Fisticuffs

I just thought I'd link to an interesting article on fighting. This one particular quote from Wendel Clark, former captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, pretty much sums up my opinion on the issue:

"Look, I'm not going to say I'm against it. I played that way. I think it's part of the game at the pro level. What I am concerned about is the amount of fighting going on in minor hockey. There are only two levels where it is allowed and there are specific rules for it - the pros and junior. Yet at the bantam and midget levels, not just at AAA but AA and A too, the amount of fights are going up. It is not part of the game there. There are no rules. You fight, you're kicked out. Yet it's increasing. Who is condoning this for our kids? Coaches, parents, whoever it is, it has to stop.

Fighting in the pros is one thing. They are adults. They are professionals. They are doing it for a living. But kids? I know in my case, I didn't have my first fight until junior. No one starts out wanting to be a fighter. They all want to be finesse guys, the next Sidney Crosby. Like I said, there is room for it in the pros in my opinion, but what's going on with the kids concerned me.”

What's in a Name?

We've gotten a lot of feedback about the blog so far, but the most commonly asked question is 'What's with the name? It's bad.' Is it? Tell us what you think!

Biomechanics of the Wrist

Every joint in the human body is designed to flex in a certain way based on the structure of bones, tendons, ligaments and cartilage in the joint. Knees and elbows are designed to flex in one particular direction. The joints of hips and shoulders provide nearly full freedom of movement in all directions. The wrists and ankles allow for motions unique to the joints’ needs. Today we’ll talk about the wrist as it relates to hockey.

The wrist is a Condyloid joint and is constructed from several small bones that are surrounded by a capsule and strengthened by ligaments. This construction allows for three degrees of movement (Up and down, left and right, and axial rotation) of the joint.

Holding your arm out in front of you, palm down, rotate your hand as far as you can in one direction and the other without moving your shoulder. You should notice that rotation in one direction allows your palm to face up but does not allow for much more rotation past that (about 180 degrees of motion). In the other direction, your hand can move to a sideways position (about 90 degrees) before stopping. Attempting to rotate your wrist past these limits is not a natural motion and can end up causing some pain. These ‘hard stops’ define the limitations of the joint, or the ‘freedom of movement’.

In hockey, whenever you stick handle, pass, receive a pass or shoot a puck, you are rotating your wrists; sometimes slightly, sometimes severely and usually quite quickly. Holding your stick in the correct position allows your wrists to rotate freely without ever hitting a ‘hard stop’, decreasing the chance of causing wrist pain or injury and improving the accuracy and speed of the shot, pass, or stick handing move.

We’ll talk about the proper way to hold your stick in a bit. Just remember to stay within your body’s range of motion and you’ll find the proper technique based on how it feels to your body.

Puck and Stick

Many coaches throw the term ‘stick handling’ around as though it happens every time a puck touches a stick blade. Skating unopposed up the ice, turning to go around an opponent, and making a deke on a goalie seem to always be called ‘stick handling’. I prefer to distinguish between these movements.

I find the term ‘puck control’ is a more accurate description of what a player does with the puck when they’re not around an opponent. The goal is simply to maintain control of the puck; to keep it in a position that allows you to move it as you like and eventually make a pass, take a shot, or ‘stick handle’. There isn’t a lot of fancy stick movement while controlling the puck, as excess movement creates the opportunity to lose control and turn the puck over. Sometimes good ‘puck control’ is carrying the puck up ice or even just pushing it out on front of you in a controlled manner. Everyone knows you have the puck, but no one is close enough to make an effort to steal it from you.

Simply skating around with a puck is a good ‘puck control’ drill. Maintaining good puck control can also entail the use of the skates to kick up and pucks that are lost in the feet. Any way to maintain control of the puck counts.

‘Stick handling’ comes into play once you enter high-traffic areas. At this point, you’re close enough to opponents that they can attempt to steal the puck or knock the puck away from you. ‘Stick handling’ moves are used to confuse the opponent and get him reaching for the puck. Continuously moving the puck makes this effort harder for the opponent.

When in close on a goalie, ‘stick handling’ comes up again. A simple deke is a 'stick handling' move intended to confuse the goalie and cause him to make the first move, or ‘commit’. Once committed, a goalie’s options are very limited and the chances for a goal increase.

‘Stick handling’ involves creativity and improvisation. Your actions depend on those of another skater or goalie and are constantly changing based on those reactions. A good ‘stick handling’ move is often unexpected or done quickly enough that an opponent cannot react in time. Trying a new ‘move’ in practice often leads to its use in a game situation.

Just remember, it’s all about controlling the puck. You can’t score without it and neither can the other team.