A Clean Sheet

Posted by Stew Carson 12/27/13

Hockey has been referred to as the 'brutal ballet', a game that combines speed and grace with the tough physicality reserved for, well....no other sport, really.  This old Bauer hockey commercial (circa 2000-and-something?) does justice in characterizing the two worlds that collide to form the greatest game on earth. It appeals to the primal, bare-bones love of the game.

Watch, enjoy, and I dare you not to be stirred by it.

(click pic to see video)

Angles, Angles, Angles

Guess what the topic of this post is?

Exactly. Angles. The effective use of angles/angling is a critical tactic for hockey players of all ages and at all levels.

In this video, Keith Acton demonstrates effective use of angling to influence and check an opponent.

Check out this week's Hockey Homework video on the HC Dallas homepage at www.hcdallas.com

Do You Respond, or React?

Posted by Stew Carson 10/15/13

How we respond to events is more important than the event itself.

Watching tennis matches at the U.S. Open not long ago reminded me of this important lesson.

I watched player after player in this year's U.S. Open in crucial Quarter-final, Semi-final, and Final matches, regularly smash or bang their racquets in frustration.

In a funny coincidence every player that lost their composure lost their match. Coincidence? No way. Those players reacted instead of responding. They let negative energy and thoughts rule their minds which then affected their actions (see: ability to play well). It also damaged their reputations in the court of public and professional opinion.

The greats like Roger Federer, Wayne Gretzky, or Sidney Crosby find ways of responding instead of reacting.

In hockey we often like to blame referees for their poor calls, shifting blame for a loss to the guys in stripes. Coaches regularly fly off the handle and vomit various versions of the 'blame game' towards referees. Parents too. This flows down to the players. Players see coaches getting upset, they get upset.

2-Minute Power Play:

When you respond, you allow yourself to focus on the solution.

Your whole stance and approach to adversity is different. It becomes about overcoming the obstacle instead of reacting to it. Reacting robs you of the energy and focus needed to overcome it. Make adversity a time for you and your team to prove yourselves, no matter whether it's a minor or major penalty or a blown call.


2-Minute Minor:

No one is out to 'get' you, coach or player, so you can forget about a ref trying to 'do you in' with bad call after bad call. If a referee is erring towards giving you or your team less leeway it could very likely be a result of how you've reacted to their legitimate calls in the past.

5-Minute Major:

Your reputation as a parent, player, or coach is on the line every time a situation arises where you have the choice to react or respond. If you lose control, others around you are sure to follow suit-- whether you're a coach, player, or parent. People notice. Believe it.

Penalty Kill:

As a coach, make it a rule not to talk to referees unless it's between periods, where you can discuss any issues calmly and in a more private setting--away from your players.

Also make it a rule that no player is to say anything to the refs. Follow through on disciplining players who do.



As a new season dawns for those of us in the hockey world, let's remind ourselves as players, parents, and coaches about the importance of focusing on what you can control--your attitude and the way you respond to events.

"To respond is positive, to react is negative."

-Zig Ziglar

Hockey Homework Series Video #8: The "Figure 8"

Posted 9/28/30 by Stew Carson

Coach Jarrod Yost demonstrates The Figure 8, a drill that emphasizes the use of the bottom hand as a slider, allowing players to effectively handle pucks outside their normal range of stick handling.

Don't forget to check out more features on the HC Dallas website at www.hcdallas.com

The Patrick Kane Stickhandling School

Posted 9/16/13 by Stew Carson

Hidden camera footage of Patrick Kane stickhandling with the VAPOR APX2 stick.

It's A Movie And You're The Star

Published 9/15 by Stew Carson

Have you ever seen something happen in your mind before it happens for real?

Many a young hockey player has imagined scoring the winning OT goal in game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals.

What if you could use your hockey fantasy to help improve your play?

The power of the human mind is incredible and largely under-developed.

This post we look at visualization as a powerful tool to help in your hockey success.

NOTE WELL: It works.  Ask any top athlete and they'll tell you training the mind is as much a part of their success as any physical or nutritional training.

With positive self-talk and the ability to visualize success you form a belief system that allows you to see yourself being great, to see yourself in the moment, in the act of succeeding--before it happens.

Scoring the OT goal
Making a solid first pass to a teammate
Making a big, game-changing hit.
Making a great save.
Making the right coaching decision.
Inspiring your players or teammates.


Here are some tips on how you can get good at visualization (it's a skill, just like shooting, passing or skating).

5-Minute Power-Play:

Before each game, find a quiet area and close our eyes. Visualize yourself succeeding, making the right play. It could be as simple as an outlet pass, or some other basic play that happens a bunch of times throughout the game, or a single important, game-changing play. It's up to you.

Keep your eyes closed until you see the action play like a movie in your head. Don't stop until you're able to focus enough to see it clearly, over and over. 

Now tie an emotion to your thought. Don't just think the outcome, feel the outcome. Don't just see yourself carrying the trophy or being mobbed by teammates after scoring the game winning goal, connect with how great it will feel to have achieved your goal.


2-Minute Power-Play:

Ensure that you view the movie through your own eyes, as you would on the ice instead of being outside yourself.  This makes the visualization more powerful and realistic, allowing you to connect better with your thought and emotion.

Finally, add your favorite music to help bring the emotion into the mix.

2-Minute Minor:

Distractions will make it much tougher to focus . Do your best to find a quiet place to visualize your success. Being around teammates who might try and distract you won't help you develop your visualization skills. This can make visualizing right before the game, on your way to the rink, or even at home, some of the best times to practice.


Penalty-Kill:

Like any skill visualization takes practice. Some people may look at you kinda funny.  Make an effort to incorporate this into anything and everything you do, then watch the results. It will only take one time for you to see your movie played out to it's successful result on the ice, for real, to make you a believer.

Hockey Homework Series- Video #2- Developing Hand & Wrist Strength

Posted: 8/29/13 by Stew Carson

The second installment in the HC Dallas Hockey Homework Series sees Coach Dwight Mullins demonstrate a simple technique for effectively building grip, hand, forearm, and wrist strength, leading to improved stick and shooting skills.

The HC Dallas educational and developmental portion of our facility is also featured here.

Commitment

Posted:  8/27/13 by Stew Carson

Commitment.

You can't play hockey without it.

And we're not talking about making it to practice or off-ice training on time. We're talking about sacrifice, extra effort, going beyond what's expected to give your absolute all.

Hockey is a fast-paced, physical sport---even for those leagues that don't have full contact---that requires players to block shots, fight for loose pucks in confined spaces, and sacrifice for the team.

This post is not so much a 'tip' as it is a statement about commitment to work ethic and sacrifice that separates the 'passengers' (those along for the ride) and those players who work to make a difference for their teammates and themselves.

You can't be successful without the extra effort, and sometimes that means taking a shot of off your ankle, or taking a pasting by an opposing player to make a key play---like getting the puck out of the zone (we're looking at you wingers). You don't have to score highlight reel goals to get noticed, to make a difference, or to be a valuable member of a team! Often, success is in the small, normally unnoticed plays.

Check out this sequence, all during the same penalty-kill, by former Toronto Maple Leaf Matt Stajan. This sequence is all about sacrifice for the team.......unbelievable. You can bet that the newspapers didn't report on this sequence, but Stajan's coaches and teammates noticed big time.

Hockey Homework Series- Video #1 Wrist Roll for Stickhandling

The first instructional video in a forthcoming series called "Hockey Homework" from HC Dallas. These videos are designed to offer players techniques and tips to maintain and improve their skills at home.

In Video #1, Coach Jouni Lehtola demonstrates proper wrist roll for stickhandling and offers a fun, quick drill you can do at home to keep up and improve muscle memory.

Commitment

By Stew Carson

Commitment.

You can't play hockey without it.

And we're not talking about making it to practice or off-ice training on time. We're talking about sacrifice, extra effort, going beyond what's expected to give your absolute all.

Hockey is a fast-paced, physical sport-even for those leagues that don't have full contact-that requires players to block shots, fight for loose pucks in confined spaces, and sacrifice for the team.

This week's post is not so much a 'tip' as it is a statement about commitment to work ethic and sacrifice that separates the 'passengers' (those along for the ride) and those players who work to make a difference for their teammates and themselves.

You can't be successful without the extra effort, and sometimes that means taking a shot of off your ankle, or taking a pasting by an opposing player to make a key play---like getting the puck out of the zone (we're looking at you wingers). You don't have to score highlight reel goals to get noticed, to make a difference, or to be a valuable member of a team! Often, success is in the small, normally unnoticed plays.

Check out this sequence, all during the same penalty-kill, by former Toronto Maple Leaf Matt Stajan. This sequence is all about sacrifice for the team.......unbelievable. You can bet that the newspapers didn't report on this sequence, but Stajan's coaches and teammates noticed big time.

You gotta love it.