How to Face Off in Ice Hockey

In many sports, there are times when some sort of procedure is needed to see who gets the ball, or in the case of ice hockey, the puck. In basketball, this is decided with what is called a jump ball. The ice hockey equivalent of a jump ball is a face off, defined as "the dropping of the puck by the official between the sticks of two opposing players standing one stick length apart with stick blades flat on the ice."

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Understand that in hockey, not only are face offs used to begin the game and the second and third periods, they are also used basically whenever play is stopped for whatever reason. Thus a faceoff in your own ice with your team short-handed can be a crucial piece of action.
2. Watch the technique of professionals, view instructive videos to gain an understanding of how to win a face off--how to win the "draw."
3. Learn to pay close attention to the referee's hand and anticipate how he "drops" pucks. A puck is not so much dropped as it is thrown so that high sticks are not constantly being used to bat a puck out of the air.
4. Decide how you want to position your hands on your stick.
5. Use whatever technique you have developed to try to draw the puck back, towards your team mates.
6. Be ready to dig for the puck if both you and your opponent miss the draw on first attempts. Even if your opponent gains initial control, deflections of skates can yield a quick turnover. Don't give up!

Tips & Warnings

• Referees try to vary the cadence of how they drop pucks. You will see them do what appears to be a "fake" drop. Theoretically, this is not a fake but an aborted drop if the referee feels one of the two players has made an illegal move. That player may then be required to exit the faceoff circle and be replaced by another.