Hockey shots

Question
Hi, i would like ask for help on the shooting department.... I'm fine with all other aspects of the game, but shooting is a problem to me... I have no idea why my shots are so weak.... How could i practice shooting on and off the ice? and i can't seem to get my slapshots up. Should i add weight on my hockey stick when i practice shooting off ice?

Thanks

Answer
Nathan,

Thank you for writing.  Ok, before we can teach you how to shoot, you first have to understand the mechanics of shooting.  So, first, lets cover the mechanics of a wrist shot. When you are getting ready to shoot the puck, it must be behind your back "Skate line".  This is a line that you draw from heel to heel to the stick blade on the side that you shoot.  This line is where the puck must be when you are doing a wrist shot.

Now, the second thing we need to cover is hand and arm position.  Now, because the puck will be on the back skate line, this means that the bottom hand on your stick, will be forced to come closer to the top hand at the end of the stick.  Now, that bottom hand should not be tight on the stick anyways.  In the old days, we use to place empty toilet rolls on the shaft for players to hold.  This paper roll would keep players from grabbing the shaft too hard.

Next, as you start to shoot, the top hand needs to move away from the upper body, allowing the bottom shaft hand to move down the shaft during the follow through.  To do this, as you start to follow through on the shot, your top hand arm, needs to move to full extension.  The bottom hand needs to have a small elbow bend.  This elbow bend is to add weight to the shaft to add pressure on the ice.  This pressure will allow the shaft flex to work.

Ok...flex!  This flex is built into the stick which allows the stick to bend.  The lower the number, the more the bend.  Now, when the top hand arm is at full extension, the bottom hand acts like a Fulcrum.  The top hand moves towards the body once the puck gets even with the front of your skates while the shaft hand stays still.  This is know as..."Push and Pull" which makes the fulcrum work.  Ok...fulcrum!  It is the center point of the shaft that will allow you to take advantage of weight differential when you shoot.

Example:  If you take two guys and put them on a Teeter Tauter, on at each end, they will be able to go up and down with ease.  However, if you add more weight to one side, then it will be harder for the lighter person to move up and down.  With me so far?  Now, if I change that center balance area of the teeter tauter more towards the heavier guy, then the advantage goes more towards the lighter guy...get it.

Well, the same thing happens with your shot....wrist or slap shoot!  The bottom hand placement is very important.  Ok, so how do you determine the proper hand placement.  First, we need to make sure the stick is the right size for you.  To do this, you stand on your feet, with the hockey stick next to your body, with the blade on the floor and the shaft touching your nose.  Now, if the end of the stick passes your nose...it's too long.  You need to cut the stick at a point that is just right under your nose.  Why?  This will help you find the fulcrum point of the stick.

Next, put your gloves on and hold the stick up in the air by placing the top hand that you shoot with, at the end of the shaft so that the blade is up in the air.  Then, without moving the hand at the end of the stick, place the elbow on the other arm on top of the glove at the end of the stick.  Yes, I said your elbow.  Then, without moving your elbow, take your free hand and grab the shaft.  Now, have a friend, take a pencil and mark the shaft at the top of the upper glove that is holding the shaft.  Then, move the shaft hand past that line so the bottom of the glove is on the line.  Then, have your friend, draw another mark on the shaft at the top of the shaft hand glove...again.

Now, one more time, move the shaft hand past that new line so the bottom of the glove is on the second line up the shaft.  Then, have your friend mark a line on the shaft at the top of your shaft hand glove.  Ok, you should have three separate marks on the shaft.  I want you to place clear tape around the shaft so that the line is at the center of the tape as you go around the stick.  No, don't go crazy with the tape.  Just one complete wrap around the shaft.  Do this for each line.

The bottom line that is close to the end of the stick is where you place the shaft hand when you are stick handling.  The second one up the shaft is where you place your shaft hand when you are passing or making any shot, other than a slap shot.  The last line is where you place your hand when you do a slap shot.  This tape is only a tool.  When you move your shaft hand up and down the shaft, you will not have to look where your placement will be, now you can feel the tape.  Once you get use to where your hands need to be, then you can remove the tape.

Ok, now we are at the point of Slap shots.  Now, lets say you shoot left.  When I am taking a slap shot on the goalie, my body most be 45 degrees angle from facing the goalie.  So this means that if I am facing the goalie, my right shoulder is almost pointing at the goalie...get it? This is going to allow me to move that slap shot "Motion" more across the front of my body and not to one side.  Now, there are several things that you have to do to make sure that the slap shot works properly.

First, make sure that the puck is at the center point of your body.  Draw a line from your head to the ice.  This will give you two equal half on each side of your body.  Now the puck should be on this line when you look down at it.  When you take the shot, you want to hit the ice, about 1.5" behind the puck.

Now, the puck should be in front of the body so that when you look down on the puck, and it should be at a point where you are almost looking down on it.  The puck should be, placed so that if you are looking directly down on it, the puck will be on the ice equal to your forehead.

Now, when you pull the shaft back to load the shoot, make sure that the blade is perpendicular to the ice.  The blade shouldn't be pointing up in the air.  The blade needs to be in the same direction of the ice...flat!  This is called a..."Closed Blade"

Now, when you do this slap shoot, remember what I told you about fulcrum points and arm leverage.  When you make contact with the ice, you should hear a "Cluck" sound of the ice as the stick hits the ice.  If you don't hear it...you are doing it wrong.  This means that the puck is too far away from your body.

Now, when you make contact with the ice, if you place the puck off center more towards the goalie, the puck will take flight upwards.  Just off center by no more then 1 inch.  If you move the puck off center away from the goalie, the shot will stay low.  Now, follow through is also important.  If you follow through high, the shot will go high, if you follow through low, the shot will go low.  Last, as you make contact with the ice and you are starting the follow through, roll your wrist so that the blade is pointing to the goalie.  This will help make the shoot a little more accurate, rather then missing the net.

Nope this helps.
Rob Lopez - CEO
Pass the Puck, Inc.
www.passthepuck.net
Skype: pass.the.puck