There is a difference between hockey shooting tiles and hockey shooting pads. Tiles are actually called dryland tiles, or slick tiles. They are a type of flooring that allows for great hockey practice at home. Shooting pads, however, are strips that allow you to focus mainly on making shots from a flat surface that works for you. Both are great, but in this article, we will be focusing on the shooting tiles. Here are a few drills you can do from the comfort of your own home that will help you strengthen your game and stay in shape.
1 Passing Drill
Sniper’s Edge Hockey offers state-of-the-art flooring known as “slick tiles.” These slick tiles are designed to keep things smooth and allow the puck to act as if it were on ice. With the help of your PassMaster, set yourself up on the surface that you created with your shooting tiles where your pucks are within reach. Aim your pucks at the PassMaster and try to get them to bounce straight back at you. If you have a goal set up, or even better, a hockey shooting tarp, aim your pucks at the PassMaster at an angle to bounce them into the goal and make shots.
2 Shooting Drill
Make sure you have enough pucks within reach to practice your shots unless you like to retrieve each puck that you shoot. If so, by all means, go ahead. Anyway. Take note of your target and get your body into position. Aim carefully and use your skill to hit the target every time. If you miss the target, keep shooting for it until you get it. Shooting tiles are designed to be tough and ready to handle brutal practice sessions. A word of caution, though; the more you practice, the better you get so get ready to be in high demand if you continue.
3 Stickhandling Drill
In this exercise, you will only need one puck. This is a short and long reach stick handling drill to help you focus on both stretched out movements and short movements that are close to the body. Start out by putting the puck down in front of you. Use your stick to slap it from side to side, left to right. At first, warm up with some in close shifting. Pass the puck to and fro to yourself at about 2 or 3 feet apart. After a few of these allow the puck to go outward to the right or left as far as you can allow it then stop it, and push it back the other way outside so you stretch the other side too. Repeat 3 or 4 times each width out, and repeat the whole cycle 5 times.
Practicing Hockey at Home
With all of the crazy things happening in the United States today it may be a good idea to considering practicing your skills at home. You don’t have to let yourself worry about that because any practice is good practice. As long as you are up, moving around, and showing up for your own practice you are making progress. Thanks to muscle memory the strength you build and the skills that you learn will stay with you and show up when we get back to playing for real. Keep it up.
