“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving. – Albert Einstein”
This quote is particularly relevant during COVID-19. Kids are being homeschooled and recreation activities like hockey are on hold. COVID-19 might be playing the trap but we can figure out ways to beat the trap and have our budding hockey players keep working on their skills.
So how can we help our kids stay active with hockey?
Below is a list of 3 hockey training tools you can make at home. I went the DIY route as it was a good father/son bonding activity and in most cases we were able to save money.
SHOOTING PAD
I used a 4×8 sheet of 5/8 melamine particle board and bought a can of pledge to spray the board. The puck moved back and forth quite smoothly when stickhandling and shooting one-timers. I liked the 4×8 size as my son Colten was able to move around the board doing different stickhandling patterns or shoot from different spots on the pad.
Be sure to keep it out of the rain as much as possible, as water on the board will end the boards usefulness faster than an OT goal in game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
Materials
- 4×8 sheet of melamine – $37.25
- Pledge – $7
Total cost – $45
REBOUNDER
This short 8 minute video is the simplest way to create one and has all the info. If you find the rebounder moving you can put a weight on it or something heavier and it will hold in place. I put this at the end of Colten’s shooting pad so he was able to take one-timers.
Materials
1 flat bungee cord – $5
2x4x8 or 2x3x8 – $3.55
Screws – $1.00
Total cost – Approximately $10
FAST HANDS
What do you do with your broken sticks or sticks that your kid has outgrown?
Create your own fast hands training aid.
This one shows using sticks for supports but I put 2 pucks under each section which made it more stable. If you don’t have sticks then you can use 2×2’s for the whole thing, 2 2x2x8’s will be enough.
Total cost – $6 or less!
I spent a total of under $75 for all 3 training aids. It was a great project for me and Colten to complete. The bonus besides being able to spend quality time with your child is he is spending less time on electronics and instead is outside working on his skills.
That’s a win/win for this hockey dad!