for open ice and teammates, even in some of the most pressured situations. To master this skill, a player will really have to work on building their ability to handle the puck without seeing it. Being the difficult skill that it is, remember to practice it as much as you can. The best way to learn is by giving it a shot, mistakes will be made (if not, you are not pushing yourself hard enough), so learn from your mistakes and make corrections then give it another shot and so on and so on.

Take Away:

1. Keep your head and eyes up while shooting.
2. Focus on finding open ice to skate to, and open teammates to pass to.

Again, I encourage any questions or comments. Just email me at [email protected] or visit our website at www.CompleteHockeyTraining.ca