How to Handle a Puck Better

At every level of hockey, the ability to handle the puck is an important skill to have. This skill often separates the stars from the average players, as the stars are able to keep control of the puck and avoid defenders. Handling a puck with ease is a skill that is quick to learn, but can take years to master. If you're already adequate at this part of the game, you can keep several pointers in mind to improve your puck-handling.

Instructions

    • 1

      Relax your wrists and forearms as you handle the puck. Too often, it's easy to be tense as you stick-handle, especially during pressure-packed game situations. Coaches always emphasize "soft hands" to their player. When your wrists and forearms are tight, you won't get a proper feel for the puck.

    • 2

      Cradle the puck back and forth with the blade of your stick by rolling your wrists rather than using your arms to swing your stick at the puck. As you roll your wrists, your stick's blade will come off the ice periodically. This is OK, as long as one side of the blade remains in control of the puck.

    • 3

      Practice handling the puck without watching it. Though you'll need to follow the puck with your eyes at first, the more you can trust your feel of the puck while keeping your eyes elsewhere, the more skilled you will become. Keep your eyes away from your stick and the puck as you learn, for example, how hard a flick of your blade will move the puck.

    • 4

      Sweep the puck as far as you can to either side of your body without losing control of it. Getting comfortable with stick-handling at your arms' full extension will eventually make handling the puck closer to your body seem easier. And, when you're able to successfully handle the puck regardless of how close your body is to it, you're more useful to your team's offense.

    • 5

      Use a golf ball to practice stick-handling on dry ground as often as possible. While many people play with tennis balls, a golf ball's weight is consistent with that of a hockey puck. There is little purpose to learning to puck-handle an object that is lighter than a puck, as your coordination will suffer.