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Extreme Passing Kit Review

This is our review of the Extreme passing kit which you can find for sale on this page

As a hockey player you should always be looking for ways to improve your skills. When I was a kid I would practice my shooting and stickhandling on a regular basis in my parents barn, but the biggest problem was finding a good surface to stickhandle on.

Trust me, I tried everything, I kept my eyes open for nice smooth surfaces, I used Plexiglas, laminate flooring, particle board, cardboard….everything. Despite my best efforts, the best surface I ever found was $50 at National Sports for a tiny hockey shooting pad. I used it until it turned black, and eventually misplaced it, but I loved it and I actually practiced a lot more because I knew I had a decent surface to stickhandle on, and shoot from.

Now that I am a bit older I want to help other players who may be going through the same thing I am, so that is why I like to review new products and test them out, it gives other hockey players a chance to see what they are like, and if they are worth buying!

The Extreme Passing Kit Review

The Extreme passing kit is a product by hockey shot that is meant to provide hockey players with a smooth surface for stickhandling and shooting, and also a pass rebounder for players to practice passing and one-timers.

Compared to Other Products

The extreme passing kit is similar to the tape 2 tape, and the hockey skill pad, but cheaper with a larger surface area and not so bulky

Out of the Box

The passing kit comes rolled up in a large box.The box is about 4 feet tall, and a foot wide

Size

The extreme passing kit is 8 feet long and 4 feet wide, giving you plenty of room to line up a bunch of pucks in a row for rapid fire slapshots, or practice a few moves before you test them out on the ice.

Price

You can buy this product for $139.95 on this hockeyshot page you can save $10 if you put in our coupon code HOWHCKY001 that means you get an 8×4 roll up shooting pad, along with a pass rebounder for $129, at that price you get the best value, and you will get a lot more use out of the pad than if you bought a smaller one.

Set-up instructions

You don’t have to do much to start shooting. The “extreme passing kit” is basically just a roll-up shooting pad with a pass re-bounder built into it. The key is to get the passing kit nice and flat before you start practicing. In order to get it really flat I was told it should be laid flat with something heavy on it for a few days.

For my roll-up shooting pad I just put a sheet of plywood on top, and that worked great!

Detailed Review of the Extreme Passing Kit

The kit is pretty simple, like I said before it is a roll-up shooting pad with a pass re-bounder. In the picture to the left you can see the re-bounder. The concept is pretty simple, a bungee cord attached to two posts. Could you make something like that yourself? Yeah probably, but this is done professionally, and it is really solid, so you don’t have to struggle with it to get it to work

The bungee cord posts are attached to the back with a solid steel (I think it is aluminum) backing.

Bungee cord vs elastic band – A lot of puck re-bounders in the past have used elastic bands, the problem with these is that the band tends to break after extended use. The Extreme passing kit uses a bungee cord because they are known to last a lot longer than a simple elastic band.

How does the puck slide?

The puck slides great on the shooting pad, one thing I like about the passing kit is the size. My previous shooting pad was big, but this one is huge! I can actually stand on it and pull a few moves. The puck moves just as well on the roll up shooting pad as it does on a hockey shooting pad, and the dry land hockey training tiles. If you want to get even closer to the on ice feeling I recommend the Green Biscuit, you can even use it on rough surfaces.

Passing

Passing is simple, just pass the puck into the bungee cord and it comes back to you. If you have a bad pass (wobbly) the puck will either go over the bungee cord, or come back, but flip over a bit.

If the shooting pad is not nice and flat, the puck will be more likely to roll over the bungee cord and not come back to you. The roll up pad comes rolled up, so to get it flat you should put something heavy around the edges for a few days. I put a sheet of plywood on top and it worked great.

One-Timers

I had a lot fun of practicing my one-timers with this product. It can’t get any simpler, pass the puck into the bungee cord, wind up, then shoot. I would definitely recommend the extreme passing kit rather than just getting one that attaches to a smaller shooting pad. With a smaller shooting pad you will not have a lot of time to set up.

The roll-up shooting pad / extreme passing kit is 8 feet long, so you have a lot of time to set up the one timer. I think this is important because it allows you to focus on proper form and technique.

You can also move the shooting pad around and practice receiving a one timer from different angles.

Shooting

This one is a no-brainer, the roll up pad is perfect for shooting. With some of the small hockey shooting pads you will run out of room if you want to do a full wrist shot with a nice big wind-up.

With the extreme passing kit you can use a full wind-up and then some. Slapshots are great, I was hammering them at full force and the shooting pad held up to all my abuse. Another great option is lining up a bunch of pucks all along the pad, being 8 feet long you can put a puck every foot and practice rapid fire slapshots.

Overall Thoughts

In the penalty box

There are only a few things I would like to mention about the extreme passing kit. The first one is that if you REALLY fire a puck into the bungee cord it will not send the puck back, I don’t see any point in passing them full force into the bungee cord though so that was not really a problem for me.

The next would be if you have ripples in the shooting pad, and then give a hard pass into the bungee cord, the puck may come a bit off the pad and then go over the bungee cord. I only had this problem if I tried using the extreme passing kit right after I un-rolled it. For the best results, just make sure the roll up shooting pad is nice and flat

On the scoreboard

I really like the fact that I can practice stickhandling, passing, shooting, and one-timers all with one product. Here are a few benefits of the roll up shooting pad
- Fairly easy to transport ( a bit of a pain to roll up, use a belt to keep it rolled up) much easier to move than a regular hockey shooting pad of the same size
- Puck slides great
- Puck re-bounder works well
- Lies nice and flat
- Allows hockey players to practice a number of skills
- Large area is great for practicing a bunch of different stickhandling moves comfortably
- Good for practicing the one-timer
If there were a product like this when I was younger I would have bought it in a heartbeat. I am a firm believer in spending money on good products, especially if they will help you better yourself, or improve a skill. Money comes and goes, but when you learn a new skill it will stick with you forever.

Extreme Passing Kit Video Review

In this video we give you a detailed extreme passing kit review. I show you a close up of the product, show you how big it is, how the puck slides, and how the pass rebounder works.

Where to Buy the Extreme Passing Kit

If you want to buy the passing kit then check out the product page on hockey shot don’t forget to use our coupon to save $10 HOWHCKY001

Related posts:
Complete Guide to the Hockey Stick Curve

I hear a lot of requests on hockey forums like modsquad hockey and the rink on hfboards.com about the curve of a hockey stick. Questions like “what is the best curve for shooting”, “what is the best curve for a toe drag”, “what curve should I use for saucer passes, or to score more goals”. I thought that it would be great to have a detailed guide to the curve, so hockey players could decide which one is best for them.

Luckily I found one published on the physics of hockey website. The Author, Alain Haché was kind enough to let me post the article here on How To Hockey.

Hockey sticks: what’s in a curve?

Alain Haché, Ph.D.
Université de Moncton, Canada

Because hockey sticks come in so many shapes, it can be hard to make sense of it all. One feature of particular importance is the blade – the only point of contact between the player and the puck. Players attach a lot of importance to the way it is curved. Looking at the Koho™ sticks in the figure bellow, you see that they each one carries a unique curvature pattern. There more to a curve than left- and right-bend indeed.

Figure 1: a few sticks by Koho™

The stick blade, a curved and twisted surface, is complex enough that it can’t be precisely described in just a few words or numbers. Nonetheless, there are some key aspects that need to be considered, the first of which is the amount of curvature in the blade. The more U-shaped it is, the more pronounced the curve. Hockey leagues such as the NHL impose a limit on the amount of curvature:

The curvature of the blade of the stick shall be restricted in such a way that the distance of a perpendicular line measured from a straight line drawn from any point at the heel to the end of the blade to the point of maximum curvature shall not exceed three-quarter of an inch (¾”). NHL Rulebook 2007.

If you can’t picture this strange verbiage, the following drawing should help:

Figure 2: measurement of curve depth

The rule says that the red line should not be longer than ¾ of an inch, or 1.9 cm. Some people use the dime technique (not quite ¾”, but close) whereby the coin shouldn’t slip vertically underneath the blade when its lying against the floor, but nowadays NHL referees have fancier measuring gadgets to control illegal sticks. Note that the ¾’’ figure is an increase from ½’’ as of 2006. We will discuss the implications of that rule change later.
A second key aspect is where the curve begins on the blade. A blade can be curved like a circle, smoothly and uniformly, but sometimes it is not. Take a look at the Reebok™ and Easton™ sticks in Figure 3: the “Yzerman” stick has a curve that begins in the middle of the blade whereas the “Amonte” one starts at the heel. These are called “center” and “heel” curves, respectively. A third one is called the “toe curve” and has a bend closer to the end of the blade. While the difference between center- and heel-curves is mostly a matter of preference (hockey players can be very picky), a toe-curve makes scooping the puck away from someone else a little easier.

Figure 3: sticks by Reebok™ and Easton™

Next there is the “loft” or “face” of the blade. The loft is the tilt angle of the blade; you can see it when holding the stick normally and looking from the above. A blade that tips backward is said to be more “open faced”, very much like a 9 iron is compared to a 3 iron in golf. For example, notice in Figure 1 how the “Poti” blade has more loft than the “Jagr” blade. As in golf, the more tilt a hockey stick has, the easier it is to lift the puck up.

If blades have a heel they also have a toe. The toe is the very end of the blade, and it comes in two basic shapes: round and square, as see Figure 4 shows. The difference is that a square toe offers more blocking area and the round toe gives more puck control at the tip.

Figure 4: round and square toes

Finally, the “lie” is the angle the blade makes relative to the shaft. It’s a numbers between 4 and 8 printed in front of the shaft. With a proper lie, the bottom of the blade is flat against the ice when the player is holding the stick normally.

How does the curve affect shooting?

It is a common misconception that curved blades became popular because they produce faster shots. The truth is, the curve is mostly about puck control, not puck speed. A curved blade makes the following three actions easier to achieve:
1. Consistency: the curve effectively forms a pocket at the bottom of which the puck will tend to go. When the puck leaves the stick always at the same place, the player passes and shoots more consistently.
2. Control: it’s easier to scoop the puck and take it quickly around an opponent with a curved blade. Other tricks are also made easier, like grabbing the puck at the tip of the blade and shooting it upward all in one move.
3. Puck spin: it can hardly be seen by eye, but a curve permits more puck spin
Spinning imparts the puck more stability, like a football. In a “saucer pass”, spin is especially important because the puck must land flat on the ice. Although it is technically possible spin the puck with a straight blade, it can be done better and more consistently with a curved blade. Applying cloth tape to the blade also adds adhesion and helps the puck spin.

Figure 5: spinning the puck with a curved blade

Spinning the puck is also done by goalies, and indeed most of them use slightly curved sticks for that purpose.

What about the negatives aspects of a curve? What helps the forehand shot hurts the backhander, unfortunately. Some accuracy is lost in that respect, but considering the popularity of the curved stick in the NHL, it seems that the benefits win over the drawbacks.

The reason why the NHL sets a curvature limit is probably to avoid excessive puck control. Can you imagine blades shaped like half-circles? Just grab the puck and go! Some argue that straighter blades are safer because they tend to keep the shots low. Deeper curves means easier upward shots, but the loft is probably the more important factor, especially in a slapshot where puck control is limited to a very short impact time. When the league decided in 2006 to increase the limit from ½ to ¾’’ (at par with the International Ice Hockey Federation), some goalies and defensemen expressed concerns about flying pucks. Their concerns may be justified if the new rule allows for more loft than before. However, according to the rule statement, it is not clear whether the “point of maximum curvature” is taken anywhere on the blade, not just at the bottom. If so, the new rule will allow players to put more loft (or twist) on their stick, making high shots more likely.

What curve should you choose?

Now that we understand blade curve basics, how should you decide on your next purchase? If you’re an experienced player you won’t need advice, as you already know what works best for you. High-level players select their stick based on their position (defense or forward) and on what type of curve they are accustomed to. Beginners, on the other hand, don’t need to go into the nitty-gritty and should select a curve that is neither flat nor overly bent. Buy what feels right, and as you get used to the stick, you might develop a preference for it. After all, an accurate pass, a hard slap shot and good puck control is above all a matter of practice and skills. But of course, don’t forget to blame your stick for misfires.

Big thanks to the guys at the physics of hockey for this article. Check out their website for more cool hockey articles.

Related posts:
Hockey Dryland Training Tile Review

As a hockey player it is important to practice shooting and stickhandling on a regular basis. The big problem that most hockey players have though is finding a suitable surface to stickhandle and shoot off of.

The biggest problem with shooting and stickhandling on pavement or asphalt is the increased friction. This friction causes the pucks to move slower, and flip all over the place (very annoying). The friction also causes your stick blades to wear out pretty quickly (costs a lot to keep buying blades, or sticks)

Shooting and Stickhandling Surfaces

A great solution is to find a nice smooth surface to shoot and stickhandle on. I have tried a lot of alternatives, but I find each cheap alternative will have a downfall in one way or another. I think that if you are serious about improving your shooting and stickhandling it is important to find a good surface to practice on.

One product that we have reviewed in the past was the hockey shooting pad we also did a video review of the roll-up shooting pad which I really liked. I think the roll up pad is the best option for a small area.

Dryland Training Tiles

We were sent a few boxes of training tiles from hockey shot for review. Here is some information about the training tiles from the hockey shot website (with our comments in brackets)
- Slipperiest & smoothest material available for stickhandling, shooting & passing! (we’ll see about that)
- Each tile measures 18” x 18” tile (2.25 square feet) and are 1/2″ thick.
- Comes with 2 beveled edge pieces for easy loading of pucks.
- Tiles easily attach to each other. Assemble entire hockey flooring area in minutes! (more on this in the review)
- Perfect for your garage, basement or driveway.
- Tiles are strong enough for cars to park on, perfect for the garage. (Oh I have to test this out!)
Quality of Material

The tiles are very sturdy feeling, on the top they feel very smooth, and on the bottom they have a cross pattern across the entire tile. The tiles are not overly rigid, and it doesn’t seem like they would break or shatter with a slapshot (time will tell)

Setting up the Hockey Training Tiles

This was pretty easy, it took me a little while to figure it out, but I got it. I thought there was a special way to snap them together, but all you need to do is put the clip side over the ring side and then bash press them together. Each box has 10 tiles, and the tiles measure 18 inches by 18 inches, I set each box up as two rows of 5 tiles.

I would say 5 boxes would be enough for most areas like a garage or basement. It gave me a lot of room to stickhandle and practice dekes. I also added a few more toys from hockeyshot to give me a bit more to do.

On the right side is the attack triangle which is a substitute for a defencemen, and on left side, in the corner, we have the pass master. The passmaster will feed the puck back to you if you pass into it. We also have a weighted hockey puck, and a Green Biscuit which is my favourite off ice puck! Check out the video to see them all in action

Stickhandling and Shooting on the Training Tiles

Stickhandling

I practiced a variety of moves on the shooting tiles, first I just did some basic stickhandling with a regular hockey puck, then moved on to quicker dekes, and toe drags. The tiles held up well too all of my abuse, I was darting back and foreth, moving the puck quickly in all directions and taking a few quick snap shots to finish the move off. The tiles did not come apart at all and most importantly, the puck did not get caught on any edges. I was really impressed at how smoothly the tiles fit together

Shooting

I was told that you can drive a car onto the tiles and they will not break, so they better be able to withstand the force of a stick while taking a slapshot (I tested both ) With 5 boxes of tiles there was plenty of room to take a wristshot, snapshot, and slapshot. I took a bunch of slapshots and did not feel the tiles move at all, and there was no damage either.

Compared to other products

I really like the roll-up shooting pad which is 4 feet wide by 8 feet long and costs $99. With the roll up shooting pad you get the most shooting and stickhandling area for your buck. A box of 10 training tiles costs $109.50 (use our coupon to get $10 off) and gives you 3 feet by 7.5 feet, but the big advantage to the tiles is that you can buy more down the road and increase the area.

Score sheet – Overall Thoughts

I think that these tiles definitely live up to expectations.
- They were nice and sturdy
- They fit together nicely with no raised edges
- The puck and the Green Biscuit slid very well
- Easy to set up
I would recommend these to anyone who has a garage, basement, or flat open area and wants to start a cool place to practice stickhandling and shooting. Only one question remains though…. can you drive a car on it, you will have to watch the video to find out!

Hockey Training Tiles Video Review

In this video we test out the training tiles and show you how well the pucks slide, how to set up the tiles, and if we can park a car on them

Where to Buy the Training Tiles

I always get a comment on every review asking where to buy the product (even though I link to it about 5 times in the review) so I am making a nice big section called where to buy. You can buy the tiles on this page at hockeyshot

Related posts:
How to Toe Drag – Off ice Tutorial

I have had a tonne of requests from the subscribers of how to hockey to teach them how to toe drag. I wanted to wait until the ice is in, but I know a few good ways to practice the toe drag off ice so I thought I would write this article (and make a cool video!).

Why Use a Toe Drag

In my article and video on how to stickhandle I mention that to be master of the puck, you need to be able to control the puck around your entire body, and also have the ability to move the puck from side to side, and front to back in any situation. Perfecting the toe drag will give you the ability to move the puck quickly backwards and forwards, and side to side no matter where it is.

Another great advantage to the toe drag is to use it to deke out the opposition or the goalie. There are a number of situations where a quick toe drag can be the best (and prettiest) way to get around the defense. Sometimes the defensemen thinks you have no room to move the puck, but by using the toe of the stick to pull the puck backwards you give yourself more room move the puck. Then you can move it over and up and blow past the D (and look awesome!)

How To Toe Drag

I was hesitant to show people how to toe drag off-ice. I learned how to toe drag with a stickhandling ball, I had it perfected, then I stepped onto the ice and tried it with a puck….not good. The puck flew backwards…over, and over, and over. I did have the general motion down, but I had to adjust a bit to get it to work on the ice. I think the biggest problem was that I learned with a ball, and with a lot of friction, but on the ice you use a puck, and there is very little friction. So my best recommendation for learning to toe drag off-ice… get a green biscuit, and a hockey shooting pad (I really like the roll up shooting pad don’t forget to use our coupon)

The Green Biscuit is a great puck to use to perfect the toe drag off-ice.

The toe drag is pretty simple on paper (or computer screen), but actually getting it down is tough, here is how to toe drag
- Roll your wrists to roll the blade of the stick over, so the toe of the blade of the stick is pointing down
- Catch the puck with the toe, and pull it backwards (or sideways if the puck is to your side)
- As the puck is coming backwards, roll your hands back and catch the puck
Make sure you have the toe centered on the puck, otherwise it will slide to the side.

This is the most basic toe drag, once you get better you can use the toe drag to move the puck straight back, in a J motion, or a wide U to pull the puck from one side of your body, all the way to the other.

How To Toe Drag Video

In this video I show you the toe-drag, and how I practice it off the ice. I also show you in detail how you can learn to toe drag off ice with a detailed step-by-step guide. If you have any problems you can leave a comment in this article, on the video, or on our facebook page

If you like this video you can subscribe to our channel on Youtube

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How to Improve Hockey Speed

Increasing Hockey Speed – By Jeremy Weiss

Increasing hockey speed is a never-ending pursuit for most hockey players… or at least it should be!!

Today’s game is much different than it used to be. The crack-down on “clutch-and-grab” hockey has really opened up the ice for the skilled athlete. We are seeing an exciting shift toward a high-speed, quick-paced game of skill and finesse… one in which slower athletes are being left behind… LITERALLY!

Any smart hockey player should recognize this change in the game, and should be constantly striving to increase his or her hockey speed. But in order to do that, you must first understand what makes a fast hockey player.

Hockey speed is composed of Technical Elements, and Physical Elements. Or in other words: On-ice Components, and Off-ice Components.

The on-ice components are things your skating instructor should be able to help you with such as utilizing a proper knee bend, obtaining a full extension on each stride, eliminating “head-bobbing,” striding at the proper angle, using your edges properly, etc…

The on-ice elements MUST be perfected in order to achieve optimal speed. However, there are three main off-ice components every player should develop that will GREATLY ENHANCE his or her ability to generate speed on the ice.

The three main off-ice components are as follows:
1. Leg Strength
2. Explosiveness
3. Agility & Footspeed
Increasing leg strength will allow for deeper knee bends, which make for longer and more efficient strides. It will also help to improve balance and stability in battling and checking situations.

Becoming more explosive will improve that quick burst of speed, and allow you to win more races to loose pucks. Races are won or lost in those first three strides!

Improving Agility and footspeed will allow you to take more strides in a shorter period of time. This, combined with an increased stride length, will complete your speed equation––allowing you to take a greater number of longer strides.

There are many ways to improve on these three main off-ice components. Here are three exercises that I think should be included in any solid hockey training program:

SQUAT FOR LEG STRENGTH: This video shows the main key points for executing a proper squat. Squats are a great exercise to increase overall leg strength!

PLYO BOX ROUTINE (AND VARIATION) FOR EXPLOSIVENESS: The first video explains what plyometrics are, how plyometric training can contribute to increased hockey speed, and shows a sample exercise routine using plyometric boxes. The second video shows what to do if you don’t have plyometric boxes available to you.

DOT DRILL FOR AGILITY AND FOOTSPEED: This video shows my favorite off-ice agility drill. This drill is cheap to set up, and only takes about a minute to perform, so there’s no excuse not to do it each day!

Summary

Increasing hockey speed is a complex task, with on-ice and off-ice variables. Go to a well-qualified skating instructor to help you nail down your on-ice components, and participate in a hockey specific strength and conditioning program to improve your off ice components by increasing your leg strength, explosiveness, and agility––starting with squats, plyometrics, and the dot drill. Combining on ice and off ice development will help you to improve your speed quickly and effectively this summer!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jeremy Weiss owns and operates a hockey drills and skills blog. He has a degree in Exercise Science and is a Certified Personal Trainer. Jeremy recently combined his fitness knowledge with his hockey background to develop a hockey-specific, strength and conditioning program called the S3 Formula. More info on this state-of-the-art hockey training system can be found on Jeremy’s Hockey Development page

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1. How to Plan a Hockey Practice
How to Improve Slapshot Accuracy

For the last few months a lot of our readers have been participating in the slapshot challenge where we have shown you how to take a slapshot, how to improve your slapshot power, slapshot tips and where slapshot power comes from. Now we are going to take a break from learning to break the glass with your slapshot and teach you how to pick the corners.

Improving the aim of your slapshot in five easy steps

Here are a few tips that you should remember when practicing your aim
1. Look at where you are shooting
2. Align your body properly
3. Practice proper form
4. Practice your follow through and rolling the wrists
5. Make sure you have the right stick
I will now go into more detail on how you can get better aim with your slapshot. In my article about where slapshot power comes from I mentioned the arms, legs, core muscles, and stick. If you have learned how to improve your slapshot power you should now be using all of those body parts to generate power, but now we have to learn how to use those body parts to get better aim.

Using Your Feet

You might think I am crazy, but you can actually improve your slapshot accuracy with your feet. I mentioned this in the how to improve wrist shot accuracy article and the same is true for taking a slapshot. When you are skating, you point your feet where you want to go, and when you are shooting you point your feet (or foot) where you want the puck to go. Pointing your foot will properly align your body, which means the rest of your body will be in a good position to take an accurate slapshot.

What you want to do is point the toe of the foot that you transfer your weight onto towards the side of the net you are shooting for. This not only helps you improve your accuracy, but also your power. By pointing your toe towards the target, and transferring your weight you will be moving your energy towards the net, which helps put more power into your shot.

Using Your Arms

This is where proper form comes into play, if your back swing looks like your golf swing then we have problems! You should practice nailing down your form so that there are very few inconsistencies. If your slapshot is different every time, then your aim will be different every time.

For the best aim you want to be able to draw a line from where you start your backswing, where the blade hits the ice (or ground), where the blade contacts the puck, and where you follow through to. Now if we put an arrow at the end of that imaginary line, that should be where the puck went

Using Your Stick

Your stick plays a big roll in having a great slapshot, but you have to know how to use it. Here are a few tips to using your stick properly
- Make sure the flex is right for you
- Make sure your stick is the right height
- Hold the stick in the right spot
- Contact the ground / ice before hitting the puck
- Close or open the blade in the follow through to control height
Flexing the stick is important to get the puck off the ice, the recoil of the shaft and blade help get the puck up. DO NOT try to chip the puck, you will get NO power!

I covered most of those points in the how to take a slapshot article, but I will touch on a few of them now. For flex and the height of the stick these are usually personal preference, but if you are new (or newer) to hockey I would suggest using half your body weight as a starting point for your flex, and then going up or down depending on your strength.

How to Put the Puck Top Shelf, or Nice and Low

Controlling the height of the puck is a problem that a lot of players have. Some hockey players have the problem of rifling the puck over the net, while other can’t seem to get it off the ice; I will show you how you can do both!

How to get slapshots off the ice - The biggest problem I see here is players “cheating” they try the proper slapshot form a few times and can’t get it right, so they just chip the puck. This is when players make the blade of their stick like a wedge and chip at it like it is a golf ball BIG MISTAKE. The best way to take a slap shot is by hitting the ice first, with the blade of your stick cupped over a bit. This method, and angle allow the stick, and the blade to flex back before hitting the puck, now all you have to do is follow through properly and the puck should come off the ice. If you are using the proper technique and the stick is not flexing then try using a lower flex stick! If you want the puck to come off the ice then follow through high, and leave the blade of the stick open a bit (don’t roll your hands all the way over) remember to point the toe of the blade of the stick where you want the puck to go.

How to get the puck up when in close to the net – This is another problem some players have, they can pick the corner from the blue line, but not from the hash marks or closer. What you want to do here is change your form a bit, you don’t need a massive wind up, and beast of a shot when you are in close. The technique I use is not the most powerful, but it works. I find getting lower to the ice, and dipping your back shoulder helps you get under the puck more and get it up quickly (shown in video)

How to keep slapshots low – This is a fairly easy fix because most players already know how to take a shot, but they just want to keep them low. I find there are two things that really affect the height of the puck, follow through, and rolling the wrists. If you want to keep the puck low, keep the blade nice and low to the ice for the entire follow through, and start to roll your wrists over right when you contact the puck. By rolling your wrists you will be closing the blade of the stick, and this motion will keep the puck down.

Slapshot Accuracy Video

In this video I show you how to aim left, right, high and low and I even pick a couple of the corners myself just to prove I know what I am talking about

If you like this video you can subscribe to our channel on Youtube

I hope these tips have helped you improve your slap shot aim, remember to practice a lot because the best way to improve is by building your muscle memory, and you can only do that with practice. If you liked this article you can subscribe to this blog for more great hockey tips.

Related posts:
Two Types of Wrist Shots

Yes there are two types of wrists shots in hockey, yet I am amazed at how many people are unaware of this fact. A newcomer to the game of hockey asked for some wrist shot tips in a popular hockey forum. Many beer leaguers who have been playing hockey for years tried to help. The problem was that different people were teaching different types of wrist shots as if they were the same type. I could not find one good article that addresses both types of wrist shots so I thought I would clear things up.

Two types of wrist shots

Both types of wrist shots are commonly used in hockey, and both have their pros and cons. The first one I will discuss is the first type of wrist shot you should learn, and also the most powerful. The second type of wrist shot is great for getting a quick shot off but not quite as powerful as the first.

The most powerful type of wrist shot

This is the first type of wrist shot you should learn because it teaches the fundamentals of how to take a wrist shot. For this type of wrist shot the player rotates the shoulders and trunk and draws the puck back, and across the body. Rotating at the trunk allows the player to bring the puck further back which will result in a more powerful shot.

The player will now execute the wrist shot by pulling the puck toward the net, rotating the shoulders and trunk towards the net, and transferring weight onto the leg opposite of their stick handiness (right handed shot transfers weight onto left leg)

This type of wrist shot allows the player to derive power from their core muscles, and also allows them to transfer more energy and power into their shot. The puck will be on the blade of the stick longer as well which will also result in more power.

The quick release wrist shot

This type of wrist shot is great if you want to surprise the goalie with a quick snapper. In fact some say this type of wrist shot is a mix between wrist shot and snapshot (it can be depending on how you execute it)

For this type of wrist shot the player keeps their chest facing the net and draws the puck behind them, and on their shooting side.

The player then leans into the shot, while quickly snapping the puck towards the net. For this shot the weight is transferred onto the same leg as the way the player shoots (right handed player transfers weight onto right leg) This type of wrist shot derives less power from the core and leg muscles, which results in a weaker shot.

In order to get as much power as possible from this shot the player must learn to use the flex of their stick to help generate power. Some NHL players refer to this as slingshotting the puck at the net ( especially if you have a low flex stick) the loss in power in this shot is made up with the quick set up and release.Know that you know about the two types of wrist shots, you should learn when to use each type of shot.

Where to use the powerful wrist shot

The powerful wrist shot is a great tool for defencemen to use. This type of shot can be used in situations when a slapshot would take to long to set up, or a more accurate shot is needed.

My favourite use of this shot is when I am coming into the offensize zone on the off wing, with one defencemen at the blue line. I penetrate the offensive zone near the boards, and the defence will now be near the top of the circle. At this point I push the puck forwards as if I am going to go hard into the corner or dump the puck in. Then I pull the puck back into position for the powerful wrist shot and cut to the cemtre. I shoot for the side of the net that I just came from. I know the goalie will be moving from the side I just came from, to the centre of the net, which gives me a good spot to shoot. The defence can also provide a partial screen which will increase chamces of scoring. (explained in the video as well for all you visual learners)

Where to use quick wrist shots

The best time to use the quick wrist shot is when you are in close to the net. The faster you can get the shot off the better. My favorite way to score with a quick wrist shot is to skate in, pick a spot and let it rip. The key to scoring this way is accuracy, and not giving any clues that you are going to shoot. A great way to perfect this is to practice executing the quick wrist shot without breaking your stride.

Another great way to score with the quick wrist shot is through the five hole. The closer you are to the goalie, the less time the goalie has to close the gap, and the better chance you have to score.

Two Types of Wrist Shot Video

This video shows you how to take each type of wrist shot, the difference between them, the benefits of each shot, and when the best time to use each shot is.

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These tips should help you better utilize your wrist shot and score more goals. For more great tips you can enter your name and email in the box below

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