With the growing popularity of the stick-on-puck defensive strategy, “Slips” have become increasingly popular in world’s best leagues. This is due to the fact that the “Slip” is a stickhandling technique used against the stick-on-puck strategy. When defenders reach and extend their sticks, their “Triangle” (area between skates and stick blade) gets larger, making them less balanced. Because of this, you can utilize the “Slip” to send the puck past the off-balanced defender and then skate around them to pick it up on the other side. Very often, the “Slip” follows another stickhandling technique, as the exit pull of different moves will often force the defender to reach, thus setting up the slip. When practicing your “Slips,” make sure to focus on the original move that preceded the slip. Keep in mind that the “Slip” is not always a planned move. For example, often your planned move is a “Pull,” “Toe Drag” or “Just kidding,” and you react with the “Slip” once the defender reaches out in response.