what is a wrist shot?

[Chadd 916]

I can't stress it enough, you have to really lean on the shaft and push with your hand! Once you do that, take about three hundred shots a day for a few years, then you'll be happy with the results.

If you have to lean on the shaft, it's too stiff. The majority of NHL players, who shoot hundreds of pucks daily and with far more velocity than we do, use less than 100 flex sticks. Most recreational players use sticks that are too stiff to flex properly on a wrist shot.

Does your top hand pull? Or is it all bottom hand doing the work by pushing?

Both, for maximum velocity.

[westcoastsniper 0]

I can't stress it enough, you have to really lean on the shaft and push with your hand! Once you do that, take about three hundred shots a day for a few years, then you'll be happy with the results.

If you have to lean on the shaft, it's too stiff. The majority of NHL players, who shoot hundreds of pucks daily and with far more velocity than we do, use less than 100 flex sticks. Most recreational players use sticks that are too stiff to flex properly on a wrist shot.

Does your top hand pull? Or is it all bottom hand doing the work by pushing?

Both, for maximum velocity.

While that is true that most sticks we are using are too stiff for us wimp hacks, the fact of the matter is: if you don't put any effort into the shot you won't get anything out of it.

IMO my top hand doesn't do much of the work, but it is pulling because of the rotation of my upper body.

And by 'leaning' I was only trying to convey the idea that you should be over your stick, and not pulling back or up trying to lift it with your upper body, you have to create the angle for your stick to flex correctly and the velocity of the blade through the contact zone plus loft angle of the blade will create the lift.

Off too watch the game. GO CANUCKS!!!!

[Jarick 5]

My technique has been:

1. Start with the puck away from me and behind my back leg with the puck at the heel of the blade

2. Pull the puck in towards me with the top hand, puck starts rolling down the blade

3. As the puck gets close to my body, start pushing it forward with the bottom hand

4. Pull back with the top hand, push forward with the bottom hand, snap wrists as puck releases, point towards target

I'm still working out step 4, but the top 3 steps have given me my best/hardest wrist shots to date. The accuracy is still off, and that's where the release comes into play. Lots of mechanics at work. I also will need to figure out how to adjust that technique for when my body is in different positions to the goal and in relation to the puck too.

I noticed my shots were always much better when I dragged the puck off the wall and shot in one motion, so that's why I started exaggerating the puck roll. I'm also using Blade Tape and/or heavily waxed tape with lots of ridges to get maximum spin. Once I get the technique perfected maybe I can go back to "normal" equipment.

[westcoastsniper 0]

Jarick, that's what I would call a traditional wrist shot, while effective shot and been my bread and butter for 15 years it's a different beast than the snap/wrister hybrid that pros do nowadays.

When I take the hybrid shot, accuracy is never a problem, wherever I point is where it goes.

I've also noticed that the puck doesn't really roll up the blade as much as a normal wrister, maybe half a rotation and then it's off, so this is where that toe curve comes in handy ;)

And there's no turning over of the hands.

It's a weird process, because it's not the same mechanics, but the end result is a much better shot that is released way faster.

[Chadd 916]

When I take the hybrid shot, accuracy is never a problem, wherever I point is where it goes.

I've also noticed that the puck doesn't really roll up the blade as much as a normal wrister, maybe half a rotation and then it's off, so this is where that toe curve comes in handy ;)

And there's no turning over of the hands.

Different curves require slightly different mechanics for optimum velocity/accuracy. What you describe works well for toe curves but is less than optimal for heel curves.

[raygunpk 0]

Jarick, that's what I would call a traditional wrist shot, while effective shot and been my bread and butter for 15 years it's a different beast than the snap/wrister hybrid that pros do nowadays.

When I take the hybrid shot, accuracy is never a problem, wherever I point is where it goes.

I've also noticed that the puck doesn't really roll up the blade as much as a normal wrister, maybe half a rotation and then it's off, so this is where that toe curve comes in handy ;)

And there's no turning over of the hands.

It's a weird process, because it's not the same mechanics, but the end result is a much better shot that is released way faster.

I play on the same team as my cousin and he does this all the time, a really fast release and his blade never turns over. When I try it, the puck just flutters off even if I use his stick. There MUST be a blade turnover for me to get a good spin.

[Law Goalie 147]

Why this insistence on a flat-spin?

A fluttering puck is way, way harder for a goalie to read.

If someone can ever figure out a technique to intentionally flub shots with accuracy and good deception (call it a change-up) they'll score a lot of goals.

[raygunpk 0]

Wouldn't there be way less velocity on a fluttering puck though?

And when I say I flutter it, I don't mean it goes where I want to with some flutter...I mean it's totally off mark and probably going 5mph.

[Law Goalie 147]

Ah, gotcha.

There might be a little less velocity, but believe me - it's way harder to stop a flubbed shot then a well-struck shot. There's strong evidence that reacting to a moderately hard shot from reasonable distance is actually impossible; what makes it appear possible is the intuition and anticipation of the shot prior to and through the release. Eliminate or minimise those reads (through a screen, misdirection, flubbed shot, whatever) and an 'easy' shot becomes a real problem.

[westcoastsniper 0]

Yeah I've thought about the idea of the knuckle puck for awhile because although my snapper/wrister has improved dramatically, it's basically there to impress the other players and get the goalies scared in warm up, then when game time rolls around I'm sending them flutter pucks and hard passes along the ice, they still go in, but it's probably because they expect me to go shelf, so another way goalies can trip themselves up, oh and it should be noted that anytime I get a nice shot off during gametime it's usually saved or off the crossbar.

If anyone saw Shane Doan's goal tonight against Luongo it should be noted that he made luongo look very silly with that shot, but the puck was whiffling all over the place, I don't think lu had a chance.... oh and the team played like hot garbage, but that's another post.

[Law Goalie 147]

Perfect example - I actually thought of posting it myself.

If that's a flat shot, Luongo stops it 98 times out of 100, minimum. That little bit of uncertainty about the trajectory from a baffled release - even with the drop in speed - was enough to beat one of the best goalies in the world.

[Chadd 916]

If you have a big enough hook (or very fast hands) you can roll the tip down on the shot and put some interesting motion on the puck. Sometimes the puck will skip, other times it will bounce up high and you never really know for sure. It's much easier with an inline puck but it can be done on ice.

[Law Goalie 147]

That's extremely interesting... Would a curve like, say, Spezza's be more likely to cause that kind of motion? I'll have to try that roll when I get one of my Montreal Numminen's in a shaft - something tells me my M-14's and goalie's stone-hands won't be up to it.

Is it easier in inline because of the higher surface friction, the lower weight of the puck, or both?

[Chadd 916]

That's extremely interesting... Would a curve like, say, Spezza's be more likely to cause that kind of motion? I'll have to try that roll when I get one of my Montreal Numminen's in a shaft - something tells me my M-14's and goalie's stone-hands won't be up to it.

Is it easier in inline because of the higher surface friction, the lower weight of the puck, or both?

I would guess it's the lighter weight of the inline puck that allows you to hold it on the blade at a lower speed. It's always fun to get the puck on end knowing it's going to bounce somewhere.

[Jarick 5]

My buddy scores a lot of goals like that, he does a weird floater dipper shot that doesn't look pretty but dips on goalies and gets in the net. Personally, most of my goals are scored by being in the right place at the right time and putting the puck where I see the holes in the net.

I did do some shooting yesterday and yeah there's definitely a snap down of my wrists at the end of the shot, more "violent" with the open-close snap type shot and less so with the pull towards shot. My accuracy is a lot better than it used to be, which is nice to see (first time at the range since last year).

Not to mention the 70 flex Easton is PERFECT for me and the Forsberg with 1/2" toe curve added is wonderful as well.

[raygunpk 0]

What curve is that?

[Jarick 5]

It's literally a Christian blade (pattern #1, similar to Forbserg) that I heated up and put in a table vice and added 1/2" of toe curve. Best of both worlds, flat blade and a little zing at the end.

[Aussie Joe 0]

A faster paced shot will always beat a goalie, especially in the higher ranks. Coupled with a quick release, you will start to find holes that simply weren't there before. I know of one player here who specialises in driving goalies nuts with with his quick low snap shot that beats them under their knees. Its not even a deke, he simply gets in close enough and uses the lazer, it has enough speed (and perfect spin) so that it get underneath them quick enough.

A floppy shot thats deceitful will get the odd goal, but proper technique and timing on a wrist shot will produce more quality chances out of any other.

[raygunpk 0]

Did you mean above the knees or 5 hole?

[Law Goalie 147]

Hate to disagree, Aussie, but that's only the case under very rarified conditions.

While a high-level shooter can victimise a sub-par goalie with quick, hard, well-placed shots (13" blocker side, +1" over the stick in the five-hole, 6 & 7 holes, etc.), nobody's going to beat anything close to an NHL keeper in a game situation or even a limited-option situation more than one time out of twenty with those, and probably far less than that.

Yeah, if there's no D at all and the shooter is under zero pressure, those odds come down a ways. Witness Carey Price getting picked apart at the Rookie ASG this year. But even there, he was getting victimised not by straight shots but by option plays: the shooter could shoot quickly, load up and fire full-bore, fake the shot, pass, skate freely, or skate in close enough to deke and STILL do any of those things, AND the passing options were spread across a wide variety of depths and angles.

Put an NHL shooter on the ice with an NHL goalie, limited his options, and he will almost never score with a straight shot -- no matter how hard, accurate or quickly-released.

Now, that's not a matter of reflexes, but of reads: it's been documented that a shot of even moderate pro-range speed (IIRC, around 80mph) from reasonable distance exceeds the human reflex threshold. I believe it's in one of Tretiak's books, but I could be wrong about that.

The reason the change-up or accidental shot works is the same reason the option-plays and unexpected deflections victimise pro goalies: they can't anticipate or 'read' the play reliably. Especially in the case of the flubbed shot, they believe they have a 100% read (a shot is usually very readable) and must 100% commit to it (this is why slap-passes, deflections and Detroit-style shots off the end-boards work so well) -- then all of a sudden the puck does something totally unpredictable, and their read is worth nothing.

Perfect example last night: witness Kovalev's second goal. That was a really fast, well-timed play, but if Kovalev struck it cleanly, he'd just blast it right into Lehtonen's pads. Instead, he flubs the shot, Lehtonen's seemingly perfect read goes out the window, and the puck floats over to the other side of the net.

[raygunpk 0]

I noticed I can shoot fine without skates, but with skates on every other shot will flub.

[Chadd 916]

I noticed I can shoot fine without skates, but with skates on every other shot will flub.

a few possible reasons:

The lie may be off -If the stick is flat when you shoot without skates it will be slightly low once you get on skates

Stick may be too short - works in conjunction with the lie, you need the right combination

You aren't transferring your weight properly on skates - It's much easier in shoes than on skates

on skates

[raygunpk 0]

Thanks Chadd, I'm pretty sure it's the last point there. I've tried many different stick lengths and curves/lies over the years..I can usually adjust pretty quickly on shoes but on skates it's forever a work in progress.

Any tips on transferring weight with skates? Is this a balancing issue?

[Chadd 916]

Thanks Chadd, I'm pretty sure it's the last point there. I've tried many different stick lengths and curves/lies over the years..I can usually adjust pretty quickly on shoes but on skates it's forever a work in progress.

Any tips on transferring weight with skates? Is this a balancing issue?

Balance and leg drive. It's much easier to demonstrate than explain. Find a good coach and take a private lesson, it will help you more than anything you will read on the internet.

[Jarick 5]

I actually found this interesting, so I'm relocating it here:

From Scotty...

I'm bored, so I decided to do a quick writeup on how different shot techniques can work for different people. The traditional ways aren't always the end all of ways to shoot.

Wrist/snap shots

I've always been a big wrister/snapper guy, and when I first started playing I did lots of reading books, reading magazines, etc about how to take the proper wrist shot. It preached the weight transfer from back to front foot, long sweeping motion of the puck, and finally a very long follow-through. I was able to do it that way for quite a while, but in the heat of the game you'll find that the textbook ways don't always work well because you have so little time or space. When I began studying videos and watching some players who were reknowned for having the best wrist and snap shots (Sakic, Hull, Modano, Shanahan, etc), I picked up little things they did. I didn't necessarily try to do it exactly their way or replicate it, but more so just take little things here or there. Mainly I saw that none of them had the textbook form of shooting.

Sakic, instead of your typical sweeping motion and keeping your top hand in close, prefers to launch both hands out straight very suddenly and then jerk his top hand back. Instead of keeping his shoulders upright, he would often turn his upper body perpendicular to the direction of the goal and drop his shoulder closest to the puck in order to facilitate the sudden snapping outward of both arms. He also buckles his knees at times and shoots off the wrong foot other times. His 95 flex stick is a small touch whippier than your standard NHL flex and aids a bit in his shot.

Hull developed his wrister during his early days in St. Louis and has a style all his own. Known for using perhaps one of the whippiest sticks in the league ever (anywhere from 65-80 flex game-used sticks of his have been seen), he prefers to let the shaft do large amounts of the work. Hull will often take his wristers off the wrong foot, so you'll see him raise his back leg, drop his bottom hand down to mid shaft in order to produce more torque (whereas wristers normally keep your hand up higher), use the heavily radiused toe curve of his blade to quickly toe drag the puck towards him, and then change the direction of his motion to whip the puck towards the net. Very tough technique to properly execute consistently, but he obviously has it perfected.

Shanahan uses a very stiff stick (I've heard his Easton Classic Aluminum shafts were 105-110 flex and the Warrior product manager says his newer Dolemite sticks are 110-120 flex), but still manages excellent wristers because he uses an explosive snapping motion. You'll normally see Shanny keep both feet on the ice at all times during shooting because his weight transfer and shooting motion are ridiculously explosive and compact. He almost never has any dragging motion on his wrist shots, for most of it is all a quick and violent snap. The puck normally doesn't stay in contact with his blade, as he'll often snap the blade forward from about a foot behind the puck and have a compact follow through with the toe of the blade up as opposed to the traditional down. Shanahan has said that he prefers to "rip through the puck" during his shot, as if it is merely a small obstacle in the way from his blade snapping from behind the puck through to his follow through on net.

What I took from all of these observations is that different techniques can play huge roles in how you shoot. Also, your blade curve and shaft flex can aid in your style once you get it down. I began adopting the wrong-footed wrist shot and although I still occasionally catch Hell for how it looks (the "donkey kick" as a previous teammate of mine called it), it has served me well and my wrist shot is now my trademark. I tend to take my wristers off the mid-toe section of my blade as opposed to rolling it the length of the blade as traditionally done.

All just little things you can do once you get a style down.

---

I noticed a couple nights ago that Ovechkin shoots very similar to Sakic in that picture, he drops his shoulders almost perpendicular to the ice, holds the stick in front of him, then does the push-pull to rip the shots. Usually shoots off the mid-toe.

Roenick likes to shoot of the wrong foot too, see lots of these shots on the old Hawks highlights.