Want to work on your hockey skills off the ice? There are now many solutions making it possible.
Below is my guide to help you find the best hockey shooting pads for your needs: durability, quality of the slide, ease of setting-up...
Great options to work on your shooting and stick-handling skills.
They make great gift ideas for hockey players!
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Time to practice on the ice is limited. So, if you want an edge (or even just because you love it), shooting pads are a great solution to practice both your shooting skills and your stick-handling skills.
However for them to be useful they need to be:
I will enter into the details of criteria and products in the next sections. But first, this is the summary of my choices for best hockey shooting pads:
You can find higher-end product, but the reality is that none can really compete with ice. It can't be as smooth. Read the reviews and you will see that price does not really mean better surface.
Note: remember that they do imitate ice. So, they are slippery when walking on them! Be careful.
Time to practice on the ice is sadly limited (unless you have your own private ice rink... one can dream).
This is no reason not to practice though. Even if you can't skate, you can still work on other elements of hockey playing:
You can try practicing on the ground, but your stick will get damaged and the sensation is just too different.
This is why you need a specific off-ice training equipment: a shooting surface. It imitates the ice for your stick to glide on it.
But how to choose it?
Different formats are possible:
They can all be a good option. It really depends on your needs and budget.
Therefore, I am listing below the different criteria to consider when choosing the best shooting board for you.
Note - if practicing on shooting pads with friends, don't forget your mouthguards (the puck can go fast and stick can go up!)
The first criteria that is essential is that the surface allows your pucks and stick to glide. Otherwise, there is no point.
This is why the most important here is to read the reviews on the marketplaces. This is how you will know if the claims of how slick the surface is, are really true.
However, note that it can never be as smooth as ice!
You don't want a shooting pad that is slick for 5 practices and then it is over.
It is quite an investment.
However, take the reviews with a grain of salt; Some will complain that their pads are not working any longer, but they might not have cleaned them or may have left them outside for dust and elements to fall on them.
Where will you practice?
In a fixed place in the basement, in the garage and sometimes outdoors? Do you need to move it?
The answers to those questions have a big impact on your choice.
Think it through before buying anything, otherwise you may regret your purchase.
The best option if your need a portable board, is the pad. Most of them have a handle, making them easier to transport.
The tiles should not be attached and de-attached frequently if you want to keep a smooth surface.
For the pad, you have no choice, they are a fixed size.
However, if you are using tiles, you can add has many as you want in both directions. It gives you more flexibility on defining your training surface.
The size of your surface should be based on:
You need at least enough room to do wide movements in both directions, otherwise there is no point.
A 4ft-long pad feet is borderline in terms of space for an eight-year-old to practice wrist shots.
Pros of the boards
Cons of the boards
A good training set to practice many exercises. Recognized as a very smooth surface.
An overall good product for the price. The variety of size allow parents to purchase a small one for very young kids, before making a bigger investment.
The handle is practical to move it out of the way after practice.
Pros of the tiles
Cons of the tiles
An excellent quality - price performance, considering the size of the practice area you can create
A great combination of products if you want more guidance for your off-ice training. The combos will make you work on a variety of drills and stick-handling manoeuvres. It is especially good because the app makes you react rather than repeat the same movement.
Pros of the synthetic ice
Cons of the synthetic ice
For more information, please visit Flytoo.
One of the best synthetic ices to practice for hockey is the Skate Anytime material:
As you practice and practice on your pads and tiles, the more the surface is going to lose sliding efficiency.
It is because there is a buildup of dirt and rubber.
However, it is essential they remain slick for the quality of your training.
There are many more you can do, check with your coach and check videos online. And don't forget to wear your hockey gloves to imitate on-ice practice!
But to get you started, here are 3 drills you can practice on those shooting pads or tiles - to be part of your hockey off-ice workouts:
Make it more fun by training with a friend and counting how many times it goes in or not.
Complete your hockey equipment set!
Protective gear for hockey players:
And to work out off ice:
We completely get it, we change our minds too! While we wish could, once an order is placed, we are unable to alter or cancel it at this time. We hope to have a cancellation window one day in the future.
Should the item(s) not work out, make sure to exchange for a preferred style or return for a refund. As a reminder, domestic return shipping is free.
Each box of white and ice blue tiles come with 20 tiles that are each 1' x 1' (i.e. 1 SF). Thus, measure the length and width of your desired training space to calculate your square footage, and divide by 20 to get the # of boxes.
For reference, an average 2-car garage is 400-600 SF. So if you're looking for tiles to occupy a car stall in the garage training area, you might want ~200SF...or 10 boxes.
Yes! The slick tiles are manufactured with a UV-protective coating to enable either indoor or outdoor use. That said, a few useful tips if you plan to use the tiles outdoors:
1) The tiles work better on a hard, flat surface, however, so while use on grass is certainly possible, results are better on driveway, garage floor, basement floor, etc. If you really want to train on grass, consider placing plywood sheet(s) underneath to create a hard surface.
2)The tiles may shift with temperature changes, so double-check that your surface is flat before each use. Stomp down the seams if any heaving occured.
3) If you use outdoors, we suggest clearing off leaves, sticks, and other debris before using for optimal training results.
With ease! The tiles are designed with hook and loop features that allow for assembly in seconds, with just a light bit of pressure. A rubber mallet is optional, but a strong fist or foot stomp does the trick just as well. The tiles are just as easy to disassemble to store or carry to another area.
Want to learn more? Watch our slick tile installation video here.
Generally speaking this is not a problem for most customers, because 20+ tiles will be sizable enough (and have enough weight) where sliding wouldn't occur. That said, if you plan to use only a handful of tiles and/or laying over a slick surface (such as polished concrete floor, and you experience sliding, consider putting a thin floor mat that has rubber grippers underneath.
There's no special cleaning required, other than using an occassional pushbroom to remove dust, pet hair, and other particles, just like any other flooring surface in your house. You can also mop the tiles with a mild soap as well without harming the surface, if you so choose.
If used outdoors, be sure to remove twigs, leaves, and other debris before each use.
Standard rubber pucks do not leave marks on the slick tiles! Some scuffmarks from stick tape may occur over time. If this bothers you, consider using white stick tape while training on tiles.
Nope. The tiles are made from high-density polyethylene that is both durable to sticks and pucks on the top, yet soft enough where it won't scratch wood, carpet or other common home flooring surfaces. We do, however, recommend sweeping the surface underneath before installing just to make sure no small particles get trapped underneath. It wouldn't be necessary to put down a floor mat or protective liner underneath your tiles, but doing so doesn't impact the tile's performance either, so it's your call.
Nope! The tiles are constructed from high-density polythelene that is both rugged enough for frequent use, but pliable enough to interact with hockey sticks without creating damage to either. No stick blade protectors are required either.
Some scuffmarks from stick tape may occur over time. If this bothers you, consider using white stick tape while training on tiles.
Each box of Synthetic Ice comes with 4 tiles that are each 2' x 4' or 32 sq ft. Thus, measure the length and width of your desired training space to calculate your square footage, and divide by 32 to get the # of boxes.
For reference, an average 2-car garage is 400-600 SF. So if you're looking for tiles to occupy a car stall in the garage training area, you might want ~200SF...or 6-7 boxes.
Unfortunately, no. The panels are designed to match seamlessly with the same side of each panel. The long side (4 foot side) will only match up with other long sides, and the short side (2 foot side) will only match up with other short sides.
Yes! Our Synthetic Ice is manufactured with a UV-protective coating to enable either indoor or outdoor use. That said, a few useful tips if you plan to use the tiles outdoors:
1) The panels work better on a hard, flat surface, however, so while use on grass is certainly possible, results are better on driveway, garage floor, basement floor, etc. If you really want to train on grass, consider placing plywood sheet(s) underneath to create a hard surface.
2) The panels may shift with temperature changes, so double-check that your surface is flat before each use. Stomp down the seams if any heaving occured.
3) If you use outdoors, we suggest clearing off leaves, sticks, and other debris before using for optimal training results.
For more Hockey Shooting Boardinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.