Learning Hockey:
Know when and how to use the short handle hit

Sometimes, you may not have time to execute a full swing and hit the ball during the game. In situations like this, there’s a variation of the hitting technique known as the short handle hit which can be quite useful. The primary difference is in the way you grip the stick and this will become clear as you read on.

Posture

As always, start with your knees slightly bent and feet apart at shoulder-width distance. The difference here is that your upper body should be bent forward a little more than usual, because you’ll be gripping the stick midway through the handle. The shoulder should be facing the target.

Position of the Ball

This is similar to how you would keep it while hitting – in the middle, equidistant from both feet and in line with your forehead. Ensure the ball is neither too far from your body, nor too close to your feet.

Holding the Stick

This is really where the major difference lies. Your grip should be further down than usual, midway through the handle of the stick. Thus a significant portion of the handle would be protruding from your left hand. Your hands should be touching each other, leaving no gap between them. And the ‘U’ formed between the pointer and thumb for both hands should be facing the tip of the blade.

Practising the Hit

Swing the stick backwards in one quick motion until it is in line with your right shoulder. Leveraging this momentum and without breaking the flow, swing forward and strike the ball.

To practise short handle hits, start by placing the ball diagonally to the left. Step in with your left leg and strike the ball. Next, keeping the ball in the same position, do a double step with both feet, or a shuffle and strike. You can keep the blade closed to hit along the ground, or slightly open to hit into the air.

Next, walk with the ball, dribbling for about 10 steps. Bringing the ball to your right, step in and hit towards the target. Finally, do a slow run for about 5 metres, then dribble forward and bring the ball to your right. Step in and finish off with a straight hit at the target.

Group Exercise

This is identical to how you would practise hitting the ball in a group. Stand about 10 metres apart. On the whistle, players run with the ball to reach a line or cone on the ground, and then try to short handle hit the ball past a marked line 25 yards ahead or into the goal. Whosever ball crosses the line first is the winner. A change of positions is advisable after every round or five points.

A lot more hockey techniques and interesting skill shots will be covered in the upcoming posts, so continue reading. The next post will cover the sweep-slap technique.