Wrist shot; Puck pattern on tape

[tamtamg 12]

I've been experimenting with my wrist shot lately. I have a non traditional wrist/snap hybrid shot. For my shot, I start off with the puck on the toe of the blade, then do a mini toe drag to put the puck right behind the midpoint of my blade and shoot it in one motion. What I've been tweaking is the amount I'm turning my wrist over in the follow through.

Here's a pic of the puck pattern on my p92 when i roll my wrist normally after taking nothing but shots for 5 mins(notice the up and down pattern of the puck):

Here's a pic of the puck pattern on my draper dolo and tried to roll my wrist earlier in my shooting motion and got this puck pattern on my blade:

This time it looks a lot flatter and follows the bottom of the blade better. To the shooting experts, which is better? I feel like both ways are pretty accurate, and puck speed seems about the same (hard to tell with out a gun). What puck patterns do you guys get on your blades?

[fatwabbit 93]

I think it would be the person's shooting style. Some guys can go with toe curves, some need a deeper curve, some shallower.

You should go with what suits you best... if you find that shooting with the draper gives you more accuracy, then maybe you should go with that?

[tamtamg 12]

I think it would be the person's shooting style. Some guys can go with toe curves, some need a deeper curve, some shallower.

You should go with what suits you best... if you find that shooting with the draper gives you more accuracy, then maybe you should go with that?

Draper and the p92 are essentially the same curve. the only thing different between the two pics is that I'm rolling my wrist over in the second picture more/earlier in my shooting motion. Both seem to be as accurate and hard as the other but it's hard to tell. I'm just trying to figure out which is best.

[mack 44]

I'd go with whatever curve lets you shoot accurately with the least amount of effort or thinking from you. I use heels but given some practise time, I can get almost as accurate with a toe or other banana curve. Problem being it's more fluid and natural to me with a heel curve so I stick with those. I don't want to have to think about any adjustments whilst shooting to cater to a certain kind of curve.

[MTG35 0]

I think I understand that you are not asking anything about the curve of the stick. The question is about the shooting technique regardless of the curve of the stick.

So to answer that I would say... its hard to answer. I myself am not an expert in the physics behind shooting a puck with a stick. But I think there may be a chance that although they seem to both be equal accurate and equal powerful, at some point one style may top out where perfecting the other might have potential for greater accuracy and power in the long run. That is where I think the physics part would come in.

Does it seem like you can get better flex on the stick with one or the other?

For example if I lower my hand from the normal spot on slap shots I can feel better flex. Too far down and the feel of the flex goes away. At my level I can't notice a huge difference in the power, but I know if I work on the shot were I get the best flex at some point the power is going to be there. Whereas just trying to "muscle" it will end up topping out in the power area much sooner.

Hope this makes sense.

[Chadd 916]

I'd go with whatever curve lets you shoot accurately with the least amount of effort or thinking from you. I use heels but given some practise time, I can get almost as accurate with a toe or other banana curve. Problem being it's more fluid and natural to me with a heel curve so I stick with those. I don't want to have to think about any adjustments whilst shooting to cater to a certain kind of curve.

I agree completely.

[ktang 34]

I think the top one would give you more zip, especially if you have an open-face blade.

[fawn111 0]

whichever one you can get off faster and more accurate....

toe dragging to get the puck back in the heel seems like an unnecessary step.

But if that works for you then continue to do so.

[tareatingrat 4]

And I thought I over-analyzed my shot awhile back.

It sounds like you shoot about the same with both sticks. So...use whichever you like better at that moment.

[tamtamg 12]

Thanks for the advice guys. I think I'll stick to shooting the way i naturally do. i guess i just shouldn't think about the puck moving up and down vertically so much.

As for the toe dragging, though it seems like a unnecessary move, since adding it to my shot, my goalie hates me. he says he never really knows if i'm toe dragging to do a deak or to take a shot, and even if guesses right, he says the changing of the angle of the puck really throws him off.

[mack 44]

I think it's an effective move only if you don't do it all the time, since you change the angle and open up a shooting lane.

[flyweightphantom 1]

I agree going with the curve that you shoot best/effortlessly with. I used yzerman/gaborik for years and now have moved to iginla, my shot has suffered tremendously. I went from being able to snipe wrist/snappers from all over to crap. I'm not sure whether my mechanics are off, is it the curve or what. But stay with what's comfortable and works for you.