Hockey players looking to take their skills to the next level have a new tool—the CCM Skills app.
Available on iOS and Android, the app gives players the opportunity to train alongside former National Hockey League Player and Online Hockey Training Stickhandling & Shooting Specialist Lance Pitlick in a series of fun and challenging drills that will help improve their technique on and off the ice.
The app offers a wide variety of skill-building hockey drills ranging from dribbling and faking to passing and shooting. Users are taken through a series of :20 – :25-second videos that demonstrate these drills and then encourage players to do them on their own. An internal timer is even offered as part of the app so players can track their progress.
The drill videos build from the ground up, helping players to establish a strong foundation before moving on to other areas of development. This is both the app’s strength and weakness. The variety of drills available is incredibly comprehensive and suitable for players of any skill level and age group. Plus, having these drills condensed into one app for mobile devices makes it ideal for players on the go looking to train outside, in the basement, or wherever they have room to maneuver.
Unfortunately, drills in the app are “locked” and cannot be accessed until the previous drill is complete, making it necessary to start from the beginning and work your way through all of the drills from the ground up. This is sure to frustrate some users who want to advance straight to passing or shooting drills without spending time watching a series of dribbling drill videos first.
The CCM Skills app features gamification in the form of a trophy room, as well as a player card. The achievements section allows users to win virtual trophies based on their accomplishments in the app. With the player card feature, athletes have the opportunity to customize a hockey card.
It’s clear that CCM put a lot of thought and effort into creating this app. The videos are hi-res, and several notable NHL players like Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid make appearances throughout the app to offer advice and encouragement. The navigation is fairly intuitive and simplified in a way that makes it easy to find what you need—or get back to where you want to be if you click the wrong button. Most of all, it meets a need for hockey players by providing comprehensive training in a condensed, portable form.
The app is now available for download on iOS and Android devices. If you’re serious about training, this is a really cool tool and should definitely be checked out.
