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

The C-Pass Give and Go is a great, high-tempo passing drill.

The C-Pass Give and Go is an awesome drill to get your players moving. It is high tempo, and works a lot on giving and receiving passes in motion.

This drill should be done at full speed. As your players get the hang of this drill, start pushing them to keep their feet moving throughout the entire drill.

Enjoy!!

CLICK HERE for a PDF of the C-Pass Give and Go

Technorati Tags: Full Speed, Lot, Pdf, Tempo

Here’s a nice little agility drill that brings in many different skating elements!

I’ve mentioned before that technical skating drills can be boring and monotonous for many youngsters. The problem is that skating ability is SO essential… you HAVE to find ways of developing it! One method I’ve found to work with youngsters––and older players too –is to add a shot at the end of a skating drill. This tactic turns it from a skating drill into a shooting drill, and is much more fun and motivating for the players.

Start with no pucks. As your players progress, add a puck, then start making them do 5 push-ups for each time they lose the puck. Players must be able to execute these skating maneuvers at full speed without mishandling the puck. Add more pressure by assigning push-ups if the next player in line catches you. FULL SPEED IS THE KEY HERE – PUSH YOUR PLAYERS OUT OF THEIR COMFORT ZONE!!

Enjoy!

CLICK HERE for a PDF of the Overspeed Agility Drill

Technorati Tags: Agility, Comfort Zone, Elements, Full Speed, Pdf, Puck, Pucks, Push Ups, Skating Drills, Skating Maneuvers, Speed Is The Key, Tactic, Ups, Youngsters

Click Here for a printout of the Center Lag Timing Drill that you can bring to the rink with you.

Timing in hockey is a skill that requires not only physical ability, but mental ability as well. It is not uncommon to see young players buzzing around in practices or games – they appear to only have one speed: FULL SPEED. Since they’re working hard, they think they’re doing a good job… In reality, it is the player who arrives in the right spot, at the right time, with speed that will be the most effective.

Teach your players to pass to designated receiving areas, not necessarily to players. The responsibility lies with the receiver to make the play work. The receiver must select the proper route to the receiving zone so that he arrives on time, with speed. He must be ready to receive the puck when the passer is ready to give it to him, that’s timing!

Note: Passing & Timing go hand-in-hand. Make sure you take a look at our video on passing technique as well!

Technorati Tags: Amp, Full Speed, Games, Good Job, Hockey Drills, hockey passing drills, hockey timing drills, Mental Ability, Physical Ability, Proper Route, Puck, Right Time

Hockey speed is attained by combining Skating Power, and Foot Speed. A player will never achieve his or her full skating potential until both skills have been acquired, and perfected.

As you begin work on skating with your team, begin with power and technique… then add foot speed. As you increase the tempo of your skating drills, don’t let your players sacrifice technique for foot speed. Players must be able to move their feet at full speed while maintaining a technically sound stride!

Technorati Tags: Feet, Foot Speed, Full Speed, Power Hockey, Power Player, Sacrifice, Skating Drills, Skating Power, Tempo