Most people like slapshots. A lot. Enough that they will spend all of their free time in practice on them. However, I notice a lot of the time people take slapshots wrong. They're putting all of their strength in the shot, but they aren't using proper form. So you get a fluttering shot. Or you just screw up. I decided to post tips on slapshots as my fifth post because I want to focus on something that doesn't only really concern defensemen only (which my previous four only really concern defensemen,) and because I think I have a pretty good form when I take a slap shot. I learned how to take a slapshot mainly from a sleep away hockey camp, and with a little experimenting I managed to improve it a little more. Before you read the actual tips, remember that the point of a slapshot isn't to hit top shelf. When you shoot a slap shot, you should be shooting low and hard, forcing a rebound. If you want a beautiful goal, or a goal at all; you get an assist for someone picking up your rebound and scoring, not a goal, then use a wrist shot. It's more accurate and comes with less of a warning. Trust me, if you shoot slapshots over the net, your coach won't want you taking slapshots. So without further ado, time for the tips.
One thing I notice about people when they take slapshots is that they bury their head. You can't see when you bury your head. Keep your head up, and look at where your target is. Your accuracy will thank you. Another thing is get low. It's common knowledge that you should get low. Watch the pros do it here. They don't get ridiculously low, be it gives you an idea of how low you should be. Remember to turn over your wrists when you shoot. When I take a slapshot, I like to turn over my wrists while I'm winding up, instead of after I hit the puck, but do whatever works for you. Try to take a stride or two before you hit the puck; it can make a huge difference. When you wind up, don't wind up so far back. The further you wind the stick back, the higher the puck goes, and you want to keep the shot lower down. Remember that most of the power is from the legs, not the arms. That means that you shouldn't be trying to get power from you arms. Stay under control when you shoot a slapshot. Your lower hand shouldn't be way to far down, it should be about halfway down on the stick. That means you drop your hand a little bit. Remember to lean into the shot, and to transfer your weight. Lastly, remember to hit the ice with your stick about 3-4 inches behind the puck. Most of the power of the slapshot comes from the flex of the stick. You should be trying to hit the stick almost straight down to get all of the flex of your stick. If you don't believe me that you should be hitting the ice a few inches behind the puck, watch this. You can easily see dion phaneuf hitting the ice with his stick a couple of inches behind the puck on this one-timer.
Watch this video to tell you why to shoot the puck low
Breakdown
- Take shots low.
- Keep your head up while you take slapshots.
- Don't wind up too high when you take a slapshot.
- Your hand should be about halfway down on your stick.
- Lean into the shot.
- Take a couple of strides before you shoot if you can.
- Hit the ice 3-4 inches behind the puck.
