Hockey - Weighted Stick Drills Reduce High Sticking Infractions

Dick Moss

Players who skate with their stick high are just asking for a penalty. This fact is not lost on NHL teams, now adjusting to new standards of officiating designed to reduce high-sticking injuries.

One pro team has come up with an innovative method for reducing high sticking infractions among its defensemen.

Reduce High Sticking Penalties Like This by Taping Two Pucks to Your Defensemen’s Stick

Reduce High Sticking Penalties Like This by Taping Two Pucks to Your Defensemen’s Stick

It's a method that can be incorporated into your own practices.

Weighted Stick Drills
Jacques Laperriere, assistant coach for the New Jersey Devils, has his defencemen perform drills using sticks that have had three pucks taped to their blades.

You can do the same using two pucks (one on either side of the blade). The extra effort involved in lifting the weighted stick will ensure that your players keep their stick on the ice when making defensive plays.

Obviously, this method is most effective on drills that involve skating and defensive play as opposed to puck handling, shooting and passing.

Reference: Pierre McGuire, "In the Crease." Sports Illustrated, December 18, 2006.
http://www.sportsillustrated.com

 

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