The Cornerstones of Hockey

Skating is to a hockey player what any great structure that withstands the test of time- The Foundation! To begin- to become a great skater, one must perfect a proper posture and weight distribution. The other components, such as the Power Push, or balance over the glide leg, start to be developed more rapidly. Voyageur has a unique and systematic approach to accelerating the rhythmic balance between the Power Push, Weight Transfer, and Recovery; so the skater is utilizing all the strength in her/his body to generate speed. Remember, the best skaters are usually the best players!

The foundation to becoming a great Stickhandler is proper posture, weight distribution, and proper grip. The combination of movements between the upper and lower body is what controls the puck. Through a milieu of training techniques, coupled with a strong communicative ability, Voyageur Hockey will develop a players’ biomechanics to effectively tie the puck to their athletic movements while playing hockey. Meaning, the biomechanical movements of the athlete within the “hockey player” controls the path of the puck, thus promoting all facets of stickhandling, i.e., puck protection, skating with puck, heads-up hockey, shoulder fakes, etc,. Once a player is properly built, they soon start to develop the ability for their movements to control the puck; thus, promoting the development of boundless creativity.

Passing… is an art form. Everyone knows, or should know, that Gretzky was winning scoring races during his career on assists alone. Great passes must be given and received in all 3 zones of the ice. Voyageur breaks down the types of forehand and backhand passing techniques; combined with the varying techniques on how to receive a pass, be it on the forehand, backhand, or with the skates.

In breaking down the mechanics of giving and receiving a pass, it is important that the student understands how to do so with the varying subtleties. For example, receiving a pass on the forehand is technically different from receiving it on the backhand. Why?

Shooting… The 4 categories of Shooting are the Wrist Shot, Backhand Shot, Snap Shot, and Slap Shot. Though there are varying subsets to each “shot”, Voyageur Hockey has a step-by-step methodology for a student to learn to perfect each type of shot combined with “bow and arrow” accuracy. It is not only important to understand the basics- posture, hand position, use of hands, weight transfers; it also of extreme importance the student understands the “relationship” the puck has to the stick in all categories; and, or the use of the shaft of the stick to influence rate of speed and accuracy. For example, a student of Voyageur will learn 5 different types of a slapshot to manipulate a goalies interpretation in reading the shot. End goal is to nurture a goal scorers “touch” anywhere in the offensive zone.