Center Ice Magazine

SECRETS TO SUCCESSFUL GOAL SCORING

The most exciting play in the game of ice hockey is undoubtedly scoring a goal. Every player loves to shoot the puck and raise their arms after scoring a goal. Your team can not win a game if you do not learn to effectively score goals. Consequently, shooting is one of the most important skills that require proper development. All shots, wrist shot, snap shot, backhand and slap shot rely on many of the same principles, although they differ slightly in technique. All players should first concentrate on developing good wrist shot techniques before progressing on to the backhand, snap shot and slap shot.

Stick Length:

Proper stick length is very important to the development of shooting success and effectiveness. There is a general rule of thumb that should be followed by all players regarding stick length; cut your stick short enough so that the top of your knob, on the stick, is not higher than your nose, while holding the tip of the blade of your stick on the ice. This measurement should be done with your skates on! The shorter your stick the better, however, do not cut it so short that your basic balanced position is affected negatively.

Body Positioning:

Balance is the most important factor when positioning your body for a shot. Start with your weight evenly distributed on both skates, concentrate on deep knee bend and get your skates shoulder width apart. Your upper body weight should be centered over your skates. As the puck is approaching you on a pass, concentrate on positioning your self perpendicular with the net. If you are a right-handed shot, your left shoulder should be pointing towards the goal and lefties vice versa. This is very important in getting the lower body involved with weight transfer. As the puck arrives on your stick, you now transfer a majority of your weight to your back foot, maintaining deep knee bend. Play close attention to keeping your shoulders as level as possible. As you transfer your weight back, you simultaneously sweep the puck back to an area in line with your rear skate.

Puck Positioning

The puck needs to start slightly past the midpoint of your blade towards the heel of your stick. The puck will have a tendency to spin towards the toe as you drag the puck forward to the goal. The stick starts in line with your back skate and you close the face of your stick and keep it square with the net. As the puck is swept across the front of your body, through to the release point, it should spin slightly from the heel towards the toe.

Arm Movement:

To get the blade square with the net, players need to get their arms away from their bodies. The most common error that inexperienced players make is resting the top hand on their front hip. This incorrect positioning of the upper hand will restrict players from getting the proper wrist snap as the puck leaves the stick. As you slide the puck forward from the back foot line, you should concentrate on maintaining a straight line from the starting point through to the release point. With your hands out and away from your body, you may now effectively use both hands and arms across the body together to snap your wrists. The lower wrist hand should snap forward & over closing the face of the stick, while the upper wrist hand should snap backward & under simultaneously.

Applying Weight to The Shaft:

It is imperative that you learn to apply proper body weight on the shaft of your stick as you sweep the puck forward on a straight line. Focus on leaning your upper body weight, including your chest, shoulders, arms and head down on the shaft of your stick. Apply as much upper body weight as you can, on the shaft of the stick, without losing your balance as you are transferring your weight from back foot to front foot. This action will increase your velocity tremendously.

Main Core Movement:

Players should transfer a majority of their weight to the back skate as they draw the puck back into a position to shoot. As they begin to move the puck forward with their arms, they push off of the inside edge of the back skate, fully extending the back leg forward. The weight transfer should be completely shifted to the front skate, while pivoting your upper torso from and perpendicular position to a squared up position, facing the net in a controlled, balanced position. It is very important to note that as you shift the weight to the front skate, you must focus on pointing the front skate towards the net, this action will take you to the net for a rebound. It is important that the shooter “stay down” on the puck-maintaining deep knee bend- the front leg should finish with a 90 degree bend on the follow through. The correct body alignment, as the puck leaves your stick, should result in a straight line from your nose to your front knee, down to your front toe.

Coordination & Timing:

The upper body and lower body need to work together to get the most out of the shot in terms of velocity and accuracy. It takes hours of practice to develop the coordination necessary to push off with the legs while moving the arms, transferring the weight, snapping the wrists and then following through toward the target. I highly recommend that you practice your wrist shot off-ice in your basement or driveway/garage. Set a goal to shoot 100 pucks each day and you will see a dramatic improvement in your shooting skills.

Follow-through

As the puck is leaving your stick, it is very important that your head is facing the net, your chest is square & upright, your shoulders balanced and the stick blade should end up pointing right at the area that you want the puck to go. The most common error on the follow-through is whipping the stick well past the target. This does not help your accuracy nor does it improve your velocity. Finish the shot with a nice smooth, fluid follow-through. Finally, it is imperative that you learn to go to the net after you take your initial shot. Remember, most goalies save 9 out 10 shots, so you have to learn to go for the rebound!

Important shooting statistics that you should learn to improve your success:

Height of Goals Scored