belfryhockey · @belfryhockey
4th Oct 2016 from TwitLonger
I think it's time to applaud @HeyBarber for his determination and work today in trying to master "rolling the puck out the back", which is an elite core stick handling skill.
The reason this is so difficult to learn is there are a few critical progressive movements that a player must master BEFORE you get to this. A few of those movements and characteristics include:
1. Clear separation of top and and bottom hand. Bottom hand is loose and guiding while top hand is dynamic and quick.
2. There is a quick wrist motion on the top hand that creates the "snap" of the puck I am alluding to in what's missing in Pavel's attempts.
3. The stick face actually wraps around the front side of the puck as it rolls out the back.
4. The puck stays close to the stick in the snap motion of the wrist
5. The stick stays on or very close to the ice - doesn't go over top of the puck
6. The puck snaps into the middle of the blade - not the heel. If the puck lands in the middle of the blade you have the motion down to allow you to move to the next skill
.... yes Pavel, there is more...
Once the puck is snapped to the middle of the blade, we now have a gateway to many skill applications and blends.
The point we are indirectly making here is, while there are many skills you can learn by mimicking a quick hit video in isolation ... these are usually isolation skills to which the blending of moments is either minor or there are no blends. As soon as you have multiple movements that require synchronization, the execution elements will be tested to the degree of the players background knowledge of each of the said elements. Then it's a matter of snapping the blend spacers in place. These skill blends is where skill genius is hiding.
The question then becomes, how do the elite players learn these skills - well they have a wide breadth of background skill to which many elements of execution are already learned. They combine those elements with a reason for learning/impromptu creating the skill blend (context). Then the mastery of skill comes from creatively blending, impromptu reacting or watching others and mimicking becomes only a matter of feel in reducing the space between the skill elements. As the player messes around with the blend, they eliminate or "shoulder" the skill elements and eliminate the spacing.
Awesome job today Pavel.
#skillsthatseparate