Hockey : Wrist Shot fundamentals

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The Wrist Shot

Many players overlook the wrist shot. You grow up practicing in your back yard, raising your hands when you actually raise the puck over the net for the first time. Then you put in on the back burner as you slice at the puck in your first attempts at a slapshot. But the wrist shot is your bread and butter, especially as a forward. You can catch the goalie off guard with a quick release and also hide the angle of your shot.

Players take this shot for granted but a few minor tweaks can add 5 to 10 mph to your top end speed. I created a Youtube video that highlights specific things (one of them I didn't consciously realize until I was out of the game):

Drive Forward to your Target off the Back Foot: This isn't basketball where you can have a fade away shot totally off balance. You need to push/drive yourself off the backfoot toward the net at the start of the shot.

Really create a torque by rotating your midsection: In golf, baseball, tennis, boxing, hockey, and many other sports the speed of the punch, ball, puck is largely based on how much torque you can create through the midsection/core of your body. The stronger your core muscles are the more balance and power you create.

Applying a lot of pressure to your Bottom Hand: This is the one that I didn't realize was so important until catching Kovalev or maybe Kovalchuck mention it briefly in a mid-game interview. The more pressure you put on that bottom hand the more work your stick does by flexing and snapping through on release. You're paying 200 a dollars for it so it might as well help you shoot faster. Shoot like you mean it. This is why, when you see a picture of a player releasing a wrist shot that he/she has that gritted teeth expression on their face. They're putting everything they have into that bottom hand pressure.

Open your Front Foot: I have never seen a young player shoot a slapshot without opening their front foot to allow their hips to clear through. But many young players will keep that foot closed when shoot a wrist shot. This doesn't allow you to fully employ the midsection torque noted above.

Snap your Bottom Hand at Release Point: Near the front feet at your release point you want to be snapping the bottom hand over.

Point Your Toe to the Target: For accuracy purpose you want to point the toe at the target. This should be stressed on low shots. Players that shoot high are already following through toward the top areas of the net. But when you tell them to shoot low they take 20% off the shot and baby it in there. The follow through is still high. You need to have the exact same motion, grit, and speed on the shot, only with a low follow through.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• hockey
• wrist shot
• how to shoot a wrist shot
• quick release
• ice hockey
• ice hockey shooting
• hockey shots
• how to score in hockey

[Mr1122hi]

Nice, thaxs this vid help me

[Score100goals]

@Mr1122hi Awesome. Getting the foundation of the movement down is key I believe. Then it's just drilling that into your muscle memory with practice.

[Thekeymeister]

1:29 - 1:31 fail subliminal messaging. Great video though, deffinatly added alot of speed to my shot with the bottom half techniques you showed, cheers man

[Score100goals]

@Thekeymeister Ha. nice catch, but it wasn't subliminal messaging. I had read when I posted the video that youtube would take the absolute middle of the video and use that as the thumbnail. At that time I didn't know that you could pic from different frames.

Thanks for the comment and hopefully the bottom torque/movement has continued to help your shot.

[guitarandhockey]

What about keeping your head up to see you're target?

[TheWillyWalawala]

what are you standing on? can you skate on it?

[Bjones7064]

Great video Brett.

I'm 50 years old and still playing 3 times a week. I never had any formal training (mostly just men's leagues) so videos like yours (especially yours --- I've looked at dozens of them) really help a lot. Please keep them coming. I just subscribed to your channel and your newsletter.

Thanks a lot!

[theNHLbound]

@mokle999 Practice will lift the puck up and if your slap shot is fluttering in that air that means you are getting under the puck to. Uh try hitting the puck about 2-3 inches before the puck and once you get better you can hit the ice further back to get more power.

[theNHLbound]

To everyone who is asking about how to lift the puck off the ice, all you need to do is practice and eventually you will lift the puck off the ice because you are getting stronger. There is not much skill in just lifting the puck it's more of aiming and power that will score goals.

[AnusOner]

I'm heavy right hand dominant. Meaning I write, golf, throw, and play all other sports right handed. My dominant leg is my right one as well. I'm 24, and just starting to pick up hockey. Do I got with a left or a righty stick? It makes sense that my dominant hand (right) be on the top for stick handling etc, but I have ZERO shot that way. My handles seem to sacrifice a bit by having my left hand on the top, but that could be in my head. My shot is 100X better with my dominant hand lower down.

[mokle999]

Can u please make a tutorial on how to get the puck off the ice! :) I keep trying this, but it just goes along the ice. :( If i slap shot I can get it up but its not going flat, its flipping front flips sort of :P Please help me! :D

[antssmayee]

no my friend thank you

[TheJUMBOWS]

foot positioning needs work, weight transfer is too upright.

[airsoftdude1700]

Thanks!!!!!!

[airsoftdude1700]

@stefantviphone I think its synthetic ice