Product Review

Ron Davidson's 50 fundamental hockey skills and tactics will empower players to excel individually at this team game.

At last! A book that focuses on the development of individual hockey skills and promotes a mastery of body positioning, skating and stick work. Learning these skills gives players a strong fundamental understanding of how to move effectively on the ice in any gameplay situation.

The skills are organized in four sections: Fundamentals, Skating Techniques, Stick Work, and Dekeing and Deception. As the reader progresses through a chapter, the level of difficulty of each skill increases, ultimately covering every fundamental move and technique needed for an outstanding and total comprehension of the play. Davidson's progressive-learning approach teaches beginners the proper techniques, hones the skills of intermediate-level players and challenges elite players with the additional skills they need.

Among the 50 critical skills presented in this eye-opening collection are:

• Forward stride
  
• Backward crossunder
  
• Drive and delay
  
• Heel-to-heel turns
  
• Tight turns
  
• Extending your reach
  
• Receiving off-target shooting
  
• The Forsberg deke
  
• The Datsyuk deke