When teaching players how to protect their stick, focus on two things: their hands and their body.

Good positioning can make it much harder for a defender to get a stick check.

Keep Your Hands Up

One way to improve control is to move your hands up on the stick.

This gives you more control around the stick and helps you keep it in a protected position.

You also want to keep the stick close to your head. When the stick stays tight to your body, there's less room for a defender to reach in and make a clean check.

Use Your Body as a Shield

Your body can also help protect your stick.

When a defender tries to get to your stick, use your body to shield them from it. Position yourself so the defender has a harder time getting their stick to yours.

The goal is to make the defender work around your body instead of giving them an easy target.

The Common Mistake

One of the easiest ways to get checked is to leave your stick out behind you while dropping your hands down.

That creates more space between your stick and your body, giving the defender an easier opportunity to make a check.

The Key Coaching Point

Teach players to remember:

Keep your hands up. Keep your stick close to your head. Use your body to protect it.

The more control players have over their stick and body positioning, the harder it becomes for defenders to knock the ball loose.