SweetHands is a Really Useful Hockey Stickhandling Aid that Can Be Utilized in Many Different Ways!

If you’ve been following along with our Home Hockey Training Center course, you probably know by now that versatility is one of the biggest selling points for me when it comes to selecting hockey training products. I like products that will give me multiple uses, and that can be combined with other products to make an even more creative “work space.” SweetHands definitely fits that criteria!

Features and Benefits
Here are a few of the SweetHands features I thought were noteworthy:

1. Durable product that can be used on or off the ice.
2. Comes with two end pieces and six middle pieces, so you can use it as one 8′ set-up, two 4′ set-ups, or any combo in between.
3. Lightweight (less than 9 lbs), and since the pieces come apart, it’s really easy to bring it to the rink with you.
4. Comes with a drill book and a 29 min DVD, which gives you plenty of ideas on different ways to use the product.
5. Can be used in a wide variety of ways, in combination with lots of other products… just be creative!

My Experience
Setting up your SweetHands is easy. The pieces just snap together, and you’re up and running in seconds. I liked being able to choose how many pieces to include in my set-up. As you see in the video, I messed around with a few different combinations to work on different aspects of stickhandling.

I also like how durable this product is. I had seen some durability demos on other videos (kids stepping on the SweetHands “crossbars” with skates), but I wasn’t planning on actually putting hat to the test… However, my rambunctious 4-year-old thought otherwise. I caught him walking tightrope style across the SweetHands unit, AND jumping up onto the crossbars like plyo jumps, and trying to land and balance on them! I’m happy to report, the SweetHands held up to the abuse just fine.

Sweethands is a pleasure to use. It works really well, and does exactly what it was designed to do. As I was making the video, I kept thinking how much better a stickhandler I would be if I would have had some of these tools available to me as a kid!

Conclusion
I had a lot of fun putting this post together. SweetHands is a great product, with lots of versatility, and the capability of making you a better hockey player if you use it consistently. It’s lightweight, portable, and easy to put together and take a part.

The drill book and DVD are two added bonuses that are VERY worthwhile! In fact, if it were sold separately (which it’s not), I’d recommend picking up the DVD even if you didn’t get the SweetHands unit itself, it’s that good! I definitely recommend this product to anyone looking to improve their stickhandling off the ice!

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The SmartHockey Stickhandling Ball is Something Every Hockey Player Should Have in His or Her Bag!

Every once in a while a hockey product comes along that just makes sense. The SmartHockey Stickhandling Ball is one of those products. I’ve been using the Smart Ball for about 7 years now, and I’ve really enjoyed it. There are a few reasons why the Smart Ball is such an effective stickhandling tool.

Versatility and Durability
Since it’s a ball, the Smart Ball can be used on many different surfaces. You can take it inside and use it on carpet, bring it to the rink and use it on the rubber flooring there (I keep a Smart Ball in my bag to use for warming up my hands before games), or you can use it outside on the pavement. The Smart Ball is durable enough to withstand whatever abuse you might throw at it. In fact, I still have my original Smart Hockey Stickhandling Ball that I bought 7 years ago, and it’s still in GREAT shape. These balls just don’t wear out!

Smart Design
The Smart Hockey Ball really lives up to its name when it comes to it’s design. They really did their homework with this product. Here are a few of the key features that I think really add to the off-ice stickhandling experience of the Smart Ball:

1. Contact Points – The Smart Ball was designed to contact your stick at the same height as the puck does. This small detail makes a big difference in the “feel” of the ball.
2. Weight – The Smart Ball is slightly lighter than a real puck. All the top stickhandling pucks and balls on the market have done this. The idea is that once you factor in the friction of the surface you’re working on, the ball will feel really close to the real thing on ice.
3. Dead Bounce – The Smart Ball was designed to have a “dead bounce,” similar to that of a puck. In fact, if you drop a Smart Ball and a puck at the same time, they have almost identical bounce patterns, as you can see in the video. Again, this design feature really enhances the feel and stickhandling experience you’ll have with the Smart Ball.

Conclusion
All in all, this is a fantastic ball to add to your stickhandling tool set. Not only is it extremely versatile, durable, and well-designed, but it’s a lot of fun to use too, which means it’ll actually GET used! I recommend picking up 2 or 3 Smart Balls, one for your bag, and a couple to have at home in your dryland area.

Enjoy!

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Dryland Flooring Tiles are one of the Most Versatile Hockey Products on the Market Today

In this post, I wanted to introduce an extremely effective and versatile product, HockeyShot’s Dryland Flooring Tiles. The reason I say this is such a versatile product is that you can literally design your “floor plan” to fit your training objectives. This might mean using six or eight tiles as a shooting pad, or it might mean going wall to wall with them in your basement for a fully functional stickhandling, passing, and shooting facility.

Not only are the flooring tiles versatile in how they can be used, but you also get a lot of flexibility when it comes to timeline. You don’t have to outfit your whole room all at once… These tiles are kind of like legos, you can keep adding to them and expanding your training square footage as you see fit!

Pricing
Many people consider Dryland Flooring Tiles to be an unaffordable “luxury item” rather than a necessity for their Home Hockey Training Center. The truth is, price per square foot on these hockey dryland flooring tiles is right in line with most of the other shooting & skill pad options on the market, and it’s an easy way to build a fantastic, multi-purpose training facility in your own home!

Here’s some quick math if you’re interested:

• Professional Shooting Pad: $7.20 per sq ft
• Dryland Flooring Tiles: $4.86 per sq ft
• Roll-up Shooting Pad: $3.12 per sq ft

Now, obviously each of these products fits a certain purpose. But if you’re looking for a semi-permanent, HUGE surface, on which you can stickhandle, shoot, OR pass, the Dryland Flooring Tiles are definitely the best option for you.

Durability
HockeyShot’s Dryland Flooring Tiles are among the most durable hockey flooring tiles on the market. The underside of the tiles has a special ribbing system that keeps them light-weight, but super tough. In fact, these tiles are so durable, you can even park a car on them! I know this comes across as a little “infomercial-ish,” but this is actually a really important feature if you want to set up your training center in your garage, but still need to be able to park there.

Slickness
I’ve had a few questions about the “feel” of these tiles, and how well the pucks slide compared to real ice. Regular black pucks slide pretty well, definitely well enough for shooting practice, and some slower stickhandling but they do pop up a bit when trying to work on quick stickhandling. However, specialty pucks, like the Flypuck or Green Biscuit, that were designed SPECIFICALLY for off-ice stickhandling practice, slide REALLY well, and feel almost exactly like real ice!

Versatility
As I mentioned above, one of the features I like most about these tiles is how many different ways there are to use them. There are literally dozens of different combinations you can set up with other hockey training products. Some of the ones I’ve been messing around with are the Extreme Passer, SweetHands, and the Attack Triangle. With my 48 tile set-up, the square footage is big enough that I can do just about anything I want to do!

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The HockeyShot Professional Shooting Pad is a Must-Have if You Plan to Work on Your Shot from Home!

This product is a no-brainer. If you want to work on your shot off the ice, you need a good shooting pad. Otherwise you’ll wreck your stick, and the pucks won’t slide with the same feel as real ice.

HockeyShot’s Professional Shooting Pad is a great choice.

I’ve used quite a few “makeshift” shooting pads over the years. Some of these worked ok, some not as well. None has compared to the experience I’ve had with the Professional Shooting Pad. There are a few key features that make this a “must-have” item:

1. 30″ by 60″ surface area, which is larger than most of the pads I’ve used in the past. This makes it big enough to give you a full range of motion on your wrist shots, slap shots and snap shots.
2. Made of a slick and durable material, which allows your pucks to slide similarly to ice––so it works great for shooting or stickhandling practice.
3. Durability allows you to take slap shots without damaging the pad; something I had to be careful about with some of my makeshift shooting pads!
4. Bevelled edge makes it easy to pull pucks up from beside your mat.
5. This shooting pad is lightweight, with a handle cutout, which makes it REALLY easy to transport (not the case with some of my previous shooting pads).

To sum it up, you need a shooting pad of some sort if you want to work on your shot from home. If you’re looking for one that mimics the feel of real ice, is big enough to take real shots with, will hold up to intense use, and is easily transportable, then this is the pad for you. It’ll save your stick, and help make you a better hockey player in the process!

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I am often asked questions about hockey equipment––like, what brand names are best? what size to get? how much to spend? I have found that there is no “one single answer” to these questions that is correct for everyone. Taste in hockey gear is a very personal thing… and varies from one player to the next. All I can do is tell people what I like, and hopefully that helps to give a good starting point. So––today I’m going to tell you how I purchase my skates… feel free to comment on anything you agree or disagree with!

There are many different types of skates out there… some cheap, some expensive; some stiff and difficult to break in, others soft and easy to break in, some wide, some narrow… you get the point.

I personally look for 3 things when I’m purchasing a skate:

1. Comfort: I hate breaking new skates in – so I like a skate that will break in quickly, and won’t kill my feet in the process. I remember crying on the ice as a young kid breaking in new skates at the beginning of the season… With the types of materials available in skates today, breaking in skates doesn’t need to be as painful as it was in the past!
2. Durability: The only thing worse than breaking in new skates is having to do it again in the same season! I’ve found that if you buy cheap, you usually buy twice… especially with hockey skates. The higher-end skates will typically last longer, and you’ll save money in the long run. NOTE: This advice could vary if you are buying skates for a youth hockey player. Kids often outgrow their skates before they wear them out… so you might not need to purchase at the highest end of the durability scale in that case.
3. PRO-SHOP: This is the most important step for me. Hockey skates are one piece of equipment I do not recommend buying online. Make sure you purchase your skates from a knowledgeable pro-shop that will help you to get the proper size and to purchase a skate that makes sense for the type of hockey you’ll be playing. A good pro-shop will usually have a skate oven to bake your skates for you. This will custom fit the boot to your foot and will help you break in your skates more easily.

Here’s a quick tip I use to get the “perfect fit” as I’m trying on skates:

I like the tips of my toes to just barely brush the front of the boot while I’m standing with my knees straight. Then, when I bend my knees to skating position, my toes pull back in the boot to the ideal spot. Sizing my skates this way usually puts my skate about 1 size smaller than my shoe size.

Also––don’t be afraid to ask for a wide boot. I have a wide foot, and using a wide boot makes a world of difference for my comfort level.

So… you might be wondering which skate fits my criteria… I personally like Graf. I’ve used Graf skates for about 12 years now and won’t use anything else. I have found them to be easy to break in, very durable, and extremely comfortable when I get them sized correctly and baked.

What skates have you had success with? Which ones have you disliked? Let me know!

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