Stickhandling — Tennis Ball
The Elite Hockey Drills app builds drills like this into your personalized off-ice program, week by week. Your first week is free.
How to Do It
Hockey stick + tennis ball on a flat, smooth surface (garage floor, driveway). Soft hands — the stick blade cushions the ball like an extension of your fingers. Start with front-to-back stickhandling — controlled, deliberate. 30 seconds. Then side-to-side — heel-to-toe of the blade. 30 seconds. Figure-8 around feet, toe-drag pull, between-the-legs. Build the catalog. EYES UP — feel the ball, don't stare at it. This is the hardest and most important part.
Why It Works
A tennis ball is HARDER to control with a hockey stick than a puck — it's lighter, bouncier, has higher center of gravity, and demands softer hands. Master a tennis ball and the puck feels glued to your blade. Wayne Gretzky famously did this drill every day as a kid in his backyard; modern pros from Patrick Kane to Auston Matthews still build their off-ice stickhandling on a tennis ball foundation. The fine-motor skill acquired here is the literal definition of hockey hands — the soft-hand control that creates time and space on the ice.
Hockey Transfer
A tennis ball is harder to control than a puck — slower, bouncier, requires lighter touch. Master a tennis ball and the puck feels easy. Wayne Gretzky famously did this every day as a kid. Master the tennis ball and the puck feels glued to your blade. Soft hands compound over years.
Coaching Cues
- "Hockey stick + tennis ball on a flat surface. Soft hands — let the stick blade cushion the ball. Front-to-back. Side-to-side. Figure-8. Toe-drag pull. Eyes UP — feel the ball"
- "Don't stare at it."
Common Mistakes
Staring at the ball — defeats the actual game skill. Eyes up forces feel. Gripping the stick too tight — soft hands need a relaxed grip. Using too small a surface area — work in a 6×6 ft zone minimum to allow real range. Skipping the weak side — every player has a worse hand. Spend MORE time there.
Progression / Regression
Golf ball stickhandling — smaller, harder to track. Pros use this as the elite progression.
Stickhandling with a regular puck on slick floor — same patterns, easier object control.
Primary Muscles
Energy System
Strength/neural
Put it to work
on the ice.
The Elite Hockey Drills app builds exercises like this into a personalized off-ice program — created by a sport scientist and former national-team coach. Your first week is free.
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