11Jul 2011 by Jeremy Weiss No Comments

Stickhandling: Swedish Wooden Ball Review

Coaches' Corner, Hockey Drills, Hockey Equipment, Individual Skill Drills, Individual Skills, Off-ice Training, Puckhandling, Skills, Stickhandling, Useful Products
The Swedish Wooden Ball is the "Speed Bag" of Hockey Stickhandling In most areas of athletic development there are drills and products to work on raw strength, and there are drills and products designed to work on speed and agility. Think of the difference between a boxer punching the heavy bag vs. the speed bag, or the difference between squats and sprints. Well, stickhandling is no different. We use different pucks, balls, and other training tools to work on different aspects of stickhandling skill requirements, in an attempt to put together a "complete development package" that will help the athlete to perform at an optimal level. Heavier pucks and balls will develop wrist and forearm strength, while lighter balls will develop faster hands, and quicker reaction speed. Both types of…
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07Jul 2011 by Jeremy Weiss 2 Comments

Stickhandling: SmartHockey Ball Review

Coaches' Corner, Hockey Drills, Hockey Equipment, Individual Skill Drills, Individual Skills, Off-ice Training, Puckhandling, Skills, Stickhandling, Useful Products
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…
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29Jun 2011 by Jeremy Weiss No Comments

Stickhandling: Green Biscuit Review

Coaches' Corner, Hockey Drills, Hockey Equipment, Individual Skill Drills, Individual Skills, Off-ice Training, Puckhandling, Skills, Stickhandling, Useful Products
The Green Biscuit Behaves Like a REAL Puck, Even on Pavement! My First Experience with the Green Biscuit I've gotta admit, the first time I saw the Green Biscuit online, I didn't get it. It seemed a little weird, and kinda "gimmicky" to me. Then, a few months ago I saw one at my local hockey shop. I picked it up off the counter, and asked Darren, the store owner, what he thought of it. He told me it was amazing, and that he'd never seen anything like it. I've been friends with Darren for years, so when he tells me "I've never seen anything like this," I usually perk my ears up! Here are his exact words: "Jeremy, that puck is the damnedest thing... it feels EXACTLY like a…
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08Jun 2011 by Jeremy Weiss 5 Comments

Shooting: Hockey Radar Gun iPhone App

Coaches' Corner, Hockey Equipment, Off-ice Training, Skills, Useful Products
Track the Speed of your Hockey Shot with this Radar Gun iPhone App! A few weeks ago, I was contacted by the developers of a new iPhone app called Speedhero. I took a look at a few of their YouTube videos, and was blown away by what I saw: The folks down at Speedhero have come up with a way to track the speed of a shot using your phone! It all centers around a basic equation you've probably seen before D=RxT (Distance = Rate x Time). If you have any two of these components, you can figure out the third. With Speedhero, you program in your "Distance" from the goal, then it uses the microphone in your iPhone to pick up two important sounds: your stick hitting the puck,…
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26May 2011 by Jeremy Weiss No Comments

Shooting: Shooter Tutor Review

Coaches' Corner, Hockey Equipment, Off-ice Training, Skills, Useful Products
The Shooter Tutor is one of my All-time Favorite Hockey Shooting Aids! I first began using the Shooter Tutor when I was about 10 years old back in Toronto. My dad used to keep one in the trunk incase we had ever had a goalie "no-show" us for practice. During high school (about 6 years later), I kept that same Shooter Tutor strapped to a full-sized goal in our side yard. I left it up through rain and shine, and shot anywhere from 50 to 100 pucks a day during the summers. Needless to say, it saw its fair share of abuse from me! Years later, when I began running my own skill development camps, the first thing I invested in were two Shooter Tutors. There's nothing worse than showing…
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