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bolt91

Hand Shock from Slapshots

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I tried searching but if there's already a thread on this I apologize.

In my game tonight I took a slapshot and I felt a shock go up from my bottom (right) hand through my arm. After the game, I could barely bend my index finger (it feels like it's bruised with no visible signs).

This "shock" has happened more than once, but never this severe. I'm wondering what I can do to stop this from happening as I already have a pinched nerve in the arm it affects every time this happens.

Is it wrong technique? If not, can I modify my gloves to absorb some of the shock?

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

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It probably has more to do with how solid the contact was with the puck. If you have ever hit a baseball off of the end of an aluminum or graphite bat it's basically the same feeling. If you hit the sweet spot on the blade and make proper contact with the ice, you won't have the jolt feeling. One thing I have noticed in my own game is if I don't hit the ice early enough on a slap shot, I get a pretty good stinger. Remember to take enough ice, and don't slam the stick into the ice and you should be alright. You'll just get a sharp reminder if your technique is off.

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It absolutely sounds like a technique issue to me and could be combined with a stiffness issue as well.

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just to sound like a broken record:

go to your LHS with a shooting gallery (if there is one) and try taking clappers with all different flexes and try different techniques. If your serious about buying a stick or your a good customer there they should have no problem with you doing that and that way your not dropping $ on a new stick right away or trying new stuff in a game

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I'm pretty much repeating what others have said, but how tall are you, and how stiff is your stick? It's probably a combo of poor technique and a stick that's too stiff. You want to make sure you're not just smacking the ice, but really driving through the ice with a firm, powerful, smooth motion. This means really getting your body weight into the shot (transfer your weight to your outside/front foot so that you're really leaning forward into the shot, rotate your hips through the shot), striking the ice a good 6-12" before the puck, and keeping your blade closed (so much so that the toe of the blade is the first part to make contact with the ice). With proper technique a slapshot should feel smooth and powerful, it's only when you screw up the technique and sort of slap the ice that you get those vibrations.

The type of technique you should be aiming for:

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I wouldn't hold that as a prime example. There are a number of different forms that may work well depending on the individual player. I know a lot of people that do not shoot well with the puck that far forward in their stance.

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I'm 5'5" using a 67 flex. I just ordered the Bauer Nexus 1000 in a 60 flex so I'm hoping that helps as well. Thank you guys for the feedback. I'll definitely be working on my technique.

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I wouldn't hold that as a prime example. There are a number of different forms that may work well depending on the individual player. I know a lot of people that do not shoot well with the puck that far forward in their stance.

For sure, there are many ways to shoot every shot, and obviously one specific technique isn't going to work for everything. I was more posting that video because it really shows how the blade should be closed (at contact and through the shot), how your weight should be solidly on the outside/front foot, how your bottom arm should be relatively straight to really power through the shot, and how you can really generate power through rotating your shoulders and hips (almost like a golfer). I have occasionally screwed up my form on slappers, and got vibrations in my hand like the OP, I think it comes from sort of smacking the ice with an open blade and without my full body weight behind it (for me, at least), as opposed to a properly taken slapper where there are no vibrations because you just get that nice, smooth flex out of the stick.

I'm 5'5" using a 67 flex. I just ordered the Bauer Nexus 1000 in a 60 flex so I'm hoping that helps as well. Thank you guys for the feedback. I'll definitely be working on my technique.

Sounds like roughly the right flex for you, at the very least it shouldn't be way too stiff. In that case I'd just focus on the technique. One last point is to keep your bottom hand pretty low on the shaft, some guys try to take slappers with the hands in a wrist shot position, and that doesn't work very well at all.

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Sounds like roughly the right flex for you, at the very least it shouldn't be way too stiff. In that case I'd just focus on the technique. One last point is to keep your bottom hand pretty low on the shaft, some guys try to take slappers with the hands in a wrist shot position, and that doesn't work very well at all.

I'll definitely work on it, thanks!

Thanks to all!

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I can't help but chime in here... I've been playing alot of drop in hockey and alot of the players have played Junior and Tier2 etc.. When I first received passes from them, I thought they were trying to break my stick. After many times of playing I realized/learned that there is definately a "sweet spot" and a technique to give/recieve passes as well as snapping/slapshooting. That kind of feel cannot be fixed by curves or composite. It takes practice, and focus. I'd be willing to bet that top players can be just as accurate with a wooden $30 stick as they are with a $200 one.... Not to say that it doesn't help, just sayin' that it's time with the axe that counts....

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At 5'5", how much of the stick are you removing? Taking off a lot, if you are, would really stiffen up the stick.

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I don't cut off any of the stick.

That's probably part of the problem. I assume your stick is a fairly standard intermediate length, around 58". That's a good length for someone who's around 6', maybe 5'10" at the most. It's all personal preference, some people use really short sticks and some use really long sticks, but a rough rule of thumbs is to have your stick come up to somewhere between your collar bone and your chin when you're on skates (with the stick standing vertically in front of you, with the tip of the blade on the ice). At your height most players would be cutting around 5" off an intermediate, you may find that your slappers improve very quickly once you can actually get on top of a shot, instead of having to swipe at a puck that's really far away from you with a super long stick.

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I just went and measured my sticks. Both (never cut) are 55" from top to heel.

I experimented with shorter sticks about a year ago and didn't like them. I have an old stick cut down that I'll give another go. I'll also be looking to adjust my technique.

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You may not be using enough pressure on the lower shaft with your hand. Try gripping it a bit more

Will do!

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I just went and measured my sticks. Both (never cut) are 55" from top to heel.

I experimented with shorter sticks about a year ago and didn't like them. I have an old stick cut down that I'll give another go. I'll also be looking to adjust my technique.

Fair enough, I thought most intermediate sticks were 57-58" when uncut, but obviously there are exceptions. 55" is on the longer side for your height, but not crazy long.

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