Wrist shot

[Jordan 13]

When people say "open the blade", does it mean (1) rotating the blade away from you, similar to openning the club face in golf, or (2) pointing the blade up towards the sky, like adding loft in golf?

Exactly !

To be honest, I have no clue about choosing a blade pattern. But I guess that's not something easy to explain. I'll search for an answer on the web first.

Generally speaking there are two parts to the curve that will make it easier for your boy to raise the puck. First, the more curved the blade, the easier it is; and secondly, the amount of "upshoot"- picture the end of the blade being twisted with top of the blade pushed back in relation to the top of the blade. This feature is usually at the toe end of the blade.

If you go to a hockey shop and look at a bunch of curves beside each other, this will make sense.

[dc00 0]

I'm sorry. Is it (1) or (2), or both?

[Jordan 13]

Oops sorry about that DCOO.

By "open" they generally mean the latter the during the shot; as if it was the former the puck will leak off of the end of the blade as you followed through.

When shooting, the blade has to be perpendicular to the desired direction from beginning to end or the puck will fall off of the end of blade before you finish the shot. If this is happening the shot will leak left for left-handed shooters and right for right-handed shooters.

Hope that helps.

[dc00 0]

got it now. Thanks.

[Chadd 916]

You also lose a lot of velocity by opening up the face of the blade. The textbook method is to have a higher finish on the follow through when you want to go top shelf.

[kukks_99 0]

Lots of good suggestions on here. For youth sticks, I find them very difficult to find. I think a big curve is the way to go for these kids to learn to start with. It's like adults using the big oversized irons in golf. Might as well help as much as possible. I found a youth CCM ovechkin stick w/ a plastic type blade, but it has a massive curve on it.

Sounds like he is raising it w/ a legit wrist shot (not flipping). I usually start them with balls, then maybe a weighted ball, all heel to toe action. Move to a hollow plastic puck, then to street hockey, then blue puck and finally black. Moving to the next level as they are consistently shooting the previous.

I usually show kids shifting the weight shooting just like they are playing baseball. I also like the bending the stick idea. It teaches them to push down with the bottom hand and pull with the top hand.

[thejackal 46]

does this help?

[Chadd 916]

does this help?

I wouldn't use that as an example, he's just "shoving" the puck forward and not getting any real velocity.

[Dat 0]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yl4Xm3D6YYU&NR=1

[RadioGaGa 162]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yl4Xm3D6YYU&NR=1

That your kid??? He's 8....I think he shoots better than me *L* Gotta take the mouthguard out while talking though.

[phoenixgold 0]

break the blade down for him and show him what the puck will do when hit from the toe, middle and heel. all good shooters always start with the puck on the heel and let the curve do the work by "pulling" at the top hand and "pushing" with the bottom. using a heavy puck at home will help too

[Dat 0]

That your kid??? He's 8....I think he shoots better than me *L* Gotta take the mouthguard out while talking though.

Just a random kid on youtube. Thought it was relevant to this thread when I came across it.

[dc00 0]

I still have trouble understandng "pull with the top hand and push with the lower hand". Should the lower hand push down towards the ground/ice in an effort to bend the stick?

[Jordan 13]

Think of the part when the blade is on the ice as scraping the ground. The push/pull occurs at the end once the blade is about to leave the ice to creat a powerful follow through.

The top hand on the stick, starts very near your pants pocket on that side of your body. Once the hands begin to pull the puck forward, the front hand(or top hand), moves towards the net, and space is created between that hand and the body. The pull the top hand in while pushing the bottom hand out.

Hope that helps.

Mess around with these tips yourself, with a stick in your hands, and you will be able to feel what they mean.

[Chadd 916]

I still have trouble understandng "pull with the top hand and push with the lower hand". Should the lower hand push down towards the ground/ice in an effort to bend the stick?

I put a very slight downward pressure on the stick but most of the force should go forward. If your stick doesn't bend when you shoot that way, go to a softer flex if possible.

When I was coaching and working with goalies for hours on end I actually had bruises on my ribs from my top hand banging into my side over and over again.

[adam14 182]

i find that thats the best time to perfect your shooting style. Goalie training. In lausanne, friday mornings from 8 45 till 10 45, 8 goalies are on the ice doing specific drills, and of course, the coach needs all the help he can get for shooting. my wrist shot improved so much going there, just because you learnt goalies weaknesses and what to look for when you listened to the coach etc. and you also shot from every possible angle. its great for your arms to. :P

[dc00 0]

I think I finally got it. By top hand pulling, it means to pull back towards the chest. With the lower hand pushing forward and down, the shaft will bend. Is that correct?

[Jordan 13]

By George, I think he's got it.

[thejackal 46]

i find that thats the best time to perfect your shooting style. Goalie training. In lausanne, friday mornings from 8 45 till 10 45, 8 goalies are on the ice doing specific drills, and of course, the coach needs all the help he can get for shooting. my wrist shot improved so much going there, just because you learnt goalies weaknesses and what to look for when you listened to the coach etc. and you also shot from every possible angle. its great for your arms to. :P

agreed. my shot has come a long way as well since I started going to more goalie camps to help out.

[Jordan 13]

Okay, I found this one on Youtube...gives you a good look at it. Just remember with your little guy that he won't be able to reach as far back as the guy in the video. If he does, he will sacrifice balance, which means giving away power.

[Jarick 5]

I never noticed the top hand in that video. I have a lot of work to do. Right now I'm getting most of my power from my forearms by turning over the wrists at the end of the shot. I need to work on getting more power from my legs and using the flex of the stick.

[dc00 0]

My son's shooting motion was more like "sweeping" than "scraping". I let him try this on the shooting pad today and it made a big difference. The velocity of the shots went up noticeably. Seems that he's getting there. But the little one was a little frustrated because almost all shots went just a foot off ground, none reaching top shelf.

Unfortunately I couldn't find any stick on the market that has some flexibility for small kids. We already have a youth stick with a flex of 30. But the true flex went way up after we cut the stick short.

[Rustpot 1]

My son's shooting motion was more like "sweeping" than "scraping". I let him try this on the shooting pad today and it made a big difference. The velocity of the shots went up noticeably. Seems that he's getting there. But the little one was a little frustrated because almost all shots went just a foot off ground, none reaching top shelf.

What's his follow through like? You can sacrifice accuracy by extending the follow through a bit more to add loft, he might not be able to get it to saucer like that though. Different situations call for different shots, and it is something else he'll have in his arsenal if taught properly.

You're sure his wrist roll is working the puck? Without rolling the wrists through the shot the puck will come off sooner, causing less velocity and control on raising it.

Sounds like he's improving! Time and patience man.

[dc00 0]

His following through is mostly short. I asked him to go higher for higher shots but that didn't make much difference.

And I don't have an idea about wrist roll...... :-(

[Darkbyte 0]

When I was coaching and working with goalies for hours on end I actually had bruises on my ribs from my top hand banging into my side over and over again.

That is an interesting observation, thankyou.

Possibly stupid question alert:

I know how to measure a stick, but if you have long legs and short arms, would you need to cut the stick down so that your top hand can bang into your side (rather than the shaft of the stick), or is that part not as important?