Heavy Shot

[LkptTiger 1]

My shot is plenty hard (read: fast), but, unfortunately, I don't seem to be generating much "oomph" behind it. It seems to me that, if I shoot from outside (with the objective being getting a rebound into the slot), the goalie has a rather easy time directing the rebound away from the danger zones. I would like to be able to develop a shot that the goalie will be forced to "fight off" as opposed to be able to knock aside and direct with authority.

I've read that the "weight" of the shot is largely dependent upon the curve of the stick (open faces are conducive to a heavier shot). If this is the case, it presents a problem, as I have been playing with the same curve for the last 5 years or so and have no intention of switching in order to improve upon a shot that I don't take very often.

Ditto with the flex. I'm currently using the NBH "whip" (the vast majority of my shots are wristers or quick little snappers) which forces me to keep my bottom hand relatively low on slappers - if I don't, I overload the bottom of the shaft. I don't think that's part of the problem, but it could be.

Chadd - I believe it was you that said you busted a goalie's wedding band, was it not? That sounds pretty "heavy" to me...do you have anything to say on the matter?

Anyone else? Thanks, boys.

[Chadd 916]

I also dented the plate in another guy's ankle, he now has the imprint of an eyelet on it according to his doctor. OK, enough chest pounding.

I believe it has to do with the amount of spin on the puck, but I could be wrong. I think the more spin you have on a puck the more it tends to "bore" into the goalie or his pads. My release isn't as quick as I would like it to be but my shots tend to "stick" to a goalie and not go off into corners too much. I also tend to keep my bottom hand fairly low on all of my shots, bad habit that I can't seem to break.

As for the goalie playing the puck to the corners, that could be an issue of shot location as much as anything. If you shoot on the blocker side, a puck farther away from the body is easier to direct to the corner than a puck close to the body. Same goes for low shots to the legs, outside shots are easier to put in the corners. The other factor is how prepared for the shot the goalie is to stop the shot. Sneaky shots through traffic are harder to anticipate and give the goalie less time to react. I'm sure you already thought of that but wanted to add it for the record.

[jon93 0]

whys keeping your hand low a bad habbit?

i think it gives me a harder shot

[Chadd 916]

whys keeping your hand low a bad habbit?

i think it gives me a harder shot

It's harder to deke or make quick moves with the puck when your bottom hand is lower. Works fine for shooting or passing and helps with accuracy but that's about it.

[LkptTiger 1]

exactly...that's why you'll see most guys will sneak their hand back up the shaft when they are faking...

Basically, in the particular scenario I am trying to improve upon, I'm not trying to 'surprise' or even 'beat' the goalie.

Example: 2-on-2, I'm streaking down the right side with the puck (RH shot). The defenseman on my side stays square and forces me outside, and there is no lane to get it to either winger (the other is coming late through the middle) without risking an odd-man rush the other way. I don't want to try to make a move, because in the event that my pocket gets picked, all three of our forwards are then caught going full blast the wrong way.

In this situation, the ideal play (in my mind) would be to throw the puck on net (depending on how hard the winger on the left is charging the net, the goalie, who already has the angle completely cut-down, is going to see it clean). If I have the room, all I can do is wind-up real quick and fire one at his pads (unless I see a hole elsewhere, I'll shoot for the five-hole) and drive to the net.

Now, ideally, I would like the rebound to pop right out to the guy driving late through the middle. Unfortunately, it seems like, most of the time, the goalie is able to easily steer the shot back out to the boards. I'd like to be able to develop a shot that drives into the goalie and takes some of his control away - hence his having to "fight it off."

Spin, eh Chadd? How would I go about putting that into the shot? The only thing I could think of would be coming back across my body with the blade of my stick, which would obviously be a detriment to my accuracy - not to mention the speed of the shot.

[chippa13 1844]

For a heavy shot, really make sure to roll your wrist over through the shot. This will work the puck off the blade in a way that will generate the spin that Chadd mentioned.

Heavy shot credentials: Broke goalie mask on shot that 'got away', stuck puck in space between top of goalie skate and pad, plus the random goalie shaking off the glove hand now and again.

[Chadd 916]

Spin, eh Chadd? How would I go about putting that into the shot? The only thing I could think of would be coming back across my body with the blade of my stick, which would obviously be a detriment to my accuracy - not to mention the speed of the shot.

Heel to toe and roll those wrists over. Look at how much extra power/yardage you get on the golf course when you roll your wrists through impact as opposed to leaving the clubface open.

[Patrick67 1]

I've done the "Goalie hand shaking" (through the catcher) a few times, bolsts your ego like nothing else... or atleast it does for me :P

[LkptTiger 1]

...it might not necessarily be the objective here, but it's putting the puck in the net that does it for me.

[Chadd 916]

I've done the "Goalie hand shaking" (through the catcher) a few times, bolsts your ego like nothing else... or atleast it does for me :P

I've knocked goal sticks out of their hands a bunch or times and I sawed off the shaft of a goal stick just above the blocker twice. You should see the look on their face when that happens.

...it might not necessarily be the objective here, but it's putting the puck in the net that does it for me.

I'm just happy to get them on net from the point most of the time.

[Project824 0]

My experience is that it isn't a big cannon that will create that handcuffing shot that the goalie is forced to kick out a juicy rebound, ala the scenario described. We call those shots 99%ers, essentially a shot with a 99% chance of a rebound when you know you probably won't score with shot 1. It's placement, quick release and some change in angle or vision that will handcuff a good goalie into kicking one of those out. A good goalie can steer most pucks on even the hardest shots out of danger with his stick (on low shots) or blocker if he sees the shot and has time to set himself to it. Winding up for a slapshot, unless you're shooting 95+, will allow a decent goalie to set and square up for the shot. It's the surprise that handcuffs goalies into kicking out a non-prime shot into a threat situation.

You'll have much better luck with a snap shot - quicker release, more accurate, near slapshot velocity, you can use the defenseman as a screen, and you can change the angle of the puck before releasing. Changing the angle of the puck is somewhat confusing to describe on a computer, but basically you are carrying the puck in one location relative to yourself, and either by dragging it back or in to your body or pushing it forward or away from your body a few inches you change the angle at which the shot is heading towards the net; and shooting. Goalies are taught to square up to the puck, so a quick change in location and release can make their job harder.

Obviously, your snapshot still needs to have some mustard on it, and it would help to have some jets going up ice to back the defenseman off that extra inch so he can't step up on you. But adding some deception to your shot is something I've noticed a lot of amateur and junior players don't work on much. They almost always try to blow the puck by or shoot the puck through the goalie. The better ones can ping corners, but as you move up, the goalies get bigger and more efficient; they'll eat up any and all shots they can see. If you get a chance, try to watch a pro team practice. Concentrate on a scorer. They make arguably the biggest and best goalies in the world look silly dozens of times in one practice, watch how quickly they release the puck, and concentrate on the movement of their stick blade and the puck before they shoot. They're always changing the location of the puck before release, and doing it in full stride. A lot of people can line up with a 5 stride start in front of a radar gun and bang out 90 mph, but those are often the same shots that hit the goalie right in the belly or get steered into the corner.

My experience is that it isn't a big cannon that will create that handcuffing shot that the goalie is forced to kick out a juicy rebound, ala the scenario described. We call those shots 99%ers, essentially a shot with a 99% chance of a rebound when you know you probably won't score with shot 1. It's placement, quick release and some change in angle or vision that will handcuff a good goalie into kicking one of those out. A good goalie can steer most pucks on even the hardest shots out of danger with his stick (on low shots) or blocker if he sees the shot and has time to set himself to it. Winding up for a slapshot, unless you're shooting 95+, will allow a decent goalie to set and square up for the shot. It's the surprise that handcuffs goalies into kicking out a non-prime shot into a threat situation.

You'll have much better luck with a snap shot - quicker release, more accurate, near slapshot velocity, you can use the defenseman as a screen, and you can change the angle of the puck before releasing. Changing the angle of the puck is somewhat confusing to describe on a computer, but basically you are carrying the puck in one location relative to yourself, and either by dragging it back or in to your body or pushing it forward or away from your body a few inches you change the angle at which the shot is heading towards the net; and shooting. Goalies are taught to square up to the puck, so a quick change in location and release can make their job harder.

Obviously, your snapshot still needs to have some mustard on it, and it would help to have some jets going up ice to back the defenseman off that extra inch so he can't step up on you. But adding some deception to your shot is something I've noticed a lot of amateur and junior players don't work on much. They almost always try to blow the puck by or shoot the puck through the goalie. The better ones can ping corners, but as you move up, the goalies get bigger and more efficient; they'll eat up any and all shots they can see. If you get a chance, try to watch a pro team practice. Concentrate on a scorer. They make arguably the biggest and best goalies in the world look silly dozens of times in one practice, watch how quickly they release the puck, and concentrate on the movement of their stick blade and the puck before they shoot. They're always changing the location of the puck before release, and doing it in full stride. A lot of people can line up with a 5 stride start in front of a radar gun and bang out 90 mph, but those are often the same shots that hit the goalie right in the belly or get steered into the corner.

[Kovy_Ribs_Fedo 3]

totally agree with you Project824

[chk hrd 164]

if your trying to create a play with a rebound you can always fire one to the side of the net that the goalie will let go by and get a rebound off the boards.

[Chadd 916]

totally agree with you Project824

I don't. Most people can't get enough velocity on their snap shot to create a big rebound. That's a rebound that is too far away from the goalie to cover or quickly bat into the corner.

A slapper can allow the goalie time to set and square, that's why placement is important. Put it in one of a couple areas and there will be a rebound if your shot is hard enough.

If you're trying to score with your shot, I agree with a lot of what was said. I just don't agree if you're trying to create rebounds for other people to put in the back of the net.

[Kovy_Ribs_Fedo 3]

good point here Chadd.

if your trying to create a play with a rebound you can always fire one to the side of the net that the goalie will let go by and get a rebound off the boards.

[chippa13 1844]

totally agree with you Project824

I don't. Most people can't get enough velocity on their snap shot to create a big rebound. That's a rebound that is too far away from the goalie to cover or quickly bat into the corner.

A slapper can allow the goalie time to set and square, that's why placement is important. Put it in one of a couple areas and there will be a rebound if your shot is hard enough.

If you're trying to score with your shot, I agree with a lot of what was said. I just don't agree if you're trying to create rebounds for other people to put in the back of the net.

Depends on what level you play at. Sure, in the ankle bender leagues guys usually don't have the mustard on their snappers to create a rebound. In the leagues I play, pretty much every d-man can wire the snapper from the point that creates great rebound chances.

[Chadd 916]

good point here Chadd.

if your trying to create a play with a rebound you can always fire one to the side of the net that the goalie will let go by and get a rebound off the boards.

The only issue there is how active the boards are. One of the rinks around here has boards so dead a shot right at them pretty much stops the puck. If you can get the puck to come out far enough, make sure you go far side as the shot will have pulled the goalie over to the side where you bounced it off the boards.

[chippa13 1844]

good point here Chadd.

if your trying to create a play with a rebound you can always fire one to the side of the net that the goalie will let go by and get a rebound off the boards.

The only issue there is how active the boards are. One of the rinks around here has boards so dead a shot right at them pretty much stops the puck. If you can get the puck to come out far enough, make sure you go far side as the shot will have pulled the goalie over to the side where you bounced it off the boards.

If you go far side then the puck will come out farther from the net creating less of a scoring chance. The best bet is short side.

[Chadd 916]

good point here Chadd.

if your trying to create a play with a rebound you can always fire one to the side of the net that the goalie will let go by and get a rebound off the boards.

The only issue there is how active the boards are. One of the rinks around here has boards so dead a shot right at them pretty much stops the puck. If you can get the puck to come out far enough, make sure you go far side as the shot will have pulled the goalie over to the side where you bounced it off the boards.

If you go far side then the puck will come out farther from the net creating less of a scoring chance. The best bet is short side.

I was talking about the scoring chance on the rebound. Sorry for the confusion.

[willy0314 0]

aside from anything else, rebounds are alot about shot placement. If you hit a goalie in the chest or in the glove, there isnt going to be much of a rebound. Likewise if you are coming down the wing and shoot at the near post. Try to get a quick shot off, that will hit the goalie right around the knees, and shoot at the far post. You don't need a big slapper, just a quick snap shot and you will be fine.

If you want the puck to spin, make sure it starts at the heel of your stick and rolls up the blade as you shoot, generally wristers. You can try rolling your wrists on your follow through, and make sure your stick ends up pointing at where your shooting.

[Adam91 0]

Changing the angle of the puck is somewhat confusing to describe on a computer, but basically you are carrying the puck in one location relative to yourself, and either by dragging it back or in to your body or pushing it forward or away from your body a few inches you change the angle at which the shot is heading towards the net; and shooting. Goalies are taught to square up to the puck, so a quick change in location and release can make their job harder.

I understand what you mean by changing the angle in the other directions but can you try to describe what you mean by pulling it back. Just a toe drag backwards? How does this change the angle or is that not what you mean?

[chippa13 1844]

good point here Chadd.

if your trying to create a play with a rebound you can always fire one to the side of the net that the goalie will let go by and get a rebound off the boards.

The only issue there is how active the boards are. One of the rinks around here has boards so dead a shot right at them pretty much stops the puck. If you can get the puck to come out far enough, make sure you go far side as the shot will have pulled the goalie over to the side where you bounced it off the boards.

If you go far side then the puck will come out farther from the net creating less of a scoring chance. The best bet is short side.

I was talking about the scoring chance on the rebound. Sorry for the confusion.

If you're positioned properly at the side of the net and the goalie is even the least bit aggressive then you will have the whole net open to you.

[Chadd 916]

If you're positioned properly at the side of the net and the goalie is even the least bit aggressive then you will have the whole net open to you.

Use enough qualifiers and virtually any outcome is possible.

[cbettner66 0]

what guys currently in the nhl would you say have heavy shots?

i would pick pronger, chara, souray

but the biggest thing they seem to have in common is they are all tall guys with extremely long sticks

is it just because they have long sticks that end up flexing alot when they shoot?

correct me if im wrong..

[srv2miker 0]

what guys currently in the nhl would you say have heavy shots?

i would pick pronger, chara, souray

but the biggest thing they seem to have in common is they are all tall guys with extremely long sticks

is it just because they have long sticks that end up flexing alot when they shoot?

correct me if im wrong..

Huh, I never thought Chara had one of the harder shots in the league. Granted, I'm in the West so we never see him, but everything I've been exposed to tells me his shot wasn't that hard.

I don't think its all about height and stick length because then people might actually fear Hal Gill's offense. Being 6'+ helps, but I don't think you have to have monster proportions (although a little extra weight does help).