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Is there a secret for "speed" with Wrist Shots?

Donnie

Registered User
Mar 4, 2007
12
0
My son's first hockey season is over... and I think he is going through withdrawals.

He has been in the garage hitting a puck off a piece of plywood, trying to hit pop cans. He asked me if I knew how he could get the puck to go faster. (I have no idea...) His accuracy is improving... but he has virtually no speed when he hits the puck.

So... I'm assuming that there is a right way... a wrong way... and even a efficient way to hit a puck. His coach really didn't show him a right or wrong way to hit the puck, whether it be a wrist shot... or a slap shot.

Can somebody please explain the proper way of making a wrist shot... or a slap shot?

Thanks!

Donnie
 
There are a couple of things he can do.

1) Practice. You need to snap and roll your wrist over. There are diagrams showing the correct motion. Good technique goes a long way.
http://www.hockeyshot.com/shooting09_wrist.htm

2) I would say if he isn't too young he could do wrist exercises. I use these for that purpose:
http://www.amazon.com/Dynaflex-Pro-Gyro-Wrist-Exerciser/dp/B0001ANB00
http://www.amazon.com/GoFit-GF-WFB-...=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1173748927&sr=1-14

A weighted puck could help.
 
When you take a wrist shot, both hands should be rather high on the top part of the stick. Not too close together, but I'd say 8-10 inches apart. They need to be high so you can get some decent whip on the stick. I'd imagine your son isn't very strong, but good to know for later.

When I first learned to take a wrist shot, I was told the puck should roll from the heel of the blade, off to the toe. To get it airborn you sort of snap your wrist.

In a slap shot the bottom hand should be somewhere near the middle of your stick. When you approach the puck your feet should be a little bit more than shoulder's width apart with your knees slightly bent. When coming down on the puck you transfer your weight from your back leg (right shot=right leg, left shot=left leg) to your front leg. Make sure you try to get the puck with the heel of the blade too.
 
You should be able to take a wrister no matter where your hands are on the stick(within reason). Closing your wrists(rolling them over) is a large part in shot speed but the most important and where you are going to get all the power is the bend in the stick. If you(or him) can lean into the stick and get it to flex you'll really start to see an improvement in shot speed. Go to warrior hockey and click warrior tv and watch segment two, Kovy(in his broken english) explains it well.
 
wrist stength is a huge part of it. I started doing wrist exercises recently and my wrist shot's gotten much harder. Obviously form is another part of it. The way your hands are on the stick, the way you transfer your weight from your legs to your stick is all part of it. That's why a lot of players will lift one of their legs when they shoot so they can transfer all of their weight to the stick to add a little more umpf to the shot.
 
Yeah, Kovy's the man. I wish he just actually cared when he played. The guy should be an all-star and at least a 40 goal scorer every year with the talent he has.
 
tcooke said:
Watch the master of the wrist shot show your son how it's done and how to generate power.

http://www.warriorhockey.com/WarriorHockey.html

Click on WarriorTV it's the 2nd clip. You could always let him watch the first one as well because...it's amazing! :bow:
Click to expand...

That first clip - WOW. Heck, I'm just happy if my stick touches the puck half the time, but that's what happens when you pick up the game at age 33.
 
Thanks for the input!!! Its definitely helping!

Alex is a big kid, and is actually getting really strong, but like I said before... he just wasn't getting any power out of his shots. We down loaded the video, and checked out the other sites mentioned, after which... Alex headed straight for the garage. Every now an then... you can really hear the puck hitting the garage wall really hard! (We have a freezer and a refrigerator out in the garage, and they are spaced apart about the same distance as the "Width" of a goal. He then shoots at the garage wall in-between the two.)

He is struggling a little bit with "Flexing the Stick" when he shoots. There almost seems to be a little bit of a timing issue of "How to Flex the Stick"... and the moment of release. But... overall... your advice and links have made an improvement.

Last night... I was in the back yard shooting my bow... when I heard the puck hit something in the garage REALLY hard. Alex came out of the garage with a worried look and is face and told me about the new dent in the freezer. I couldn't help but chuckle a little at looking at the dent. :D But... I did have a little talk with him about all the black marks on both the freezer and the refrigerator!!! (He still has to work on accuracy! ;) )

Again... Thanks so much for the info!!!!!!!!!!!

Take care!

Donnie
 
The stick could be too stiff for him. The rule of thumb is the flex of the stick should be half of your body weight. For the most part this is true, but as always this is a personal preference thing.
 
Donnie said:
Thanks for the input!!! Its definitely helping!
Last night... I was in the back yard shooting my bow... when I heard the puck hit something in the garage REALLY hard. Alex came out of the garage with a worried look and is face and told me about the new dent in the freezer. I couldn't help but chuckle a little at looking at the dent. :D But... I did have a little talk with him about all the black marks on both the freezer and the refrigerator!!! (He still has to work on accuracy! ;) )

Donnie
Click to expand...

I am guessing you get USA Hockey Magazine each month. You may want to check out the advertisements in the back of the magazine. They make protective mats with an image of a goal and target on it. You can hang them on your garage wall or on your garage door. i've seen some that hang on the garage door and roll up. This might help protect your wall, freezer etc.:)
 
JM47 said:
The stick could be too stiff for him. The rule of thumb is the flex of the stick should be half of your body weight. For the most part this is true, but as always this is a personal preference thing.
Click to expand...

Yea i weigh about 160, and my shots are a lot better with an 80 flex than when I use a 100 flex.
 
Donnie said:
Last night... I was in the back yard shooting my bow... when I heard the puck hit something in the garage REALLY hard. Alex came out of the garage with a worried look and is face and told me about the new dent in the freezer. I couldn't help but chuckle a little at looking at the dent. :D But... I did have a little talk with him about all the black marks on both the freezer and the refrigerator!!! (He still has to work on accuracy! ;) )
Click to expand...

I remember Sidney Crosby saying he had to buy his mom a new dryer because he had used hers for shooting practice so many times over the years. :D

There's a difference between a snap shot and a wrist shot. A snap shot is good for short range when you're tightly defended. Most of the power is gained by pulling your top hand back and snapping your lower hand forward. By contrast, the wrist shot has a long windup and your power comes from a) shifting your weight from your back foot to the front, and b) twisting at the waist to engage your core muscles. IMO placing your low hand below the middle of the stick will force you to twist at the waist and will also give you more control over the blade. The more steady your lower hand (and the faster the blade is moving) the longer the puck will stay on the blade -- also the better your accuracy, lift and advantage in rolling your wrists.

Hope that makes sense -- I'm still working the kinks out of my own wrist shots.
 
Donnie said:
Last night... I was in the back yard shooting my bow... when I heard the puck hit something in the garage REALLY hard.
Click to expand...

I've always found that the flex of the stick has a lot to do with how much power you can get on your shot. Really, I'd just reiterate what people are saying above.


Completely OT: What bow are you shooting? Recurve, compound, longbow?
 
Without being on ice, there is a bit of friction, so make sure that he is dragging the blade along the ground a bit before shooting and not just whipping them. Proper technique is more important then speed, speed comes with practice as long as the technique is correct. Also make sure his stick isn't too big or too small.
 
JM47,

I didn't know about the "rule of thumb" for stick stiffness. And... we have discovered that the stick is too stiff for him. He has a 75 that is too long if we leave it at the length that it is. But... rather than cutting it down now, I think I'll wit until the end of summer. (He seems to be growing fast!)

Frito,

Unfortunately... we aren't getting the magazine... nor is his league affiliated with them. Someone else mentioned that USA Hockey magazine... and said it was pretty good. I guess we are going to have to start subscribing. The matt sounds cool and at the neighbors might not look at us like we are a bunch of hill billies! I have actually seen them before... and wanted to get a closer look. If he keeps this up... I think one of those mats will become a necessity.

EmptyNetter,

Yes... That does make since. Alex's coach suggested the same thing concerning his hand placement. Each night... the puck seems to get a little louder, and I see him really concentrating on form. (He is really excited to get back on the ice!)

McNasty,

As for now... he is hitting the puck off of an old meat cutting board, that is about 24" X 48". He is trying everything he can to make the shot as real as possible, but there is only so much you can do in sneakers and an old meat cutting table. But... I'm just thrilled to see his enthusiasm!

Switchblade,

I have coached youth archery for about 18 years, and have competed for almost 23 years. (Compound only.) I started with a recurve... then went to a compound. Now... I'm back to shooting Traditional. I'm presently shooting a "Chek-Mate" Hunter II Take Down. #53@28" (Recurve)

Thanks again!!!!!!

Donnie
 
the "rule of thumb" isn't much of a rule. It's all based on form and strength. Brett hull was about 200lbs and he used a 75 flex stick. Chis Gratton goes about 220 and uses a 120 flex stick.

Also cutting a stick will make it stiffer.
 
How old is your son?

{warning: nearly irrelevant story}

I used to be pretty terrible at shooting, then, once when I was nine (playing moderately competitive hockey that year), at one practice, we were doing a 1 on 1 drill, just skating down one side of the ice and shooting. My shots usually had to be let go at the top of the circle to even have a chance of going in, but this time, I let it go from just outside the blue line, and wouldn't you know it, it pegged my goalie in the head (wasn't a lobbed shot, just went straight), and he had to leave the practice. My coach even came over to me (before going to the goalie) and told me to "do that again", and for a while (few weeks), I never could. It just had to do with where the puck was when I started my shot (the puck had to be a bit behind me for me to get a good shot off).

Anyway, what I mean so say is that if he's around that age, maybe 12 or under (or thereabouts) it probably has something to do with hand positioning, puck positioning, or some other technical aspect, whereas its more likely an issue of strength if hes any older (could be too, if younger).
 
The best thing he can work on is his snap shot... it will allow him to shoot and pass much faster.

Wrist shots take too much time and most people don't understand how to properly transfer their weight, when taking one.

Tell your son to watch Crosby. All he takes is snap shots... as do most goal scorers in the NHL. I don't think I have seen Crosby ever take a wrist shot.

You can get a snap shot off anywhere... in traffic... from the halfboards...faceoff circle..etc...and it only takes a split second to release it - which is key to scoring goals.

The other advantage is using a snap shot to make hard, accuarate, saucer passes - a majority of NHL players "snap" the puck when they pass... they don't use a wrist shot to pass.

If your son practices his snap shot over and over, it will become second nature to him... he will use it in all situations, passing and shooting.

Aside from skating - this is one of the most important skills he should learn.
 
The best thing he can work on is his snap shot... it will allow him to shoot and pass much faster.

When I was younger someone taught me the difference between the wrist shot and snap shot, and it is probably the single greatest tip I ever received.

Wrist shots take too much time and most people don't understand how to properly transfer their weight, when taking one.

Tell your son to watch Crosby. All he takes is snap shots... as do most goal scorers in the NHL. I don't think I have seen Crosby ever take a wrist shot.

You can get a snap shot off anywhere... in traffic... from the halfboards...faceoff circle..etc...and it only takes a split second to release it - which is key to scoring goals.

The other advantage is using a snap shot to make hard, accuarate, saucer passes - a majority of NHL players "snap" the puck when they pass... they don't use a wrist shot to pass.

If your son practices his snap shot over and over, it will become second nature to him... he will use it in all situations, passing and shooting.

Aside from skating - this is one of the most important skills he should learn.
 
I'll agree with Mr Jiggyfly to a point. A snap shot is to a wrist shot as a pistol is to a long range rifle.

Snap shot:
Quick shot
Good in tight spaces
Easier to shoot "on the fly" (while skating)
Lacks the range or power of a wrist shot
(also effective for short passes over an opponent's stick)

Wrist Shot:
Takes longer to load & fire
Requires more space
More power
Better accuracy
Excellent for long range shots from the perimeter or passes outside of the defensive zone.

Slap Shot:
Longest setup
Most power
Least accuracy

And don't forget the backhand. So I'd agree that the snap shot is most often used and deserves a good amount of practice time. But each shot serves its own specific purpose. I'd never discourage anybody from learning a particular shot -- the more options you have for shots the more effective a scorer you can be when used properly (practice!) and in the right situations.

At this stage I recommend (especially for a 12 year old) practicing the wrist shot first before moving on to the others. It's good for strength building and is less impact on the body than the other two. JMHO
 
JM47 said:
The stick could be too stiff for him. The rule of thumb is the flex of the stick should be half of your body weight. For the most part this is true, but as always this is a personal preference thing.
Click to expand...

Definitely player preference.. I'm in the 250 range (losing weight right now though) and I use 85-100 flex.

I notice the slappers are faster at 100 but the wrist shots are harder with the 85 because of the snap.
 
Personally how I built up speed was just by building up wrist (and forearm) strength. I basically used a rope to tie a weight on one end and tie the other end of the rope around the middle of my hockey stick. You should have enough rope so that when you're standing the weight hovers above the ground just slightly. Slowly raise the weight by using rolling your wrists over and over until the weight is nearly touching the stick and then reverse until the weight is on the ground. It builds up wrist strength pretty quickly and puts quite a bit of mustard on the shots.
 
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