After coaching hockey for a number of years and working at a hockey camp I have noticed a number of common mistakes that hockey players make that are easy to fix and are robbing them of power. In fact I was making these same mistakes with 20+ years of hockey experience under my belt, and I only came to realizes these mistakes after training with the radar gun. In this article (and video) I will share a few ways that you can easily improve the power in every shot with just a slight change in your technique. I have also embedded a few videos that will give you workouts to do that will help improve your shot power even more.
Technique is everything
A common question I get is “what workouts can I do to improve my power”, my answer is “how good is your technique?”. Perfect your technique first. Once you have a fluid shot and you are getting all the power you can, then work on hitting the gym to get some more weight behind your shot. You should be shooting 100 pucks a day (or at least spend a few hours a week) to work on your technique. The great thing about shooting a lot of pucks is that it will give you a good workout and build all the muscles involved in shooting, so while improving your technique you will also build muscle. It’s like a 2 for 1 deal on shot power! ( I will include some workouts in this article though)
We already have covered technique in on and off-ice videos and articles for every shot. If you need help here’s a link for the slapshot, wristshot, snapshot and backhand. Here are a few questions you should be asking about your technique.
- Are your hands in the right spot for each shot?
- Would moving your bottom hand higher or lower increase or decrease your power?
- Are you transferring enough weight into your shot?
- Are you using all of your muscles to get power, or just your arms?
- Can your harness all your power while skating?
- Are you using your stick flex enough in your shot?
Many people think their shot is fine, but if you don’t have an absolute answer to every question there is a good chance your shot could use some work.
Rule # 1 – Use your Legs
This is the biggest problem I see with most hockey players, especially newer players. They simply aren’t using their legs enough to put more power into their shots.
Your legs are the most powerful muscles in your body, yet many hockey players don’t use them when they shoot. Even the ones that do use their legs can likely get more power by using them more! “How do you use your legs to get power in your shot?”, I’m glad you asked. Whenever you are practicing your shot make sure you are bending your knees. With your knees bent you should really push off with your back leg and transfer all that energy to the front leg. Think of it like jumping into the shot, you want to start your shot with an explosive burst of energy which starts from the legs.
Rule #2 – Free Your Top Hand
This is the 2nd biggest problem I see, and it’s not getting enough snap at the end of the shot. This happens with the wrist shot, slapshot and snapshot. A lot of beginner players develop their shot and are using just their bottom hand. A good fluid shot will be using both hands to pull the stick (and puck) towards the net, and end with a final snap (pulling back with the top hand and pushing forwards with the bottom hand). Get your top hand away from your hip and start using it in your shot!
On-Ice Explanation
Workouts to help improve Shot Power
Going to the gym and doing curls won’t help your shot power. In order to benefit from workouts done off the ice, you need to be doing sport-specific movements. If you want to improve your shot, (for the best results) you need to train the muscles used in the shot, in a similar manner they are being used on the ice. Hockey is all about explosive power, especially when shooting! You need to get as much power into that shot as quickly as you can, so slowly picking something up and slowly putting it down isn’t going to help you. I have included a good video I found on medicine ball throws. I like these workouts because they train your muscles in a similar motion as the motion used to shoot. You will be working on rotational power and explosiveness from the legs.
As a seasoned hockey coach with over 20 years of experience, including coaching at hockey camps and personally addressing and rectifying the mistakes that players commonly make, I bring a wealth of firsthand knowledge and expertise to the table. My deep understanding of the sport has been further enriched by using specialized tools such as the radar gun to analyze and improve hockey players' performance.
In the context of the article you provided, I'll break down the key concepts related to enhancing shot power in hockey:
1. Technique is Crucial:
- Stressing the importance of perfecting technique before focusing on physical conditioning.
- Emphasizing the necessity of shooting pucks regularly to build muscle and improve shooting technique simultaneously.
2. Analyzing Technique:
- Encouraging players to question and refine their technique by asking specific questions:
- Hand positioning for each shot type.
- The impact of adjusting the bottom hand's position on shot power.
- Proper weight transfer during a shot.
- Engaging all muscles, not just the arms, for maximum power.
- The ability to maintain power while skating.
- Proper utilization of stick flex in the shot.
3. Rule #1 - Use Your Legs:
- Identifying the common issue of players neglecting to use their legs effectively to generate power.
- Advocating for bending the knees and utilizing a strong push-off from the back leg to transfer energy to the front leg.
- Drawing a parallel between starting a shot and an explosive jump, underlining the importance of an energetic burst initiated from the legs.
4. Rule #2 - Free Your Top Hand:
- Addressing the common problem of insufficient snap at the end of the shot, applicable to wrist shots, slap shots, and snapshots.
- Encouraging players to use both hands, particularly freeing the top hand from the hip, to pull the stick and puck toward the net and execute a powerful final snap.
5. On-Ice Explanation:
- Providing on-ice explanations to reinforce the importance of using both hands and achieving the correct technique.
6. Workouts to Improve Shot Power:
- Critiquing the ineffectiveness of generic gym workouts like curls for enhancing shot power.
- Advocating for sport-specific off-ice workouts that mimic on-ice motions.
- Recommending a specific video on medicine ball throws as a valuable workout to develop rotational power and explosiveness from the legs.
By addressing these concepts, players can work towards not only improving their shot power but also refining their overall technique for a more effective and impactful performance on the hockey rink.
