How do you take a slap shot?

Answer 1

From: http://www.playyourgame.com/slap_shot.html As players, developing our skills is an aspect of hockey that will be constant throughout our careers. For our older users, we're sure that you'd agree that we all have room for improvement. For our younger users, there is no doubt that you need to develop your skills daily, in order to ultimately achieve your goals. We hope that the following tips will help you to achieve a better slap shot and, along the way, to become a better player.

The first aspect of the slap shot that we're going to cover is the proper positioning of your hands on your stick. Most players tend to have their bottom hand about half way down their sticks. This allows you to generate the power you need when you make contact with the puck. By having your lower hand half way down the shaft, you can take advantage of the flex of the stick, which adds to your own strength and in turn allowing you to achieve a heavier shot. If you've ever seen Brett Hull shoot, you can see that he hits the ice around 2-4 inches behind the puck so that the stick flexes, and when it hits the puck, the stick snaps back to give him the added power that he needs for his shot. This is true for all good shooters. Be sure to practice hitting the ice before you hit the puck. This a necessary skill to have in order to develop a great slap shot.

Another part of the slap shot is proper weight transfer. You really have to focus on shifting your weight right through the entire shot. At the same time, remember to keep your legs bent. It's hard to explain through printed words, but we're sure that you understand what we're saying. If you don't transfer your weight completely through your shot, you diminish the power, because you tend to be only using your arms. The players who have the best slap shots use their arms, legs, and most importantly, their torso to generate the power they need. You combine your own power and the flexing of your stick, and you're well on your way.

Making good contact with the puck is only half the battle. Now, you have to be able to control where the puck goes. This can be achieved through the follow through, and through keeping your head up. Having your head up is key, because it allows you to see where the goalie is. Too many players take a quick look and then bury their heads. This isn't the best practice, because goalies tend to move after we've taken that quick glance, and what was once open net is now covered by the goalie. The follow through is just as important. If you want to shoot low, then it's important to follow through low. This keeps the puck from getting up on you. The same is true of shooting high. To get it to go high, you have to follow through high. Now with this said, some players combat not having a good follow through by shooting the puck with the tip of their stick. When a player uses the tip of the stick to make contact with the puck, they're able to get it in the air, but they loose both power and accuracy. You should focus on making contact with the puck in the middle of your blade so that you can retain both the power and accuracy of your shot.

If you combine all the techniques that we've mentioned and you take the time to practice, your shot will improve practice to practice, and year to year. We'd also like to encourage you to ask for help or advice from players who have a good slap shot. Watch and learn, and never be afraid to ask them to show you their shot. That's how we develop as players, by watching and in turn learning, so never lose sight of that.

Slap Shot Overview * Hit the ice 2-4 inches behind the puck

* Proper weight transfer

* Proper follow through

* Head Up

* Watch and Learn from others

* Practice, Practice, Practice