QuickStickz is a Fun and Effective way to Develop Stickhandling Ability

I’ve been really excited to get this post out, and let you know about a cool product called QuickStickz. QuickStickz is an innovative new way to work on your stickhandling abilities off the ice, and it’s a lot of fun too!

A few months ago I was invited to take a look at QuickStickz, which is a video-game-based, hockey stickhandling development system. I had seen the product before, but I’d never had the chance to get my hands on one. The idea seemed really cool, so I was excited to see what it was all about.

How it Works:
QuickStickz uses a special infrared camera that connects up to your PC via USB jack. The camera combos up with a customized SmartHockey stickhandling ball, that has been machined out with a whole bunch of tiny reflectors all over its surface. As you stickhandle, the camera picks up the movements of the ball, and sends the signal into the computer, which allows you to see your stickhandling movements on the screen.

Set-up is pretty simple, just plug in the camera, go to the QuickStickz member’s area, and install the plug-in when prompted.

Drills and Games:
Once you’re up and running, just select a drill or a game from the member’s area, and have at it! The drills are designed to help you work on various skills such as tight puck movement, wide puck movement, dekes, toe drags, etc. The games apply these skills in a more dynamic environment.

Member’s Area:
The member’s area is a great way to track your progress. You can check your own stats and progress, or see how your top score compares to other top scores from around the world. The member’s area also tracks how much time you’re spending on QuickStickz. This makes it easy for parents or coaches to check in on the player’s efforts and progress.

Conclusion:
QuickStickz is a great tool to help any player develop his or her stickhandling abilities. It’s a lot of fun, and it’s a product that I think connects with kids on their level. The one weakness of QuickSticks is that it’s fairly sensitive to the ambient lighting in the room you’re using it in. Sunlight badly interferes with the infrared signal put out by the camera, and makes the ball just jump around on the screen. So make sure you close the blinds, and rely on your “artificial lighting” (regular lightbulbs), and you should be just fine!

Technorati Tags: Buddies, Coach, Computer Set, Conclusion, Creativity, Design Feature, Dynamic Environment, Exercise Instructions, Exercises, Fun, Games, High Quality, Hockey Coaches, Hockey Player, Infrared Camera, Innovative Hockey, Interesting Design, Parents, Powerslide Slide Board, Ramps, Reflectors, Score, Skating Drills, Video Game

Perpetual Breakout Drill Mimics Passing Patterns Often Encountered in Games

The Perpetual Breakout is a great drill to develop hockey breakout abilities in a high-tempo, flow and timing setting. Here’s what the drill looks like:

Perpetual Breakout Explanation:

1. “Ghost man” passers start the drill by shooting then picking up a puck behind the net to initiate the breakout
2. Low forward simulates winger, and swings in to pick up board-side breakout pass
3. High forward swings through and acts as the centerman providing middle support
4. winger one-touches to center, who attacks and shoots, then initiates breakout in far zone
5. winger moves to middle line.

NOTE: winger can swing from top down, or from bottom up, depending on your team’s breakout set up.

Technorati Tags: Acts, Angling, Breakout, Games, Ghost Man, Hockey Drill, Mimics, Puck, Skill Level, Swings, Tempo, Winger, Zone 5

Beat teams that are better than you with the Neutral Zone Trap!

The Neutral Zone Trap is a super effective forechecking set-up. In fact, it is almost too good. The reason I say that is because it allows players to “get by” on very little raw skill and ability. Because of this characteristic, I don’t recommend teaching it to younger age groups. So, if you coach an older team, add this to your team’s tool belt!

When I first moved to the states, the team I ended up on was horrible. We spent the first half of the season in last place, and double-diget losses were common place against the top teams in the league. However, half-way through the season we learned the trap. All of a sudden we began winning games… in fact, we even beat the first place team once, then tied them another time!!

Our team didn’t win the championship or anything (there was just too much lack of talent to overcome), but we did make a respectable playoff push at the end of the season, largely due to good execution of the trap.

Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: Age Groups, Execution, First Place Team, Forechecking, Games, Losses, Neutral Zone Trap, Tool Belt

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!

Technorati Tags: Balls, Bounce, Carpet, Design Feature, Durability, Friction, Games, Great Shape, Hockey Ball, Hockey Player, Hockey Product, Homework, Pavement, Puck, Pucks, Rubber Flooring, Smart Design, Surfaces, Tool, Versatility

Welcome to Weiss Tech Hockey’s Home Hockey Training Center!

As you know, hockey is a complex game that combines MANY different skills. Great hockey players can skate well, stickhandle, shoot, pass… they’re strong, fast, smart, and make the right decision at the right time!

One of the biggest mistakes many hockey players make is that they only work on their skills at the rink; they only work on their speed and strength at the rink; and they only work on their hockey smarts at the rink. In today’s game, if you’re only developing your abilities during your regular practices and games, you’re probably not going to achieve your full potential. The best players I know are at the gym on their own, working on their hockey skills off the ice, and improving their decision-making-abilities AWAY FROM THE RINK AS WELL!

Last summer I put together my Coaches’ Training Course, which focused on systems play, and other “mental aspects” of the game. This summer I’ll be focusing more on Individual Skill development. I recently re-released my off-ice strength and conditioning program, the S3 Formula, which focuses on developing raw Speed, Strength, and Size. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be walking you through the process of developing a Home Hockey Training Center that will allow you to improve your Individual Skills at home!

Let’s get started!

Technorati Tags: Coaches Training, Conditioning Program, Course Overview, Game, Games, Hockey Players, Hockey Skills, Hockey Training, Home Hockey, Introduction Course, Mental Aspects, Raw Speed, Right Decision, Right Time, Skill Development, Smarts, Strength And Conditioning, Time One