How to: Hockey Shots

Introduction

Alright shooter, time to make the goal light synonymous with your name. The best place to start is to lay down a solid foundation of the basics. We’ll cover the 4 types of hockey shots and dabble in some advanced topics as well.

The Basics of Shooting

The basics, the fundamentals, the building blocks, the essential tips of shooting, whatever you call it - this is it. All shots stem from these core concepts. So strap in and read carefully.

Push & Pull

In order to generate power, pushing and pulling on the stick is the meat and potatoes of the shot. The key to performing this action seems simple - just push and pull. But looks can be deceiving.

Let’s talk setup. Face the net as if you’re taking a snapshot. We’ll skip all the other elements of the snapshot in order to focus on this one aspect. Position the puck on the forehand side several inches away from the foot. Ensure that your grip is in a neutral position. Extend the top hand away from the body in order to make space to pull the stick back. Ensure that the knees are bent in a good hockey stance.

To initiate the shot, shift weight into the forehand side leg. This will allow for more weight to be pushed into the shaft of the hockey stick generating power. As the weight is being pushed into the shaft, pull the top hand back. This generated force will transfer to the puck propelling it forward. Stick taps - you’ve done the push & pull.

Raising or Lowering the Puck

The power is being generated but how can we pick the corners of the net? Great question Puxx Hockey. We can launch the puck higher or lower depends on how open or closed the blade is. The progression begins with a closed blade (cupping the puck) while drawing the puck forward, open the blade to launch the puck, and then keep the blade open to aim the puck high or close to aim the puck low in the follow-through.

Setup as described in the Push & Pull section. We’re skipping the first progression of cupping the puck as the puck is already next to the foot. Initiate the shot as before but focus on starting with an open blade and then either closing it or keeping it open. Get to know the blade position by how high the puck goes during the shot. Keep in mind that the top hand is the one manipulating how open or closed the blade is!

That’s it - the building blocks that all shots are made up of.

The Four Shots

There are four types of shots in Hockey. The wrist shot, snap shot, slap shot and backhand. Depending on the situation one type of shot will be more effective than another. For instance, a slapshot from the blueline is much more effective than a slap shot from the slot. The importance is knowing which situation requires what type of shot - and having the confidence to execute it.

Wrist Shot

According to NHL.com/Stats, of the 6,447 goals scored in the 2019-2020 regular season 52% of them were wrist shots. In summary, wrist shots score the most goals out of the four types of shots. The reason for this is simple. The wrist shot quickly generates power and is deceptive. Its deceptiveness stems from options. While taking a wrist shot, the player has the option to quickly stop mid-shot and instead dish the puck or stickhandle to create space.

Setup

  • Athletic Stance: bend the knees into 1/4 squat, feet flat, hips behind the center of gravity, and back straight.

  • Shoulder pointing at the net.

  • Neutral hockey grip.

  • Draw the puck back behind the body while shifting your weight to the back foot.

  • If your nose goes past the back foot you’ve shifted your weight too far and will be off-balance.

The Shot

  • Cup the puck and drag the puck forward while shifting your weight to the front foot.

  • Once the puck reaches your front foot, ensure your hands are away from the body to create room for the push & pull.

  • Initiate the shot by shifting some weight from the front foot into the shaft of the stick.

  • Pull the top hand towards the body and push the bottom hand towards the target.

  • Optionally - as the weight transfers forward, just before the release, point the front foot towards the target in order to glide toward the shot for potential rebounds.

Follow-Through

  • During the tail end of the release close the blade in order to keep the puck low or keep the blade open in order to raise the puck.

  • Pointing the blade at the target enhances the accuracy of the shot.

Snap Shot

The snap shot relies on a quick release and deceiving the goalie through changing the angle of the shot. There should be no wind-up, preparation, or positioning to slow the release of the shot. Due to the minimal set-up, a snap shot can come between stickhandles. When a player sees that the goalie is out of position a snap shot is the best way to take advantage of the situation.

Setup

  • Athletic Stance: bend the knees into 1/4 squat, feet flat, hips behind the center of gravity, and back straight.

  • Chest facing the net.

  • Neutral hockey or slightly wider grip.

  • Position the puck on the forehand side away from the body.

The Shot

  • Shift the weight from the outside foot (furthest foot from the puck) towards the inside foot.

  • Nudge the puck diagonally towards the front of the body to change the angle of the shot.

  • While the puck is moving, initiate the shot by shifting some weight from the inside foot into the shaft of the stick.

  • Pull the top hand towards the body and push the bottom hand towards the target.

  • 100% of the weight is shifted to the inside foot leaving the outside foot raised in the air.

Follow-Through

  • During the tail end of the release close the blade in order to keep the puck low or keep the blade open in order to raise the puck.

  • Pointing the blade at the target enhances the accuracy of the shot.

Slap Shot

Although the slap shot is quite satisfying with its sheer power, the percentage of NHL goals scored with a slapshot is 10%. The point is - don’t spend all your time practicing this shot. The benefit, however, is the power it generates. Goalies will have trouble tracking the puck if it’s coming at them fast. Sprinkle in some players obstructing the goalie’s view and the slap shot becomes even more effective. But, the benefit of generating power is balanced by the long wind-up time the shot needs. For these reasons the slap shot most often comes from the blue line. There is enough space to wind-up and more opportunity to obstruct the goalie’s view to make the shot more likely to find the back of the net.

Setup

  • Athletic Stance: bend the knees into 1/4 squat, feet flat, hips behind the center of gravity, and back straight.

  • Shoulder pointing at the net.

  • Wide hockey grip.

  • Position the puck a couple of inches forward from the middle of the stance.

  • Shift 60% of the weight to the back foot.

  • Draw the stick back so that the blade is above the head and the stick is pointing straight up parallel to the body.

The Shot

  • As the blade swings down to make contact with the puck, shift the weight from the back foot to the front foot.

  • To generate more power rotate the torso towards the net during the swing.

  • To make contact with the puck hit the ice just before the puck to transfer weight into the shaft.

  • Pull the top hand towards the body and push the bottom hand towards the target.

Follow-Through

  • During the tail end of the release close the blade in order to keep the puck low or keep the blade open in order to raise the puck.

  • Pointing the blade at the target enhances the accuracy of the shot.

Backhand

The backhand is the most overlooked shot of the bunch. With practice, this could become one of the most deadly shots in your arsenal. The benefit of the backhand is the ability to raise the puck from a protected position. Let me paint the picture. You’re driving the net on the off-wing side of the ice. Once close to the net, you have the option to perform a cross-ice pass or shoot top corner. The defender is on top of you but you’re able to unleash a backhand shot by protecting it with your leading leg. The defender has no chance of poke checking the puck. Peek-a-boo, the puck finds the top corner. For inspiration look to Patrick Kane.

Setup

  • Athletic Stance: bend the knees into 1/4 squat, feet flat, hips behind the center of gravity, and back straight.

  • Shoulder pointing at the net.

  • Neutral hockey or slightly wider grip.

  • Draw the puck back behind the body while shifting your weight to the back foot.

  • If your nose goes past the back foot you’ve shifted your weight too far and will be off-balance.

  • Position the puck on the heel of the blade.

The Shot

  • Cup the puck and drag the puck forward while shifting your weight to the front foot.

  • Be conscious of keeping the puck on the heel of the blade.

  • Once the puck reaches your front foot, push the bottom hand down towards the ice and pull the top hand upwards.

  • During the push and pull motion roll the puck from the heel of the blade to the mid/toe to release.

Follow-Through

  • During the tail end of the release close the blade in order to keep the puck low or keep the blade open in order to raise the puck.

  • Pointing the blade at the target enhances the accuracy of the shot.

Recommendations

Now time to use this newfound knowledge during your practices and games. If you’re looking for off-ice drills to develop hockey skills click the download button to get the IOS app. We have tons of proven drills to develop your hockey skills and track your progression. No need for some fancy off-ice training aids. All you need is the app, a hockey stick, and some pucks (Green Biscuit pucks are the best for off-ice training).