Niklas Hjalmarsson learned through experimenting.
He worked to figure out how best to position his body and to use his hockey stick to be effective as a defenseman. Get too close and the opponent can skate past you. Get too far and your stick becomes useless.
Over time, Hjalmarsson found the perfect gap. He learned just how much space he needs to be able to reach with his stick and still be able to keep the opponent in front of him.
Now, he’s considered one of the best at the game at it. Hjalmarsson discussed recently how he developed that skill.