How to Shave 1 Second off your Hockey Shot

I can quicken your Shot release time by at least one second when in-tight on the goalie?

One second doesn’t seem like a lot of time, but when taking shots close to the net, as you climb the hockey ladder, the two factors that determine if you’re going to score or not,

• Shot speed: How fast
• Release Time: how soon you can get the shot off, and can you consistently elevate the puck quickly.

The shooting technique I’m about share will accomplish both objectives so let’s begin.

Here’s footage from a first lesson I recently had with a player, and I’ll go through each step of the process I use when introducing this shooting method. I first start by having the player receive a pass in front of the body and then go top shelf using the forehand. I need to see how she currently shoots in tight.

For 99% of the first lesson I have with players, this is what I see,

They receive the pass, move it to the forehand side of the body, stopping the puck, and then the shot is released as you see here. I love it when I see this because I can help by making one small adjustment that will easily shave off at least one second.

The first step is eliminating the puck-stopping in front of the body. Instead of over pulling the puck back to the forehand side of the body, in line with your feet stopping the puck, you’ll now slide it laterally out to the forehand, and before the puck stops moving, you’ll step forward and pop the puck top shelf.

1. Work on sliding the puck laterally out to the forehand side of the body consistently to the same spot.
2. Step forward, and at the same time, you must push the top hand forward, so the forehand blade is now parallel to the net.
3. Popping the puck. The forehand toe of the blade is what should make contact with the puck. As you step forward, drive the toe of the stick blade down quickly, then aggressively bring it straight up keeping the face open, stopping the follow-through just under the crossbar.

We proceed to where I spot a puck, and she works on getting the shooting portion down, focusing on following through to the target, keeping the face of the blade open, parallel to the crossbar.

Note: Turning over your wrists causes your blade to move up, resulting in the shot going towards the center of the net.

The blade must stay parallel to the crossbar, and that’s the secret of getting the shot on target consistently.

Now, let’s go back and look at the first few shots I had her attempt at the beginning of the video. Take a look at the transformation that has taken place in a matter of 5 min. That is Amazing.

Off-ice stickhandling and shooting training is something most players choose not to do regularly. This secret sauce starts separating you from the competition.

For more drills like you just saw, check out the worlds most extensive database of off-ice stickhandling and shooting drills at online hockey training.com

Thanks for watching and I’ll see you next time