The Shot That Scores
by barbaragarn
​Guest blog by Dan Mclaughlin of Lifetime Hockey
Why You’ll Love the Snap Shot–Making the Shot That Scores
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A hockey team will get about 30
to 40 shots on net in a game. This
means the average player will only get between 2 to 5 shots on net–so every shot should be a good
one. The beginning and
intermediate player needs to remember that the three keys to a scoring
shot are: quickness, accuracy
and speed.
Good
goalies watch the puck carefully and set up to take each shot. If you shoot quickly, before the goalie
gets set, your chance of scoring improves immeasurably. A quick shot is one that comes quickly off a
pass, a rebound or a scramble in front of the net. Many players have a tendency to hold
the puck on their stick too long in order to get ready to make a “really good
shot.” This extra time is
all a goalie needs to set up to make the save, or have a defensive player block it. Even marginal
shots should be made quickly. As
Wayne Gretsky has said, “the shot not taken will not score 100% of the time.”
A key to
increasing scoring productivity is to make the goalie move. Players should always be aware of the goalie’s position and try to shoot if they see the goalie move. Discipline yourself to pass
to a teammate rather than shooting if this causes the goalie to move across the
crease. Your teammate
will then have a much better shot.
There are
four primary types of shots: wrist shot, snap shot, slap shot and backhand. You
should be able to use them all and should not rely on just one or two. However, the slap shot should be left at home
if you are playing adult recreational hockey such as JMS because it is the
least accurate shot–and the one most
likely to injure a player. By contrast, our coaches at the Lifetime
Hockey School
emphasize the snap shot because this is the way most goals are scored today in college and pro hockey.
The snap
shot is a shorter version of the wrist shot and is used when you are close to
the goal (below the face-off dot.) It
has the advantage of a quick release, and
by keeping the puck on your stick until the last moment it can surprise a
goalie. It is also a good
shot to use when skating at top speed and maneuvering in front of the net.
Watch the next breakaway goal from a good hockey player and you will see either
the deke or the snapshot as their preferred scoring approach.
The
snap shot is begun by drawing the puck to your side, but it is not drawn back
as in the forehand shot. You next need to cock your wrist and bring your
arms forward, snap your wrists and follow through. The snap shot is dependent on your
wrists and arms and does not always require that you shift your weight as you
shoot. Here
is a good demonstration of the mechanics of the
snap shot and this video really focuses on moving the puck before snapping
off the shot.
The next time you are warming up
before a game, take a few pucks aside and practice your snap shot against the
boards. If you can imprint the snap shot
on your muscle memory, you will be surprised how you will improve your scoring.