The Ultimate Goalie Fixes Some of the Issues with Other Canvas Targeting Systems

If you’ve been following me over the past couple of years, you probably know I’m a huge believer in developing your snipes both on and off the ice. One of the main tools I’ve recommended and used over the past 20 years has been the Shooter Tutor, which is basically a canvas goalie with holes cut out in the corners and five-hole.

Shooter Tutor Overview:
The Shooter Tutor is a fantastic product, and I’ve used it myself for a number of different reasons:

• It’s light weight, and easy to transport
• It’s durable
• It gives “dead” rebounds, which are more realistic in my opinion
• It’s fun to work with!

Shooter Tutor Design Flaws
As good as the Shooter Tutor has been for me over the past 20 years, there are also a few drawbacks to be aware of:

• The bungees are exposed, and will break if hit by pucks enough times (not a question of “if,” but “when”…)
• It can be a pain to fish the pucks out of the net

Ultimate Goalie vs Shooter Tutor
The Ultimate Goalie has improved on the idea of the Shooter Tutor, correcting some of the “design flaws,” while keeping all of the characteristics that have made the Shooter Tutor a staple in my set of coaching tools.

Here’s a quick run-down on what makes the Ultimate Goalie such a great product:

• NO BUNGEES EXPOSED – the Ultimate Goalie extended the canvas to wrap around the posts, keeping the bungees hidden behind the posts and crossbar
• EASY TO GATHER PUCKS – the pull-string lifts up the bottom foot of the net, and makes for quick and easy puck gathering
• Light-weight and portable – pack it up and bring it to the rink with you… no sweat!
• Durable material
• “Dead (realistic) rebounds”

One Potential Design Flaw:
I love the Ultimate Goalie, but in all fairness, I had to mention one potential design flaw. The pulley cord is a little on the thin side. When I took it out for practice, one of our players caught a skate on it, and sliced through the rope. I tied it all back together, no problem… but a more durable rope would make more sense on this type of product.

Conclusion:
All in all, the Ultimate Goalie is an awesome product, and one that I definitely recommend. I use it myself both on and off the ice, and the bungees haven’t begun to fray at all! And if you’re careful not to skate over the pulley cord, you shouldn’t have any problems whatsoever.

Technorati Tags: Believer, Bungees, Canvas, Coaching Tools, Design Flaw, Design Flaws, Different Reasons, Durable Material, Fairness, Holes, Pulley, Rebounds, Rope, Shooter, Snipes, Staple, Targeting System, Targeting Systems, Thin Side, Tutor

Here’s a Quick Tutorial on Installing the Sniper’s Edge Indoors

A few weeks ago I published a detailed review on the Sniper’s Edge, which is a shooting tarp that can fit in the opening of any standard two-car garage. The product is fantastic, and I had a blast putting that review together. You can check it out here: FULL SNIPER’S EDGE REVIEW.

Since then, I’ve relocated to a bigger house (Weiss Tech HQ), and the new house has a pretty big unfinished basement… perfect for my new hockey training facility!

Benefits of the Indoor Installation
After getting everything moved in, one of the first things I did was install my Sniper’s Edge in the basement. As much as I liked it outdoors, I must admit, the indoor install has been even nicer! I prefer the indoor install for a few reasons:

• No need to roll and unroll to make the garage usable
• No worries about weather – the tarp is weather proof, but I was concerned about snow and ice weighing it down in the winter
• More level surface – my driveway was slightly slanted as you can see in my previous video. This was throwing off my vertical aim

Indoor Installation Process (The Harder Way)
The Sniper’s Edge doesn’t come with any of the necessary hard-ware to install it. So you’ll need to pick up the following items from Home Depot or Lowe’s to install your Sniper’s Edge the same way I did it (NOTE: THERE IS AN EASIER WAY TO DO It… DETAILS FURTHER DOWN):

• One 16x2x4
• Four 2×4′s long enough to connect the top of the Sniper’s Edge to your rafters
• Screws
• Washers
• 16′ wooden dowel

Here’s how I did it… Unbox the Sniper’s Edge and screw the top of it into the 16x2x4. Screw each of your smaller 2x4s into the 16x2x4, evenly spread – MAKE SURE YOU MEASURE FIRST. You want the measurements such that after it is hung, the bottom of the Sniper’s Edge just barely touches the ground. Screw or nail the entire unit into the rafters.

This method seems easy enough in theory (at least it did to me…), but it was actually quite difficult to make it come together properly! One of our YouTube subscribers suggested a more effective way… READ ON!

An Easier Way to Install the Sniper’s Edge

After posting this video on YouTube, flyers10az (one of our subscribers) suggested a MUCH easier way. If you get a sec, shoot him/her a thank-you note… this could save you TONS of time.

Here’s what you do:

• Screw the Sniper’s Edge into the 16x2x4 as in the first method
• Buy 8 metal hooks and 4 lengths of chain
• Screw 4 hooks into your rafters or ceiling, and 4 hooks in corresponding locations on the top of your 16x2x4
• Attach the hooks on the 16x2x4 to the corresponding hooks in the ceiling using the chain

Isn’t that brilliant? I wish I had thought of it before doing it my way. Since the chain is adjustable, you don’t need to be as exact on your measurements either. I haven’t tried it… but it seems like a WAY better way of doing it.

Conclusion
Having this in my basement has been awesome. We use it all the time and the kids love it. It works really well for indoor use because it’s virtually impossible for a puck to take a bad ricochet off it into a window, or light, or something breakable. I definitely recommend this targeting system for your home!

Technorati Tags: Aim, Car Garage, Fit, Hockey Training, Home Depot, Hq, Hung, Level Surface, Lowe S, Measurements, No Worries, Rafters, Screw, Screws, Sniper, Snow And Ice, Tarp, Unfinished Basement, Weather Proof, Wooden Dowel

The Sniper’s Edge is an Awesome Hockey Targeting System that Offers Plenty of Versatility

A few months ago, I got my hands on the Sniper’s Edge from HockeyShot. I had seen this Hockey Targeting System in the past, but hadn’t ever used one before. So, I was excited at the chance to give it a whirl, and was impressed with the experience.

Product Overview
The Sniper’s Edge fits over any standard two-car garage door opening, and comes in 2 sizes, 7′ x 16′ or 8′ x 16′ (so make sure you measure the height of your garage door before ordering).

The unit comes tightly wrapped in a box – make sure you follow the labeling and DON’T USE A KNIFE TO OPEN THE BOX, as you will risk slicing a hole in your tarp before you even get it open.

Installation
The Sniper’s Edge doesn’t come with any of the necessary hard-ware to install it. So you’ll need to pick up the following items from Home Depot or Lowe’s:

• Screws
• Washers
• 16′ wooden dowel

Once you have the proper hardware, assembly is pretty easy… Just follow the directions included in the box. I put it up myself in about 22 minutes, and it would have been a lot quicker if I had had a partner.

My Experience
Once your Sniper’s Edge is all set up, just grab a Shooting Pad, some Pucks, and have at it! This set-up works really well in neighborhood or indoor settings, where you don’t want errant pucks damaging houses, windows, or other valuable items. The Sniper’s Edge is a tarp, so everything hits with a dead bounce and drops straight down.

Another cool feature on the Sniper’s Edge is the pocketing system. Anytime you snipe a corner, the puck is caught in the back pocket, and drops down to the bottom of the unit, making clean-up easy (as long as you’re hitting the corners!).

All in all, this is a great product, and one I highly recommend!

Technorati Tags: Bounce, Car Garage, Garage Door, Hardware Assembly, hockey shooting aids, hockey shooting targets, Home Depot, Indoor Settings, Lowe S, Neighborhood, Product Overview, Proper Hardware, Puck, Pucks, Screws, Shooting Targets, Sniper, Targeting System, Tarp, Versatility, Whirl, Wooden Dowel

Train Yourself to Rely Less on Seeing the Puck

HockeyVision Training Pucks are a great way to train yourself to rely less and less on seeing the puck, which will then allow you to stickhandle with your head up, enabling you to see more of the play.

HockeyVision Training Pucks are white, with a black dot in the middle. The black dot comes in three sizes (large, medium, and small). The idea is to work your way down from the large, more-visible dot to small, less-visible dot, training your eye to not have to see as much of the puck while stickhandling.

These pucks are available in on-ice and off-ice models. The on-ice pucks are made of rubber (same as a regulation puck), and the off-ice ones are made of a high-density plastic (HDPE if I’m not mistaken), which allows them to slide really well on flooring tiles or a skill pad.

Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: Black Dot, Density Plastic, Flooring Tiles, Hdpe, High Density, Models, Puck, Train

Introducing… the Best Hockey Passing Rebounder on the Market!

Over the past few years, a number of Hockey Passing Rebounders have made their way to the off-ice training market. These rebounders offer many fun and effective ways of working on your passing both on and off the ice, and I highly recommend owning one.

The passing rebounder I want to show you in this post is by far and away the best one on the market today. The X-Passer is a heavy-duty, versatile passing rebounder, that has improved on some of the design flaws of other rebounders that are currently on the market. It’s a lot of fun to use, and it works REALLY well. I’m excited to show you what this is all about, so let’s jump straight in!

First Impressions and Design Features:
The first thing that struck me about the X-Passer was it’s weight. This thing is heavy duty! It’s obvious that XHOCKEYPRODUCTS intended this to be used with real pucks, and full-speed passes. The weight and design of the X-Passer make it so you can literally throw it down in the middle of the floor, and fire hard passes at it… and it won’t move around on you. This feature allows you a lot more placement and configuration options, and definitely beats the “clip on” rebounders!

Next, the X-Passer uses a bungee system as its rebounding mechanism. This helps to keep the rebounds true and flat. In fact… it’s almost impossible to have a puck flip up on you, even with HARD passes (something other rebounders have been known to have issues with). So long as you’re sending it in flat, it will always come back at you flat and hard.

Third, the X-Passer has a “retractable spiking system” which allows for easy conversion for on-ice use. All you do is twist the screws in the top of the X-Passer, and spikes pop out the bottom. This feature can open up all kinds of new doors for creativity in practices!

Using the X-Passer:
The X-Passer is a blast to use. It’s a lot of fun when things “just work” the way they’re supposed to. I use the X-Passer to work on pretty much every type of pass; forehand and backhand “cushion and sweep,” touch passes, you can even get creative and combine it with other products to work on your saucer passes!

Conclusion:
A few people have asked me if the X-Passer is worth the higher price when compared to some of the other, “cheaper” rebounders on the market. In my mind, if you’re serious about your off-ice training, it’s absolutely worth paying a premium for a product that is going to work the way it’s supposed to, and last as long as you’ll need it to. When you pick up your X-Passer, that’s exactly what you’re getting!

Technorati Tags: Blast, Configuration Options, Conversion, Creativity, Design Features, Design Flaws, Doors, First Impressions, Full Speed, Heavy Duty, hockey passing rebounder, off-ice hockey passing, Pop, Puck, Pucks, Rebounders, Rebounds, Screws, Spikes, x-passer