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Ages 10–13

Dryland Shooting

Sixty-five shots, every one of them aimed. A stick, a ball and a target.

About 20 minutesA stick, a ball and a targetTwo or three times a week

First the target: plywood, a fence or a net — never the garage door, never a window, and never with a car or a little brother behind it. No plywood? Chalk a door-sized square on a concrete wall you are allowed to hit. Stand about ten feet back and mark the spot with tape, so you can actually tell whether you are getting better, and count the ones that hit rather than the ones you take. Use a street-hockey ball on concrete rather than a puck, which will not slide and wrecks the blade — the balls are sold by temperature, so get the cold-weather one for winter. Old stick if you have one, tape the bottom of the blade, and put five or six balls down to save walking — but never into the road after one. Where a cue says puck, read ball.

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Warm upOne time through.
1
Arm circles and band pull-apart15 each way
  • Big slow circles both directions, then pull a light band apart at chest height.
  • Squeeze the shoulder blades together at the end of every pull-apart.

Common mistake: Shrugging the shoulders up toward the ears.

Skip the band pull-apart if you don't have a band.

2
World’s greatest stretch4 each side
  • Step into a long lunge, back knee off the floor, both hands inside the front foot.
  • Drop the inside elbow toward the front ankle, then rotate and reach that arm to the ceiling.
  • Finish by pushing the hips back and straightening the front leg, then switch sides.

Common mistake: Rushing through it. Hold each position for a full breath.

ELBOW TO THE INSTEP ROTATE, REACH UP
3
Quick narrow dribble2 × 20 sec
  • Hands a little closer. Tiny, fast touches only a few inches wide.
  • Soft hands: let the ball sit on the blade instead of batting it.

Common mistake: Big swinging motions. The speed comes from the wrists, not the arms.

Hands first — a good shot starts with a settled ball.

TINY, FAST TOUCHES SOFT HANDS, CUP THE BALL
The shotsAim every single one.
4
Wrist shots30 shots
  • Puck in the middle of the blade, weight moving from your back leg to your front leg.
  • Follow through at the target, rolling the blade closed.

Common mistake: All arms and no weight transfer.

First ten of the thirty in slow motion, feeling the weight move to the front foot. Follow through low for a low shot and high for a high one — that is the whole of aiming.

WEIGHT ON THE BACK LEG FOLLOW THROUGH AT THE NET
5
Backhand shots15 shots
  • Puck toward the heel of the blade. Pull it across and lift with a sweeping follow-through.
  • Aim high, since that’s where goalies struggle with backhands.

Common mistake: Flicking with just the wrists and no body behind it.

Second, while the hands are fresh. Nobody practises this enough, which is exactly why it works.

BALL ON THE HEEL SWEEP AND LIFT HIGH
6
Snap shots off the dribble20 shots
  • Two quick stickhandles, then release without a big wind-up.
  • Change where you shoot from: in front, beside, even behind your feet.

Common mistake: Stopping to set up the shot. It should come straight out of the dribble.

Last, because it puts the hands and the shot together.

TWO QUICK TOUCHES RELEASE, NO WIND-UP
PassingNo partner? A wall does the job.
7
Passing off a rebounder or wall2 × 15 passes
  • Pass hard and flat at the rebounder, or a wall if you don’t have one.
  • Cushion the pass as it comes back: let the blade give a little as it arrives.

Common mistake: A stiff blade on the reception, so the puck bounces off.

Shoot the last five back instead of catching them.

PASS HARD AND FLAT CUSHION IT BACK
Finish
8
Wrist and forearm stretch30 sec each
  • Arm straight out, fingers up, gently pull the hand back. Then fingers down and repeat.
  • Worth doing after any heavy grip day or a long stick session.
9
Doorway chest stretch30 sec each
  • Forearm on the door frame at shoulder height, step through and turn away.
  • Ribs down, shoulder blade pulled back as you turn.

Common mistake: Shrugging the shoulder up toward the ear.

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