Stick handling with a little bit more traffic is important. Being able to stickhandle in smaller spaces with more people is an excellent skill to learn.
What you need: You will need to put 4 or 5 players in each circle in the rink, with only one puck.
How this drill works: You can vary the puck control skill in each of the 5 circles and then the players can rotate, or you can save another skill for another practice.
Drill 1 – All 5 players skate around the inside of the circle, with one player using two hands to control the puck. It’s not keep away, but it is to teach players to control the puck in close quarters and to keep their head up in traffic.
Drill 2 – Same as above, but this time the player carrying the puck can only use the top hand (butt end) to control the puck.
Drill 3 – Same as drill 2, but only this time you can only control with the bottom hand.
Drill 4 – Same general drill, but this time the player carrying the puck has to use their skates in order to control it.
Drill 5 – This is a little harder to do, and might be saved for older players. The puck needs to be controlled while dribbling it in the air, with the puck being bounced off the blade of the stick.
Results: As you can see, this drill is extremely valuable in building puck control skills of all sorts. It is important to build the stick agility and the ability to do it all with your head up.
Written by Matt Fortin
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