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Toe and Heel Taps

Move the ball from the toe to the heel of your blade to learn soft control.

By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026

Set up

Hold the stick with your top hand at the end.

Core: Both hands. Beat your own best run without losing the puck.

Ages
7 and up
Time
8 min
Players
Just you
Space
Yard or field
Bring
Stick, stickhandling ball
Level · skill
Beginner · Stickhandling

The steps

How it works

  1. Hold the stick with your top hand at the end.
  2. Tap the ball from heel to toe, keeping it under control.
  3. Do 30 taps, then 30 with your head up.
  4. Finish with 30 forehand-backhand taps.

Coaching point

Soft hands, quiet blade.

Make it fun

Play it, don't drill it

Game version

Puck dance: stickhandle to a song and freeze when it pauses. A partner can pause the music, and everyone keeps playing.

Challenge

Pick a level: Less (strong hand), Core (both hands), More (eyes up while a partner shows you a number). Beat your own best run without losing the puck.

Story

You are a magician with the puck on an invisible string.

My best

Beat your own count

Beat your own best run without losing the puck. Only your own number counts: today against last time.

Practice makes progress

Print it now, or save it free

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