You can't fix what you can't see.
Most players repeat the same habits for years because nobody ever named them. Here they're named, and so is what each one costs you.
blinders
Hockey term
A player with their blinders on has their head down and their eyes locked on one thing. Usually the puck. They can't see the ice, they can't see the hit coming, and they can't see what their own habit is costing them every shift.
It almost never feels like a mistake while you're making it. That's the whole problem. The consequence shows up later, in a turnover, a lost step, an injury, or a coach who stops putting you out there, and by then nobody connects it back to the habit that caused it.
Every player has worn them. Most of them are wearing them right now. And plenty of the people teaching this game are wearing them too, drilling skills in isolation with no defender, no pressure and no play it has to fit into. My job is to take them off you.
Each blind spot below gets the same three parts. What it is. What it costs you. How to fix it.
Free to Everyone
ShootingThe blind spot
Always shooting on the off skate.
What it costs you
Your scoring window closes until you get back onto that skate.
The Fix
Practice putting your body in different positions and situations to be ready for anything.
SkatingThe blind spot
Starting your escape crossover coming out of a tight turn.
What it costs you
It's easier to get thrown into the boards if you start the crossover too soon on one leg.
The Fix
Hold your feet wide in the tight turn until you're almost facing the way you came before you cross over.
Puck ControlThe blind spot
Panicking and losing the puck when a defender attacks.
What it costs you
You lose the puck and turn it over to the other team.
The Fix
Practice the drills slowly, and increase the speed gradually.
DefenseThe blind spot
Standing up too early in the neutral zone.
What it costs you
You give the forward a free lane every time you bite on the first move.
The Fix
Stay patient. Gap control means staying between them and the net, not stopping the puck.
MindsetThe blind spot
Reacting to every bad shift with frustration.
What it costs you
You play worse for the next two shifts and your coach notices both times.
The Fix
One breath. Reset. The shift is done. Only the next one exists.
ShootingThe blind spot
Not loading your back leg on the slapshot.
What it costs you
You lose most of your potential power and the shot floats high and slow.
The Fix
Weight transfer starts at the back leg. Load it like you mean it. Then uncoil through impact.
You're still skating with these on
Every blind spot.
Named, diagnosed, fixed.
The full library, with slow-motion breakdowns and drill progressions built around the exact error. Not generic advice. Your specific fix, at your level.
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Hunching forward on straight-line strides
Cradling the puck too far from your body
Telegraphing your shot with eye contact
Pinching at the wrong time in the offensive zone
Weak inside edge on the back skate
Trying to make up for one bad play immediately
Stopping your feet when you receive a pass
Shooting into the goalie's body instead of the corners
Getting caught watching the puck behind the net
Not extending through the full stride
Playing not to lose instead of playing to win
Using only your forehand to protect the puck
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