How to Deke in Hockey

A "deke," which is Canadian hockey slang for "decoy," is a feinting technique used to draw an opposing player out of position so you can separate from them on your way to their goal. There are several different varieties of dekes, and each one works best for different situations on the ice. Once you learn how and when to deke, you'll fly past defenders, fake out goalies, and elevate your hockey game!

Method 1
Method 1 of 4:

Using the Single Deke

  1. If you’re skating towards a defender standing still, or if they’re matching your speed and skating in front of you, it will be much harder to get around them with a single deke. You need to be able to trick them into thinking that you’re skating in a different direction in order to pull off the deke, and it’s much easier to do that if they’re skating towards you at speed. [1]
    • If the defender doesn’t fall for your single deke, it will be very easy for them to try to knock the puck off of your stick.
  2. A fundamental part of pulling off a single deke is to stickhandle continuously as you skate forward– this will distract the defender and allow you sell the move. Make small, constant movements with the blade of your hockey stick to keep the puck in motion (and the defender guessing.) [2]
    • Try to avoid staring at the puck as you handle it. Instead, look at the defender or past the defender as you approach them.
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  3. Dip your head and shoulder in one direction to trick the defender into thinking that you’re going to skate in that way. That will move them out of position and make it easier for you to pull off the deke and get past them. [3]
    • Sell the move even more by looking in the direction you are faking so the defender believes you are skating that way.
  4. If you’re faking to your left side, move the puck to the left side to make the defender believe that you are changing directions. Moving the puck may also make them reach for the puck with their stick, and move themselves further out of position, which makes it easier to deke them. [4]

    Tip: You may only need to move the puck slightly in the false direction. Sometimes, simply moving your head and shoulders will be enough to fool the defender.

  5. Once the defender falls for your fake movement and moves in that direction, swiftly move the puck across your body and towards the other side of the defender. Move your stick quickly, but maintain control of the puck. [5]
    • If the defender doesn’t fall for the movement, do a double deke and fake them out by moving again in the other direction!
  6. After you’ve pulled off the single deke and freed yourself from the defender, you need to skate quickly to the side you moved the puck towards to move past them. Take advantage of the defender's lost momentum to move the puck closer to the goal. The best way to do this is to skate as quickly as you can towards open ice. [6]
    • Burst away from the defender using short, choppy strides. Keep your feet moving quickly to maintain your speed while you change direction and break away.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 4:

Passing the Puck Under the Defender’s Stick

  1. If you’re skating towards a single defender and they’re matching your speed while skating backwards, a single deke may not be the most effective choice. However, if you fake to one side and then pass the puck under the defender’s stick, you can throw off their movement and give yourself an opportunity to break away.
  2. To prepare for the deke, you need to get the defender to follow you in a certain direction so you can then switch directions to get past them. Skate towards the outside of the defender, keeping the puck to one side of you and outside of their reach. It should look as if you're planning to skate past them with the puck. [7]
    • You can sell the move by keeping your eyes focused somewhere else to make the defender believe that you really do plan to keep skating in that direction.
    • If you approach them with the puck directly in front of you, it will be easy for them to try to steal it from you.
  3. In order to fake the defender out, you need to wait for them to take the bait. As you skate past them with the puck outside of their reach, it will draw them out of position and they will reach for the puck with their hockey stick. [8]
    • Their stick must be extended in order for you to pass the puck underneath it, so it's crucial to wait until they reach for the puck to make your move.
  4. To force the defender to further extend their stick and make it easier to deke them, push the puck just a little further out of their range as they swipe at it. This will cause them to reach further with their stick, giving you an even better opportunity to pass the puck underneath it. [9]
    • Even as you push the puck forward, keep it to the out to one side of you and the defender. Avoid pushing it directly towards them.
    • Don’t push the puck too far out of the defender's range, or you’ll overextend yourself and risk losing control of the puck.
  5. Once you’ve pushed the puck just a little farther away from the defender, use your backhand to pull the puck across your body and under the defender's stick. Since their stick is extended in an attempt to sweep at the puck, there should be an open space between their skates and their stick. The idea is to pass the puck through this open space so it ends up on the other side of the defender. [10]
    • If you pull too quickly without first pushing the puck to the outside to draw the defender’s attention, the defender can catch the puck with their stick. Make sure to wait for enough space to open up between the defender's skates and their stick before you attempt to pass the puck underneath.
  6. After you pass the puck underneath the defender’s stick and in front of their skates, raise your stick to pass over the defender’s stick and place it on the opposite side. Catch the puck with the blade of your stick and maintain control of the puck. [11]
    • This movement needs to happen quickly in order to catch the puck.
    • If you’re really close to the defender, you may need to bring the stick towards you as you lift it over the defender’s hockey stick.
  7. While the defender is off balance from your deke, you need to capitalize on it and break away from them. Use a burst of speed and skate towards open ice, where you have more room to maneuver and make your way towards the goal. Open ice also allows you increase your speed and get away from the defender. [12]
    • It’s much easier to speed past other defenders rather than deke your way past each one. Use the open ice to build up enough speed to out-skate anyone between you and the goal.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 4:

Executing the Toe Drag

  1. A toe drag involves moving the puck quickly backwards using the “toe,” or the upward-pointing end of the stick blade. You can use the toe drag to pull the puck away from a defender or to move the puck past a defender as you skate by them. If used well, the toe drag lets you quickly move the puck around a defender and allow you to blow past them on your way to the opponent's goal. [13]
    • Toe drags are versatile! They can be used in many gameplay situations and in many directions, whether the defender is skating backwards away form you or forward towards you.
    • The toe drag takes lots of practice to master, so be sure you know how to do it well before trying it out in a game.

    Tip: A toe drag is also a great defense against an opposing player trying to steal the puck.

  2. In order to maneuver the puck with the toe of the blade, you need to fully rotate the stick so that the blade is facing straight down. Twist the stick at the handle by rotating your wrists to roll over the blade of the stick and expose the toe. [14]
    • Be careful not to strain your wrists when you rotate them.
  3. After you’ve rotated the toe of the blade so that it’s facing down, place the toe just in front of the puck to “catch” and control it. Bring the toe so that it’s pressed against the puck and the bottom of the toe is touching the ice. This will make contact with the puck smooth and also shield it from the defender. [15]
    • Make sure the puck is centered on the toe of the stick so it doesn’t fly off in a different direction when you go to move it.
  4. In a swift but smooth motion, snap the puck back towards you using the toe of the stick blade. Move the puck in a direction that will allow you to get around the defender. Keep the toe of the blade pressed onto the ice as you scrape the puck back towards you. [16]
    • You can also flick your wrists to snap the puck towards you.
  5. After you snap the puck back with the toe of the blade, roll your wrists back to their original position and place the blade of your stick back onto the ice behind the puck. As the puck slides backwards and toward you, catch it with the blade of your stick and maintain control of it. [17]
    • Try to catch the puck softly so it doesn’t bounce off of the blade of your stick.
  6. Once you’ve re-established control of the puck after your toe drag, you need to skate away quickly and start making your way to the goal. Use short, choppy strides to maintain your speed as you maneuver around the defender, and skate towards open ice once you break away. [18]
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Method 4
Method 4 of 4:

Performing the Datsyuk Deke

  1. The Datsyuk deke is a great deke to use to fool a goalie into moving in the wrong direction, thus opening up a window for you to take a shot and score a goal. In order for the deke to work, the movements must be done quickly and at the last moment so the goalie doesn't have time to react when you change direction. [19]
    • This is an impressive, showy maneuver that can be hugely effective during breakaways or shootouts, but keep in mind that it takes lots of practice to master.
  2. As you make your way to the goalie, keeping the puck in front of your body will keep the goalie in the center of the net because he believes that you will either deke left or deke right. This puts the goalie in the right position for you to use the Datsyuk deke. [20]

    Tip: Keep the puck in constant motion with your stick so the goalie can’t read your movements.

  3. Because the puck is in front of you, the goalie will be expecting you to shift your position in order to set up a shot on the goal. Draw the goalie in the direction that you plan to fake towards by setting up a shot when you reach the hashmarks in front of the goal. [21]
    • Perfecting your timing is critical– the goalie has to take the bait and believe that you plan to take a shot.
  4. When you’ve set up what looks like a shot, the goalie will shift in that direction in order to defend it. Fool the goalie even more by slightly pushing the puck towards the goal as though you are going to take a shot. This will make the goalie sprawl out and line up his pads to defend the goal. [22]
    • Don’t push the puck too far forward, or the goalie may be able to reach it and disrupt your deke.
  5. At the last moment, right before you get to the goal rotate your wrists to roll the blade of your hockey stick over and place it in front of the puck. Establish control of the puck with the backside of the blade of your stick. The front edge of the blade should still be on the ice, but the it should be turned so that you're prepared to pull the puck toward you with the backside of the blade. [23]
  6. With the goalie sprawled out on the ice, pull the puck towards you and away from the goalie as you skate towards the open side of the goal. The movement must be quick and precise in order to fool the goalie and to allow you to take a shot in time. [24]
    • You shouldn’t have to catch the puck. Instead, scrape the backside of the blade over the ice to keep the puck contained for better control.
  7. After you move the puck out of the way of the goalie with the backside of the blade of your stick, rotate and adjust the blade so you can take a shot. Aim for the area of open net above the goalie. He will be unable to block the shot because your Datsyuk deke fooled him into defending a shot in a different part of the goal. [25]
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      References

      1. ↑ http://howtohockey.com/deke-of-the-week-4-single-deke/
      2. ↑ http://howtohockey.com/deke-of-the-week-4-single-deke/
      3. ↑ http://howtohockey.com/deke-of-the-week-4-single-deke/
      4. ↑ http://howtohockey.com/deke-of-the-week-4-single-deke/
      5. ↑ http://howtohockey.com/deke-of-the-week-4-single-deke/
      6. ↑ http://howtohockey.com/deke-of-the-week-4-single-deke/
      7. ↑ http://howtohockey.com/deke-of-the-week-7-under-the-stick-deke/
      8. ↑ http://howtohockey.com/deke-of-the-week-7-under-the-stick-deke/
      9. ↑ http://howtohockey.com/deke-of-the-week-7-under-the-stick-deke/
      1. ↑ http://howtohockey.com/deke-of-the-week-7-under-the-stick-deke/
      2. ↑ http://howtohockey.com/deke-of-the-week-7-under-the-stick-deke/
      3. ↑ http://howtohockey.com/deke-of-the-week-skate-to-open-ice/
      4. ↑ http://howtohockey.com/how-to-toe-drag-off-ice-lesson/
      5. ↑ http://howtohockey.com/how-to-toe-drag-off-ice-lesson/
      6. ↑ http://howtohockey.com/how-to-toe-drag-off-ice-lesson/
      7. ↑ http://howtohockey.com/how-to-toe-drag-off-ice-lesson/
      8. ↑ http://howtohockey.com/how-to-toe-drag-off-ice-lesson/
      9. ↑ http://howtohockey.com/how-to-toe-drag-off-ice-lesson/
      10. ↑ http://howtohockey.com/how-to-do-the-datsyukian-deke/
      11. ↑ http://howtohockey.com/how-to-do-the-datsyukian-deke/
      12. ↑ http://howtohockey.com/how-to-do-the-datsyukian-deke/
      13. ↑ http://howtohockey.com/how-to-do-the-datsyukian-deke/
      14. ↑ http://howtohockey.com/how-to-do-the-datsyukian-deke/
      15. ↑ http://howtohockey.com/how-to-do-the-datsyukian-deke/
      16. ↑ http://howtohockey.com/how-to-do-the-datsyukian-deke/

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