Believe it or not, you can practice for the ultimate hockey deke right on synthetic ice or even dryland tiles. The pros and hockey champions use dekes to win games all of the time, but some people are unaware of what they are. Hopefully, this article will help you to understand what a hockey deke is and maybe how to pull one.
The Phenomenal Deke
Imagine yourself on the opposite end of the rink with the puck at the tip of your blade. As you gaze across the rink you see several opponents and teammates scattered throughout the way. You glance at the goal and make up your mind. You’re going to score. As you start towards the goal, you keep your body positioned in a defensive stance but keep the puck guarded well. You build up speed as your teammates realize what you are about to do and clear a path for you. You get closer to the goal and catch the goaltender’s eye. You quickly gain 5 more feet towards him and do not slow down. Keeping your eyes fixed on the lower right corner of the goal you rush even closer until you are only a couple of feet in front of him. You move your stick, lightning-fast, and go to take a shot at that right corner. Your whole body is tensed up and pointed in that direction. In the blink of an eye, at the very last millisecond, you switch gears, gently tap the puck upward towards the left and make your shot clean through the left side of the goal. The goaltender is on the ground towards the right side where you pulled your deke move and made him believe you were taking the shot to the right. Boom. You just made your deke shot of the century.
The Deke
Pulling a deke is a lot like pulling a trick on somebody. All it is, really, is a strategy to pull your opponent off guard by making them believe that you are going to do something they expect you to. At the last minute, you flip the scenario and do something completely unexpected. Many games are won like this, but it takes quite a bit of skill to do this in a way that actually works.
Lots Of Practice
Of course, shots like this are not easy. It takes a lot of time and effort to be able to handle a puck so smoothly. From the correct stance on the skates to the perfectly timed switch, it takes a lot of hand-eye coordination strength to pull this off. That’s OK though because you can practice this kind of stuff from your own home with the right training aids.
Stay In Shape
Hockey is a brutal sport at times. It takes a lot of physical strength and stamina to stay in competition with your opponents. If they are in better shape than you, they will most likely win. On top of regular practice, make it a point to get some aerobic training in as well. Some trainers call it a cardio workout, some call it extra laps. Whatever the case, it is important to stay strong and keep that body in tip-top shape. If you don’t the next person will, and they will be stronger than you.
