Learn to shoot right or left

[AK10R 0]

My son Dominic is 5 years old and is playing his first year of hockey. He is right handed but I have him shooting left. Ya well not shooting yet, his blade is on his left.

I asked his coach and he told me that he will figure it out on his own.

I had him try both sides and watched him. He skates better with the blade to the left.

I've had him doing it now for 4 or 5 weeks. The first couple of practices he’d start off left but would go back and forth. Now he keeps it to the left all the time.

I recall something about having a better shot if your dominant hand is high on the stick.

Any feed back as to the reasoning for having the dominant hand high or low on the stick?

[kosydar 0]

A good rule of thumb that I learned on here a long time ago (think from JR) is to stand facing him, hand him a stick and have him grab it with one hand. Whatever hand he grabs it with is what hand should go on top.

[AK10R 0]

A good rule of thumb that I learned on here a long time ago (think from JR) is to stand facing him, hand him a stick and have him grab it with one hand. Whatever hand he grabs it with is what hand should go on top.

He is right handed, Is having him shoot left give him a better (slap)shot later on.

[Jason 65]

They say that the hand with the most strength, coordination, dexterity, etc. should be the top hand. However, you should try to let him figure it out himself. Ask him which way feels better. Have him handle the puck if he can or shoot. Do the handing the stick to him thing that JR suggests.

I suppose that the top hand being the dominant hand seems to make sense when you look at the NHL. There are a ton of left handed players in the league, far more than are actually left handed outside of hockey. Mind you look at all of the players that are right and have deadly shots. Bossy was one, Lemieux and now Ovechkin.

Keep in mind that the top hand does most of the work when stick handling.

I am right handed and play right handed. I can't imagine playing left. I suppose it's whatever you get used to.

Good luck with your son and nice bike by the way. I just sold my 6R to go back to school. I guess I could have been BC6R prior to that.

[biff44 0]

There are two schools of thought.

1)If he is right handed, his right hand should be on the top of the stick, so he should shoot left. He will stickhandle better, and shoot better.

2) Every right handed player in Canada shoots left. In the US, some right handed players shoot right, and some shoot left. As a result, since most players are right handed, there is a shortage of players that shoot right. Someday, the fact that your kid shoots right might be the deciding factor on if he makes a cut or not, since the team will probably have most players shooting left already, and need right handed shots. And eventually he can train himself to be just as good shooting on the "wrong" side.

So, you pays your quarter and you picks your tune!

[AK10R 0]

Thanks… J

Those first couple of practices when I had him go left he would come down the ice left, then when he passed at the end of the drill he changed hands or would back hand the puck.

I worked with him once passing and letting hit shoot in our garage left handed. He has been doing left handed and is better with his left just after the one time at home.. He does not switch his hands and keeps the blade to his left.

Thanks for you comments about the bike.. my other passion.

[AK10R 0]

Every right handed player in Canada shoots left. In the US, some right handed players shoot right, and some shoot left.

I have noticed that the kids up here are about 3 to 1 Right handed shooters.

I understand now why so many of the Canadian players at UAF are left handed shooters.

Once we practiced that one time he really took to being a left shooter.

[Buzz_LightBeer 969]

i may be over simplifying but you could give him a flat blade stick and let him figure it out on his own... i did that more than a few times when i was a shop guy

[NuggyBuggy 0]

i may be over simplifying but you could give him a flat blade stick and let him figure it out on his own... i did that more than a few times when i was a shop guy

When I was a little kid playing street hockey for the first time, I had a stick with a straight blade. At first it felt natural for me to shoot right (I am also right-handed). One day for fun I decided to switch it around, it was awkward at first but then I got to being able to shoot both ways, which I thought was fun and cool. But fairly quickly I got better and better shooting left, and worse and worse shooting right, until I could no longer shoot right-handed.

[hockeymom 2]

My kid is left handed and I started her on a straight blade and let her figure it out on her own... she shoots left because she was more comfortable that way. When you're not very skilled at stickhandling you tend to use the lower hand a bit more so it can feel like you have more control with your dominant hand lower.

I came across some research, from Russia I think, a number of years ago that was startlingly conclusive that your dominant hand should be the top hand. Another study broke down handedness and skill level in the NHL... and that was also pretty conclusive that the finese players had their dominant hands on the top of the stick.

My daughter was at a hockey camp with Dr. Smushkin a while back and he did some handedness and skills drills and demonstrations (I didn't see this part, she told me about it) and out of that she was convinced that, as a leftie, she should be shooting right. Some of the younger kids in that camp switched hands. She figured it was too late for her to change over at that point and was "stuck" shooting left.

It makes sense since all of your control comes from the top hand that you should play with your dominant or finese hand on the top of the stick. The exception might be D-men who are more concerned with power rather than finese. There's a piece on this in one of Dr. Smushkin's Hockey Agility books that I'll try to look up later on and see if there are any snippets I can pass on. The Doc also makes a case that players should be able to switch hands or sides for greater flexibility in games - much like how lacrosse players work.

[AK10R 0]

i may be over simplifying but you could give him a flat blade stick and let him figure it out on his own... i did that more than a few times when i was a shop guy

He is using a flat stick.... and I don't want to be a pushy parent. But if I can inprove what he is doing it will help out in the long run.

I do greatly appreciate everyones feed back

[Chadd 916]

A good rule of thumb that I learned on here a long time ago (think from JR) is to stand facing him, hand him a stick and have him grab it with one hand. Whatever hand he grabs it with is what hand should go on top.

He is right handed, Is having him shoot left give him a better (slap)shot later on.

It's going to help him stickhandle better but from what I've heard you're more likely to have a harder shot with your dominant hand low.

[Storm 0]

I've been thought that the top hand should be the dominant hand.

I was handed a shovel by my dad (but a broom will do) to see where I placed my hands.

But don't take my word for it.....

Before you can become a proficient stickhandler you need to use your hands properly. The top hand (dominant) creates the wrist roll motion while the bottom hand supports the stick. We have seen players who's dominant hand is the lower hand. This can occur when, for example a right hand dominant player is given a right handed stick.

This generally leads the player to roll the bottom wrist and can limit creativity when stickhandling. Lots of players who use their dominant hand on the top of the stick also rely on their bottom hand too much. For years we have used a simple piece of 1 1/4 inch Schedule 40 PVC to solve this problem.

From USA Hockey Magazine

THE UPPER HAND

Based on biomechanics, the scientific study of how the body moves, here are the advantages of positioning your dominant hand

Advantages of Playing with the Strong Hand on Top

Better vision of the whole ice

Improved puck control

Better poke checks

Advantages of Playing with the Strong Hand on Bottom

Better vision in close situations

Improved accuracy on passes

More powerful shots

[TBLfan 25]

From what I understand with the power hand on top you get a faster release on snap and wrist shots and better puck control. With the power hand down low you get more accurate and stronger slap shots. I'm right handed, but I'm pretty ambidextrous(i can write, throw, bat in baseball and shoot in hockey left or right handed) but I can't puckhandle left handed worth a crap... so I play right handed.

[LkptTiger 1]

From USA Hockey Magazine

THE UPPER HAND

Based on biomechanics, the scientific study of how the body moves, here are the advantages of positioning your dominant hand

Advantages of Playing with the Strong Hand on Top

Better vision of the whole ice

Improved puck control

Better poke checks

Advantages of Playing with the Strong Hand on Bottom

Better vision in close situations

Improved accuracy on passes

More powerful shots

That explains why I can thread the needle and can't poke-check, but it doesn't explain why I am extremely proficient in the ways of the dangle or why I shoot like a fourth-grade girl. I suppose perhaps I am just an anomaly...

[blueliner27 12]

From USA Hockey Magazine

THE UPPER HAND

Based on biomechanics, the scientific study of how the body moves, here are the advantages of positioning your dominant hand

Advantages of Playing with the Strong Hand on Top

Better vision of the whole ice

Improved puck control

Better poke checks

Advantages of Playing with the Strong Hand on Bottom

Better vision in close situations

Improved accuracy on passes

More powerful shots

That explains why I can thread the needle and can't poke-check, but it doesn't explain why I am extremely proficient in the ways of the dangle or why I shoot like a fourth-grade girl. I suppose perhaps I am just an anomaly...

I see there is some exception for me as well. My dominant hand goes on bottom, but I shoot like a little girl. (Even my bro makes fun about my wrist shot power but I'm strong at slapshot). I have pretty good puck control skill though.

[Jarick 5]

I just find it interesting that at the higher levels of play, lefties dominate over righties, number-wise. When I started playing almost 20 years ago, it was IMPOSSIBLE to find a lefty stick. There would be racks and racks of righties and maybe half a dozen lefties. This was in the late 80's!

I was pretty much the only lefty on any team I played on until I quit in 8th grade. So now playing hockey it's funny to see that half the guys (at least) are lefties. And then I learned about the dominant hand thing (I'm right-handed). Maybe that explains why I sucked so much at baseball!

[blueliner27 12]

I just find it interesting that at the higher levels of play, lefties dominate over righties, number-wise. When I started playing almost 20 years ago, it was IMPOSSIBLE to find a lefty stick. There would be racks and racks of righties and maybe half a dozen lefties. This was in the late 80's!

Yeah, I felt really bad when there are tonnes of sticks which I was looking for in left but none of them are in righty.

[hockeymom 2]

I shoot like a fourth-grade girl.

My dominant hand goes on bottom, but I shoot like a little girl.

Aww... come on admit it guys.... you only WISH you could shoot like a girl...LOL

[mack 44]

Sometimes when I'm getting dressed in the morning I wish I had boobs. Other than those fleeting moments I don't think I wished I did/had anything like a girl. Probably for the better as I'm already late enough for work as it stands.

[notquitedeadyet 13]

I agree with just about everything said here (not sure about that boob thing), however, as a righty shooting right, I can't understand how you can shoot left in hockey, but golf & bat right.

I do push a broom lefty, wish I thought of that when I first grabbed a hockey stick.

I say encourage him to play left.

At 5 he doesn't know whats best.

[fatwabbit 93]

just let him find his own feet (or in this case hands)... he'll let you know what he's comfortable with.

last thing any parent would want to do is to push them into something that they are not comfortable with... only thing i correct my son on is he needs to shake hands with his right hand instead of his left... he's only 3 and not a boy scout...

[AK10R 0]

Because he is right hand dominant, sounds like left shooting he will be..…

I started playing as an adult, and I just assumed that the lower hand on the stick was in charge of the puck handling (never had a coach or practice). I am right handed and shoot right. I always treated my upper hand as a pivoting point not to control the puck.

Last night after starting this thread and reading through some of the responses. I have a floor puck and stick in my office here; I started puck handling still with my right (dominant) lower on the stick.

While I did this I concentrated on controlling the puck with my left (upper hand) and was amazed. I started feeling fatigue in my left forearm, and I think my puck handling improved. I’ll keep practicing this and with some time maybe develop some muscle memory to where my upper hand will control the puck. There is no way I can start over and try and be a left shooter.

Thanks again all for your Help

[LkptTiger 1]

Sometimes when I'm getting dressed in the morning I wish I had boobs. Other than those fleeting moments I don't think I wished I did/had anything like a girl. Probably for the better as I'm already late enough for work as it stands.

Late? If anything, a chest would make your shower...um..."routine"...go a little quicker.

[Jbone 0]

I find that my left side is stronger than my right side so maybe I would of been better of going left. But really what ever way he feels most comfortable should be the way he shoots.