DIY Hockey is a place for this beginner to collect information and ideas from all over the internet into one place. This is stuff I use as I work and play to get better, and hopefully you'll find something useful for yourself here too.

Friday, November 17, 2017

DIY Stickhandling Training Aids - "Dangler" - My Early Versions

Remember the commercially available stickhandling training aids I talked about before?  I described how to make my DIY dangler out of PVC here (including a video of drills you can do).

There are numerous YouTube videos out there showing you how to make versions out of wood, broken hockey sticks, old pucks, and more.  My first set (that I still use) are made of scrap wood and a dowel bought at Wally World or any craft store.



 To start out, I bought a 1/2" diameter dowel that was three feet long at the store.  I found some scrap wood in my shop, and cut out four rectangles that were four inches tall by three inches wide.  I drilled 1/2" holes in two of the rectangles, and 5/8" holes in the other two.  Finally, I slid the two rectangles with the larger holes onto the dowel, and then fit the two rectangles with the 1/2" holes on the ends of the dowel.  I used a little wood glue, then drove a drywall screw through the wood of the rectangle and into the dowel to secure it.

The result was a three foot long bar that was just tall enough for a stickhandling ball to pass under, with two inner movable "feet" that could be positioned anywhere along the length of the dowel.

I bought a cheap can of red spray paint and I was ready to have some fun.

There were a couple of things that I didn't care for though.  First, instead of rectangles, I wish I'd have made the bottoms wider to make it harder to tip over when I accidentally hit the bar with my stick.  I also found the three foot length rather awkward to carry around.

What I wound up doing was to cut the dowel into three pieces, making the two ends each 15" long, then I permanently fastened the two movable rectangles to the ends.  This way I had two 15" bars to use.  I could practice with one, or set two up however I wanted, like an "L" shape, or a "V", or even in a line.  Having the two smaller ones offered more flexibility.

The red paint is a little chewed up from the formerly movable legs, but I can touch that up if it bothers me (it doesn't).

It doesn't matter what design you use, or what materials you make it out of.  What matters is that you use it regularly.  Practice every day, even if it's only a few minutes

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