Slapshot advice

[sgazi76 0]

I was wondering where the average person grips the stick with their lower hand when taking a slapper.

[Dan_The_Man_16 0]

1/2 way, or maybe a little lower, it actually depends on how high/low I want my shot to go. If I was a low shot, closer to 1/2 way but if I want a higher shot I ususally grip lower.

[kosydar 0]

I keep my bottom hand pretty high up compared to others. I find that if I put my hand too far down, I lose my balance after I shoot.

[sgazi76 0]

I've noticed that my shot suffers really bad when I grip lower than halfway down the shaft. Right around halfway feels pretty solid. I should stop studying that Fedorov shot on HS&E so much. :P

[bulletproof_funk 0]

My lower hand is slightly below what feels to me like half way, I've never bothered to measure it. If I have it too high up, I can't "sink" my body weight and momentum into the shot as I'm too upright and not as well balanced. I use a somewhat short stick so my knees are already pretty bent when I'm winding up.

[Dan_The_Man_16 0]

Actually come to think of it, the flex matters too. If I use a whippy shaft, I will not go down as far as I would with a stiffer shaft.

[Guest Datsyuk*13]

I grip halfway and then just try and hit about an inch b4 the puck to get some whip on the stick. I like to hit it about parralell to my front foot

[Fedorov91 0]

I think that if I put my hand lower (close the 3/4ths down the shaft) then I can get more power into my shot and just let it rip. But usually I just want to get the shot off quickly and will have my bottom hand about halfway down the shaft. Usually my back leg goes up in the air (weight transfer) and on the follow through my blade is turned over, almost facing the ice. I would compare it to Fedorov's or Kovalev's slapper. After Fedorov won hardest shot that one year I kept watching that shot over and over in slow motion just so I could get that perfect technique down and I'd say that now I have as perfect technique of anyone I've seen. :D One important thing to keep in mind is that you want to get the shot off quickly. There's some guys in beer leagues who can shoot 100 mph but they take too long on their wind up and that's where you can see the difference between them and a guy like Blake, MacInnis, or Fedorov. They all can rip em and they get it off very quickly. Sometimes I also like to do what Robitaille does and take sort of a "half-slapper" where you have a very small windup but still get plenty of steam on it, gives the goalie less time to react. ;)

[Guest phillyfan]

I've never really though of it, but I usually start with my bottom hand quite low during the wind-up. As I shoot and approach the puck, my bottom hand slides and automatically stops, I guess about in the middle is where the hand ends up. I learned where to stop my hand from an old coach, who had all of us wrap a ring of tape in a certain spot so our hands would stop sliding.

[Kovy_Ribs_Fedo 3]

http://www.hockeyandskateoutlet.com/Mercha...01/federov2.jpg

There is the hand position of Fedorov.

Fedo is close to ¾ then ½

For me, my lower hand is close to ½. More balance with that position and I have a really short stick

[Eazy_b97 1]

right around where the federov picture is.

[thejackal 46]

Me too, but its a little harder to judge since i went back to a longer stick. 3/5 sounds about right. BTW, does a faster windup/swing= overtorquing of the stick if u uses a whippy shaft?

[Hockeyman9621 0]

For me, it depends if I have a whip stick or a stiff one. If it's stiff I hold it a little lower the Federov, if it's whip I hold it a little higher that him.

[69bEoWuLf69 0]

i went to a hockey camp last summer and they thought me to take my stick(im left handed) and but the end in my left arm pitt and put it parallel to the ice and see where my left hand can reach. that is where i'm supposed to place it during slap shots so i put a little piece of tape. it did improve my shot but of course if you are stuck in a situation where you dont have time then just wire it the natural way.

[kovalchuk71 212]

does anyone understand this or have any pics?

third position is the "Quarter Turn". This grip is used for maximal slap shot power. Starting a "V" grip position, loosen the top hand grip so that the stick can rotate in the glove. Again, using the 12 o'clock example explained above, rotate the blade forward so that the blade of the stick aligns with the 9:00 hour hand position. The thinner edges of the shaft lock into the fingers and the thumb. You should be looking down at the corporate logos located on the side of the stick. The stick is now in the maximum flex position. The top hand and wrist should be straight with the shaft being directly below the wrist when gripped by the fingers and the thumb. Sliding the bottom hand down into the desired position

[bulletproof_funk 0]

Translation: hold your stick level to the ground with both hands. Now rotate your stick so that your blade is pointing forward instead of straight up, wide side of the shaft facing up. This supposedly lets you direct your energy completely on the wide side of the shaft as you shoot for max. flex.

[asdfa 0]

a guy on my school team suggested shooting with the lower hand on the balance point of the stick, it seemed like a good idea because this guy could rifle it. Its the way i shoot now and it seems to be working B)

the balance point is a point on the shaft where, if you put your finger there, the stick will remain motionless. on my cut novius, its about 3/5 - 3/4 of the way down. i put a bit of tape there

[dgaronzik 1]

For me, it all depends on where the kick point of the stick is. Once I figure it out and can tell thats where I get the most bang for the buck, thats where my hand ends up naturally going. Needless to say I dont change sticks very often.

[GeeZa32 0]

My slapshot that is....

(I used search)

My slapshots are all terribly slow, inaccurate, never leave the ice ducks. I've tried adjusting my stride when approaching the (stationary) puck. Adjusted my hands. Adjusted my body angle at the point of contact...all to no avail.

Take note, im a tiny guy at 5'3 155 and just started playing forward on ice about 4 months ago, so I have little experience with shooting on ice.

What are some good techniques for slapshots? Can people break it down like step by step? I'm not looking for rockets since I know I probably (dispite being well built) dont have the power, but I want to at LEAST know how to get the damned puck off the ice.

For reference, my current stick lineup is...

Int. Easton Typhoon

Jr. CCM Catapult(YES, A JUNIOR AND IM 17...which I can shoot absolute LASER snap and wrist shots with lol)

I've tried with both sticks and get power from the Typhoon but no lift or accuracy. I get accuracy but no power or lift from the Catapult.

Hmmmmph.

[Speed Demon 0]

I found that with a shorter stick I was finally able to get the puck off the ice and I had more power. Yes skating into the puck is great but a few things need to be done when taking a slap shot:

1) For your wrist of the hand that is closer to the blade should, you should bend the wrist so that your hand is coming towards the inside of your arm. You can figure out how much you should bend it by slowly following through on your slap shot so the right amount of blade is touching the ice.

2) With that hand at the bottom of the stick, you grip it is hard as you can so the stick doesn't move around at all.

3) Bend your knees a bit for the slap shot, and when taking the slap shot, don't let any of your body come upwards, like don't stand up. That is changing where you want the forces of the puck to go.

[bulletproof_funk 0]

Slowing down the swing and focusing on shifting my body weight across and down works for me. My hips and knees are fairly bent, stance is medium to wide, back is straight, so I get low and stable prior to shooting. As I'm swinging the stick back to front, I try to just let my weight "fall" onto the stick at the moment the blade hits the ice. It helps me load up the stick before it hits the puck. And slowing down the swing helps you not rush the shot, which can cause you to "stand up" which you don't want. And don't worry about trying to get the puck off the ice. The puck should get air if your weight transfers properly and your swing is smooth.

Additionally, you could also try adjusting the relative puck position to your body and/or how soon you hit the ice before the puck. Or start shooting close to the boards, see if you get any air, and gradually move further back. I had problems getting air on longer shots at first because for some reason the distance to the target affected my shot mechanics.

For further reference, also see the Bobby Hull Jr. web site videos (RM format):

http://www.shotandagoal.com/

[MDE3 0]

The Slapshot:("old school")

1) as has been stated..keep your knees BENT ...this helps your drive your hips through the rotation and keep your body weight on the stick through contact.

2) At the top of the takeaway position most of your weight should be on the rear skate, at the finish, most should be on the front skate.

3) Try to finish your motion with the toe of your front skate pointing as closely to the net as you can manage..this will help keep your momentum going in the direction of the shot.

4) try to contact the puck level with your "ear" (approximately)..meaning the puck is directly across from the center of your head at the contact point (not necessarily the starting point)

5) do not bring the lower hand/arm past parrelel to the ice/floor on the takeaway. Keep your lower hand about 2/3 of the way down the shaft towrds the blade.

6) try to keep the blade of the stick parrelel to the ice or floor on the takeaway...not "open"(blade pointing towards the ceiling)

7) Keep both arms almost straight to start the takeaway motion

8) learn to "pull back" with the upper hand as the blade strikes the floor...this will aid in further preloading the shaft.(and why you need to keep the upper arm "straight" to begin with)..

9) keep a strong grip with the lower hand to avoid the shaft turning at the point of contact.

10) do NOT try to "open" the blade at the point of contact to create "lift"...the puck will come up on it's own if you get the contact point right and preload the shaft and blade correctly.

11) finish the motion with the toe of the blade pointing towards your target....the more "closed" the blade, the lower the shot will stay...I know for those of you trying to get some air..this may seem counter productive...but trust me as your shot comes into it's own, you will want to know how to keep it down....Those big boomers off the glass are fun, but not a very effective way to put the puck in the net.

12) Practice shooting without skating into the puck...you will almost never have a chance to do this in a game...learn to shoot from the stationary position first, and then work on the shot while in motion.

13) Pick a stick flex you can work with..the lighter and smaller you are the more flex you may want.

14) If you are smaller and using wood, you may want to place some tape around the shaft where your lower hand will grip the stick, or use some kind of shaft furnished with a "grip" finish.

[Chadd 916]

The thing that seemed to help a lot of people I worked with was to have a long, shallow, sweeping motion. Don't attack the ice from way up high, keep the blade low as you come into the puck.

[Perry94 0]

now I don't know if this is still considered a slapshot, but when I take one I bring my stick up to waist-level at highest (normally knee level). If I take the stick all the way up, I tend to 'cut' the puck (not a full arc). I find that when you shoot with a smaller wind-up you tend to shoot "thru" the puck (I don't know how to describe it).

[bdj 0]

Dont try and kill the puck, find the right amount of power.