Head Up

As with any shot, you need to keep your head up. Having the confidence to keep your head up during a shot takes practice, but it is worth it. By keeping your head up you will be able to find the openings more effectively and increase the accuracy of your shot.

Follow Through

As with all shots, it is important to follow through with your wrist shot. Follow through increases accuracy and power. Also, make sure you move your bottom hand down on the stick to increase your leverage.
A quick note: Knees bent, head up and back straight.

Same as a Wristshot?

A back hand is exactly the same as a wristshot, but opposite. Sound confusing? It´s not. Same hand positioning, same sweeping motion, the puck needs to slide from heel to toe on your stick, and you need to follow through for power and accuracy.

Placement is Key

Since the wristshot is often the most accurate shot, placement is key. Most goals are scored in the bottom 12 inches of the goal because it is harder for goalies to move their legs than their arms. High stick side is always good though.

Hand Positioning

Make sure to not have your hand too far down the shaft and to bend your elbow, then straighten it, for a ball and a roller puck. Always point the toe of your blade at the target and then keep the ball/puck in-between both feet out in front of you however far you want it. Use your shoulders for leverage.

Snapshots are for Scoring!

As with most sports, scoring is the ultimate goal in hockey. This means you need a shot with quickness and accuracy. The best shot for this is the snapshot, which is the quickest shot in the game.

How to practice shooting

Shooting involves transferring the weight from backward to forward. There are four basic principles for projecting any object from a baseball, to golf to a puck.
1. Wind up - draw the stick back, for a wrist shot behind the foot and players like Brett Hull have the stick blade pointing at the ceiling on a slap shot.
2. Transfer the weight from back to forward. With both shots the bottom hand exerts a lot of weight down on the blade and the shaft of the stick bends.

3. Crucial instant - the release or puck contact. On a wrist shot roll the wrists over and on a slap shot hit 2 to 6 inches behind the puck and roll the wrists over.

4. Follow through with the forehand blade of the stick pointing to the ice and the tip of the stick at the target.

The key to an effective shot is to be able to take it while skating and stickhandling and not have to coast and set it up first. Hull has his stick back, already in the wind up before the puck comes to him and his shoulders square to the puck.

I have skated with a few good NHL scorers and fed them passes while they practiced their shots and noticed that they shoot from the middle of the blade to the toe. This helps them get the shot off quickly and under the cross bar.

Another trait of good scorers is to make a head, shoulder,or stick fake, or to draw the puck in toward the body with the toe of the stick and then release it. All of these moves are to get the goalie to commit himself.

Pivot to shoot harder

I found a good way to teach the player to pivot his body while shooting. I have the player stand in front of the net off to one side awhile I toss pucks into the air in front of the player. The player must bat the puck into the net with his hockey stick at hip level. Because of his close position relative to the shot and the fact that he is hitting the puck in the air he is forced to pivot his body to bat the puck into the net. I have used this technique with players who have unusually stiff movement through their hips and stomach. Another technique is baseball batting practice. I have seen players achieve marked improvement in shooting after a season of baseball where they had intense batting practice. Both techniques are also great for developing hand eye cooridination and faster reaction time.

Shooting quickly

During shooting drills make sure players shoot by the time they get to the hash marks and play games where they must do this. Often players want to get almost in the crease before they shoot.

The Best Shot?

Most players prefer the slapshot to any other. What many fail to realize is that the wristshot has a better chance of going in the net because it has a much quicker release than the slapshot. Wristshots can be taken from anywhere.

Follow Through

It is essential to follow through on a backhand. By pointing the point of your stick for a follow through, you will increase your accuracy and it will give you more snap in your wrists providing you with more power.

How top players snap shot

It is important to shoot while you are skating and let the puck go within your stickhandling moves.
I just got back from playing hockey and was the centre for Murray Heatley and his son Dany. They both let the shot go when skating and change the angle of the blade just before release, usually with a fake to one spot and release to another. They let the shot go without gliding and setting it up first.

So practice shooting in stride and making the goalie think you are shooting one place and then read his lean and shoot where he ain´t.

Shooting drill

This is a simple shooting routine that we use a lot at the start of practice to warm up the skaters and the goalies.
It is from the B5 formation with all the players inside the middle circle.

The players are in the middle circle, half the team on each side of the red line.

Players all take shots from one lane at a time. The first player goes and the next player waits until he/she is far enough away that the goalie will be ready for the next shot. (the older and faster the players, the more space between shooters).

Do a sequence of wrist shot, backhand shot, slap shot from each lane. Then drag and shoot. All shoot from lane 1, then lane 2, then lane 3.

Technique #2

Any prolific goal scorer has a magnificent snapshot (Joe Sakic, Mark Messier, Teemu Selanne). Snapshots are quick, effective and accurate shots that are vital to any scorer´s arsenal. It is important to remember to follow through and point the end of your stick at your target. This forces you to use your wrist and forearms which is where the power comes from.

Maximize Power

To maximize power and control with your backhand, start the puck off your back foot and sweep it through releasing just after the puck crosses your front foot. If you start with the puck too far in front, you will not maximize the weight transition. If you release too early, you will likely miss your target

Technique

When taking a wristshot, your weight and puck should start off your back foot. As your weight slides to the front foot, the puck should be rotating from the heel of your stick to the toe. The puck should be released as it crosses your front foot and your weight should be completely transferred to your front foot.

Technique

When performing a slapshot, remember to slide your bottom hand down the stick a little farther than your normal grip. This will allow you more leverage and will increase your control. Remember to point the toe of your stick at your target at the end of your follow-through to increase accuracy.

Surprise the Goalie

If you´re looking to take the perfect snapshot, you must first make sure the goalie is giving you an opening in the net for you to score. The best thing to do is surprise the goalie by faking the other way and then quickly releasing your shot.

Technique #3

A player needs to be very selective with their shots. There is a right time and place for each technique and the snapshot is best when you are in close or shooting through a screen. It allows goalies less time to set up and often handcuffs them.