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Shooting Basics

Many of the images used here are of inline hockey players, these will be replaced with ice hockey ones in the next few months.

The Wrist Shot

The term "wrist shot" is actually quite misleading. A good wrist shot requires you to use your whole body, not only your wrists, to get power into the shot! Start the wrist shot just as you would start a good forehand pass. Place the puck back by your rear leg as you stand perpendicular to your intended target. Place most of your weight on your rear leg. Feel as if you are getting set to give a powerful push with your rear leg. Begin to transfer your weight and power to your front leg as you sweep the puck forward. Start to lift your head so that you can see the target. Try to coordinate the release of the puck with the transfer of weight and power to your front leg. But this isn't over yet. Follow through with your stick, low for a low shot, high for a high shot.

The advantage of a wrist shot over a slap shot is that there is an element of surprise in that the minimal amount of setup for the shot doesn't let an opponent on to the fact that a player is about to shoot. The reliance on wrist and forearm muscles to propel the puck causes the wrist shot to be less powerful than the slap shot, but it is much more accurate.


 

 

 

The Backhand Shot

This shot is similar to a backhand pass, except that you must get your upper body and legs into the shot, just as you do when making a forward wrist shot. Stand sideways to your intended target. Start with the puck back by your rear leg. Feel yourself getting set to transfer your power and weight onto your front leg. As you sweep the puck forward, start to transfer your weight onto your front leg and feel that you are really getting your upper body behind the shot. Just as in a good wrist shot, you must follow through!

This type of shot is often used on breakaways, penalty shots and in shootouts and is used for deking. It is a less accurate and powerful but more confusing to goaltenders. It is also used when a player can not pass the puck to someone who is facing the outside bend of the stick.


 

 

The Slap Shot

The slap shot takes a lot of practice and coordination, so don't be disappointed if you haven't got an instantly amazing slap shot yet. Stand sideways to your intended target. Place the puck between your skates, not too far forward. Start to bring your stick back and transfer most of your weight onto your back leg. As you do so, slide your lower hand a little farther down the shaft of your stick. Try to strike the ground a little behind the puck. This will momentarily slow the stick down and build up a flex in the shaft of the stick as you strike the ground.

As you strike the ground with your stick, swing right through the puck, and stay down in order to keep the momentum going. Feel extra power through your hips and legs. Now, as in the wrist and backhand shots, follow through to keep the momentum going. Follow through high for a high shot, and low for a low shot.

The slap shot is harder than other shots but is also the most glamorous shot in the game. Unfortunately because of the violent motion involved, the slapshot is somewhat less accurate than other shooting methods. It also takes longer to execute; a player usually cannot take a slap shot while under any significant pressure from an opposing player because the opponent could easily interfere during the windup.

However most goalies love the slap shot because they can see you setting up for it a mile away. The slap shot is most commonly used by a defenseman at the point, especially during a power play, although a forward will sometimes find an opportunity to use it.


 

 

 

The Snap Shot

This is one of the most useful shots in hockey. A snap shot is like an abbreviated slap shot. The purpose of the snap shot is to combine the main advantages of the wrist shot (shot accuracy and quick delivery) and the slap shot (puck speed). The snap shot is accomplished with a quick snap of the wrists while the puck rests in place. The difference between a snap shot and a wrist shot is that the hockey blade is accelerated towards the puck from a small distance behind it. This allows the player to flex the shaft on the ice and strike the puck at speed - although not to the degree of a full slap shot. The stick is usually not lifted higher than the knee during the shot. Snap shots are the most common shot taken when a player in the goalie crease receives a pass and decides to one-time the puck. The snap shot is often considered a compromise between the wrist shot and slap shot, and can sometimes be mistaken for one or the other due to its inherently deceptive nature.

Start the snap shot just as you would start a wrist shot. Sweep the puck forward, but when the puck gets midway between your skates, lift the blade of the stick off the ground just a few inches. You are going to do a mini slap shot. After you have interrupted your wrist shot, start to transfer your weight onto your front leg. Bring your blade into contact with the puck, at the same time giving a snap with your wrists so that the toe of your blade points towards your intended target. Don't forget to follow-through!


snapshot 1

 

 

 

One Timer

A one timer (or one-time) is a shot that occurs when a player meets a teammate's pass with an immediate slapshot, without any attempt to control the puck on his stick. An effective one timer requires precise timing on the part of both players involved, especially the shooter. This play often results in a good chance at a goal. The effectiveness of the one timer comes in the speed of the puck after it is slapshot, and also in the sudden change of the puck's direction.

Knuckle Puck

The knuckle puck is a deceptive but usually pointless shooting technique. To perform the knuckle puck, the player turns the hockey puck so that it balances on its edge, then does a slapshot. Ideally, the puck is supposed to spin through the air unpredictably so that the goalie will be unable to stop it. The name "knuckle puck" comes by analogy with a knuckleball in baseball.

It was made famous by the film D2: The Mighty Ducks, where it was the ace-in-the-hole of streetsmart player Russ Tyler (Kenan Thompson). As Russ, the Los Angeles native, explains, "It's hard to be accurate, but it drives goalies crazy." In the movie, the knuckle puck somehow sails through the air along a physically impossible sine-curve, causing the opposing team to stare in confusion as the puck whizzes by them and into the net. In reality, hitting the puck from the side as Russ does results in a disappointing shot that bounces chaotically and stops after a few meters.

Children and inexperienced players often attempt this technique, but the shots are slow and inaccurate even for the best of players.

Backhand Slapshot

A backhand slapshot is the one of the most difficult shots to master. It has four stages which are executed in one fluid motion:

1. The player winds up their hockey stick by raising it in front of their body, sometimes raising the blade to shoulder height or higher.

2. Next the player violently "slaps" the ice slightly behind the puck and uses their weight to bend the stick, storing energy in it like a spring. It is this bending of the stick that gives the slapshot its amazing speed. Just like a bow and arrow, the stick's desire to return to being straight is transferred to the puck, giving it way more speed than just hitting it alone could do.

3. When the rear of the stick blade strikes the puck, the player rolls their wrists and shifts his or her weight so that the energy stored in the stick is released through the puck.

4. Finally, the player follows through, ending up with the stick pointed towards the desired target.

The backhand slapshot is harder than other shots, and because of the violent motion involved and the backwards nature of the swing somewhat less accurate. It also takes longer to execute; a player usually cannot take a backhand slapshot while under any significant pressure from an opposing player because the opponent could easily interfere during the windup. The backhand slapshot is most commonly used by a forward moving laterally across the front of the net.

The text content of this web page is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia articles Wrist Shot, One Timer, Knuckle Puck, Backhand Slapshot, Slap Shot, Snap Shot and Backhand Shot.