Progression towards learning to take a good shot?

[proth0303 29]

Does anyone have some pointers on how to learn how to flex the stick to take a good shot (wrist or slap)?  I'm brand new to this and my initial reaction to taking a shot is to hit the puck like I would a golf ball, meaning the stick never really hits the ice or grazes it at best.  I've watched videos about how the stick needs to be flexed/loaded up on but I'm afraid that I'll end up breaking sticks and getting frustrated.  

Am I being paranoid and the sticks aren't really that delicate?  Is there a good way to start developing an understanding and confidence in the flex and how it should feel when contacting the puck?  I'm 6'0", 180 lbs, can I actually break a stick by loading most of my weight on it?  

 

[kmfdm86 112]

Probably not going to break the stick unless there's a defect or its damaged. They're meant to be flexed. 

The key to a good shot is proper form. Make sure you have that down first. I'd recommend find an area where you can do dryland practice in your shoes to get the form right.

[krisdrum 223]

My 145 lb Swedish billet has broken like 6 or 7 sticks since September.  But he is playing high level hockey with top of the line sticks where reduced weight seems to be put ahead of durability.  So yes, sticks can break.  That doesn't mean they are fragile though.  I'm in the same spot.  Working on flexing/snapping the stick during dry land work.  Haven't been able to effectively carry that work over to the ice.  Have you checked out the step by step video series Coach Jeremy did about a year or so ago that breaks down wrist/snap shot components down into individual pieces of the full motion?

 

Just to add to the "they are meant to flex", bought my 6 y.o son 2 Battle Mode sticks last week with a 17.5 flex.  Lowest flex I have seen in a kid's stick.  of course I tried flexing them once we got them.  I was able to get them pretty deeply flexed without feeling like I was going to snap them.  Would I worry about breaking them if I was going to play with them regularly?  Of course.  But if I didn't immediately break a 17.5 flex, I doubt you are going to immediately break an 85 flex. 

[proth0303 29]

3 minutes ago, krisdrum said:

My 145 lb Swedish billet has broken like 6 or 7 sticks since September.  But he is playing high level hockey with top of the line sticks where reduced weight seems to be put ahead of durability.  So yes, sticks can break.  That doesn't mean they are fragile though.  I'm in the same spot.  Working on flexing/snapping the stick during dry land work.  Haven't been able to effectively carry that work over to the ice.  Have you checked out the step by step video series Coach Jeremy did about a year or so ago that breaks down wrist/snap shot components down into individual pieces of the full motion?

I did see the videos and as always, he does an excellent job of breaking things down.  For whatever reason I don't get a sense for how durable/strong a stick is which I why I threw it out there for comments.  In the end I probably just need to give it a try and if I exceed the limits and break a stick than its an excuse to go buy a new one... ;)  

[krisdrum 223]

6 minutes ago, proth0303 said:

I did see the videos and as always, he does an excellent job of breaking things down.  For whatever reason I don't get a sense for how durable/strong a stick is which I why I threw it out there for comments.  In the end I probably just need to give it a try and if I exceed the limits and break a stick than its an excuse to go buy a new one... ;)  

I added some further context to my comments.  As kmfdm said as well, the sticks are designed to flex.  Sure, there are maximum stressors and cycles they are designed for, but you very likely will not be in that position while working on technique for awhile. 

[puckpilot 312]

I remember seeing a video on how sticks are made. I'm going by memory here, but I believe they said it requires 400lbs of force in order to break a 100 flex stick.

To add to this, I'm 175lbs. I'm short, so I use 50 and 40 flex sticks. I take slapshots, and I have yet to break a stick by just shooting. Heck I generally don't break sticks at all. 

Here's a video of Coach Jeremy shooting with Raven hockey sticks, sticks meant for little kids, and he has to really really try to even break one of them.

 

As for developing your shot and flexing the stick, don't aim for the puck. Aim for a spot at least an inch or two behind the puck. Here's a video of Alexei Kovalev demonstrating how to get a feel for flexing the stick and using that to generate your power.

 

 

[Vet88 673]

13 hours ago, proth0303 said:

Does anyone have some pointers on how to learn how to flex the stick to take a good shot (wrist or slap)?  I'm brand new to this and my initial reaction to taking a shot is to hit the puck like I would a golf ball, meaning the stick never really hits the ice or grazes it at best.  I've watched videos about how the stick needs to be flexed/loaded up on but I'm afraid that I'll end up breaking sticks and getting frustrated.  

Am I being paranoid and the sticks aren't really that delicate?  Is there a good way to start developing an understanding and confidence in the flex and how it should feel when contacting the puck?  I'm 6'0", 180 lbs, can I actually break a stick by loading most of my weight on it?  

 

Worst thing you can do as a beginner is trying to learn slap shots. Put them in the draw and forget about them until you can skate ok. Prime reason for this is your wallet, as a beginner you most likely will not have good balance on your skates and poor shooting technique. These 2 combined generally lead to players striking the ice with the heel of the blade and this will destroy the blade REALLY fast. But if you are determined to try and learn slap shots, don't lift the blade above waist height on the back swing, everything else about a slap shot you can get from you tube etc so I won't get into it here. Personally I get my students to focus on wrist and snap shots, work on weight transfer, timing, form, balance. Sticks flex a long way but you have to get a lot of things right to flex it hard during the shot so don't worry about breaking them. Again. you tube is your friend here and a video camera. Its amazing what a bit of self analysis will achieve. And if you have the space, time and desire then a shooting pad, net, 20 or so pucks and 2 hours of practice a day will go a long way to teaching you how to shoot.  

[proth0303 29]

Thanks for the all the insight!  Yeah, I'm not looking to learn slap shots any time soon but this past weekend at practice the coach had one drill where we took a slap shot and I didn't have a clue other than to take a swing at the puck and see what happens.  He quickly changed the drill after watching some of us struggle and reiterated how important, and arguably the best shots, are wrist/snap shots.

[evor1 6]

i wouldnt worry about flexing the stick.  a lot of it will come naturally with proper weight transfer.  just focus on the mechanics 

[chippa13 1844]

Proper mechanics will flex the stick and if the stick isn't flexing then it is too stiff for the user.

[krisdrum 223]

Ok, so as a similarly interested newbie.  What is "proper" mechanics?  Same stuff shown in the Coach Jeremy shooting series videos?  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lx7LW1gUeE&list=PLdb5V-yqAwsaicfWI6EB1a4I6rErF9mHX

Other videos or resources you might recommend to work on good form?

[krisdrum 223]

Ok, so as a similarly interested newbie.  What is "proper" mechanics?  Same stuff shown in the Coach Jeremy shooting series videos? 

Other videos or resources you might recommend to work on good form?

[proth0303 29]

I need to get me a shooting pad and a target! 

[Pez68 4]

You can work on your shooting technique all you want, but the truth of the matter is, until you are strong on your skates, it's not going to translate very well on the ice. You need to be able to transfer weight properly. Any practice you do off the ice, you should do with your skates on, wearing skate guards.

[Buzz_LightBeer 960]

1 hour ago, Pez68 said:

You can work on your shooting technique all you want, but the truth of the matter is, until you are strong on your skates, it's not going to translate very well on the ice. You need to be able to transfer weight properly. Any practice you do off the ice, you should do with your skates on, wearing skate guards.

I second this, as a newer, older player, 85% (not exactly, but a lot) of everything you do will stem from how well you skate, and how balanced you are on skates. Shooting pads and such work well, but work just as much on skating mechanics

[Pez68 4]

I'm coaching young players, and to be perfectly honest, until you are a proficient skater, I wouldn't bother working on anything else when you're on the ice. I would take a skating class with an advanced level instructor. Learn the drills, and then go to open skate and practice them yourself. Dedicate 100% of your time on the ice to repetitive skating drills. Proper skating form, knee-bend, and stance are key in hockey. C-cuts, crossovers, inside edges, outside edges, hockey stops, pivots, tight two-foot turns. Balance, balance, balance. Once you master these, developing your shot is 1000% easier... I can't tell you how many kids I have seen who can stick-handle in a phone booth, or have a great shot off-ice, who are completely useless on-ice, because they have not developed their skating...

Skating, skating, skating. Once you have it, the mechanics of shooting make a whole lot more sense.

[Vet88 673]

Couldn't agree more with this, one foot balance and skating drills over and over and then repeat them with stick and puck, over and over and over. But I don't agree that off ice shooting needs to be done with skates on or that there is no benefit. It's much easier to learn the basics of the weight transfer and shot mechanics in no skates, then as your skating skills improve you can start to work on transferring those shooting mechanics across to skates. I've taught a lot of players this way and those that do both always improve far quicker than those that try to do one then the other. 

[proth0303 29]

Points noted and is aligned with just about everything the coaches tell me; however, I do participate in games and drop-ins and come across moments where I need to shoot the puck and having some basic knowledge and practice has gone a long way.  While I still spend most of my time on skating skills, I do spend some time on my shooting because as my skating gets stronger the shooting thing is starting to click (ex: feeling the stick flex, weight transfer, etc).  I do like practicing when a goalie is present because I use it to make a quick skating maneuver before flinging the puck at the goal (I say "flinging" because I focus on the skating and not so much on the shot itself).

I still haven't spent any time on slap shots and don't foresee this changing anytime soon.  Right now it's skating, skating, skating, and a little of the rest... :)