So today I finally got around to testing those Twin City Thunder hockey drills everyone’s been talking about. Woke up feeling stiff as hell but dragged myself to the rink anyway. Figured I’d try all five tips they recommend, see if it actually does anything for my game.
First Up: Stickhandling With My Head Up
Grabbed a bucket of pucks and started zigzagging through cones like usual. Forced myself to stare straight at the damn glass instead of looking down at the ice. Tripped over my own feet twice and sent three pucks flying into the boards. Felt like a newborn deer on skates but kept grinding for twenty minutes straight. By the end I was barely glancing at the puck – felt weirdly freeing once I stopped overthinking it.
Next: Quick Release Practice
Set up in the slot and had my buddy feed me passes. Focused on catching and shooting in one motion without winding up. First ten shots? Whiffed completely or dribbled to the goalie’s pads. Changed my grip higher on the stick and bent my knees more. Suddenly started hearing that sweet “thwack” sound off the crossbar. Still can’t place it top shelf consistently though.
Third Tip: Backward Crossovers
Sprinted to the blue line then tried crossing over backward while keeping my shoulders square. Wobbled like drunk penguin during the first few laps. My left skate kept catching edges and nearly ate ice twice. Started focusing on pushing through my heels instead of toes – total gamechanger. Still slower than frozen molasses but at least I stopped faceplanting.
Edge Work On Circles
Took their advice about leaning hard into turns without losing speed. Did figure eights around the faceoff dots digging my inside edges deep. Sprayed so much ice shavings I looked like a human snowplow. Right ankle started burning halfway through – forgot how much this kills your joints. Noticed my turns got tighter when I dropped my hips lower though.
Last Drill: One-Timer One-Knee Slappers
God I hate these. Dropped to one knee near the hash marks for slap shots. First five attempts went wide right or tumbled end-over-end. Had to remind myself to keep the follow-through low. Teammate laughed when I faceplanted trying to spin for a rebound. Finally connected one clean off the post – that crack echoed through the whole damn arena.
By the time I finished all five drills, my jersey was soaked and my legs felt like jelly. Took a 20-minute bag skate just to punish myself more. Honestly thought I’d see instant results but nope – still can’t deke around pylons cleanly. But damn if those backward crossovers didn’t feel smoother by the end. Gonna force myself to do this torture twice a week now. Maybe by playoff season I won’t embarrass myself on breakaways anymore.
