Our Hockey Checklist

I've mentioned a few times that my granddaughter and I came up with a checklist to help us improve our game.  It's kind of a mish-mash of things, but important enough to need reminders.

The first five are fundamental skills that you want to make habits.

• Hold the stick correctly.
• Hockey stance.
• Hands out in front of the body.
• Bottom hand loose and slides when needed.
• Top hand controls the stick.  Rotate the wrist.

The next one is simple, but oh, so important.

• Tap the stick one-handed to build hand, wrist and forearm strength.

Drills can be frustrating at first, but keep practicing and you will get better fast.  Be creative!

• Ball or puck at the heel of the stick when stickhandling, for better control.
• Drill:  Around two pucks, then figure 8's.  Clockwise and counter-clockwise.
• Drill:  Stickhandle around the body: forehand, backhand, out front, in close, out wide, behind, etc.

These last two items are things to work on regularly.  They're important and will give you an edge on the ice.

• Saucer passing.
• Elevating the puck when shooting.

So that's our list.  What would you do different?  What did I miss?  Let me know in the comments, and thanks for your feedback.