I just finished watching the first round of Under-18 team tryouts this past weekend, and while the skill level was high and the competition was fierce between these elite girls hockey players, there was one glaring weakness in almost all of the girls’ games that I noticed most during the pre-game warm-ups. Watch the video below to see what the 3 slap shot sins the majority of players were committing:
***Did you notice what makes my shooting different than 98% of all the female hockey players out there? If you think you know what it is, post it in the Comment box below. The first person who gets it right will win a Total Female Hockey T-shirt.***
To develop a “boomer” that people will notice, you have to avoid the 3 biggest slap-shot sins in girls hockey:
Sin #1: The BIG Wind-Up
I never understood why players think that they need to have a huge wind-up to have an effective shot. While it’s true that generating speed through a bigger range of motion will help players to generate more power by the time they get to the puck, the big wind-up is the last thing players should be worried about. When I am working on developing the slap-shots of my players, I get them to perfect the motion from the hip down first. Once they have maximized the power and accuracy of their shot with a shortened wind-up, we work on opening it up.
Sin #2: Poor Puck Placement
Most girls hockey players could benefit from bringing the puck in tighter to their body before shooting their slap-shot. Players will have their individual preference as to whether they prefer shoot with the puck closer to their back foot, front foot or in the middle of their stance. But most have the puck to far away from them body when they go to shoot. The further away the puck is from your body, the less force you will be able to put down into the ice with your stick, and the weaker your shot will be. It takes some practice to get accustomed to having the puck in tighter, but you’ll be able to generate a lot more power that way in the long run.
Sin #3: Not Closing The Blade
The single biggest slap-shot sin I see girls making is that they don’t close the blade on their follow-through. Even those who start with the blade turned over and closed before they make contact with the puck tend to open it up right after and then keep it that way throughout the entire follow-through. To be honest, girls tend to leave the blade of the stick open on their wrist and snap-shots as well. Instead of using a higher follow-through after contact to get the puck up off the ice, they try to achieve that same height by using the stick like a golf club with an open face. To get power and accuracy, you need to keep the blade closed. Period.
Avoid these three slap-shot sins, focus on the quality of the shots you are taking instead of the quantity and you will start to develop the laser-like shot that will get noticed and help you on your way to the elite levels of women’s hockey.
Work Hard. Dream BIG. And Hit The Net!!!
~ Coach Kim
PS - There are less than 10 weeks left until the season starts. Are you doing what you need to do to take your game to the next level this summer and be the fastest, strongest and fittest player on the ice in the fall? Click here to get started with the Total Female Hockey Complete Training System today and start taking your game to the next level.
PPS - If you want to win that t-shirt, don’t forget to guess what makes my shooting different than 98% of all other female players. Write it in the Comment box below.
You use a wood stick
You’re using your legs (weight transfer and bend) and core to generate power on the shot.
Most girls don’t finish their shot by rolling their wrist over. Staying down and transfering their weight from the back leg to the front leg.
Simply put they shoot off the wrong foot and dont roll the hands over
You keep a very wide grip on your stick for your slapshot. Your bottom hand is much lower on the shaft than most.
Great segment (as always) Kim! What you do differently than 98% of all the girls out there is….you know that you must hit the ice first for an effective slap shot - to maximize the flex in the stick shaft.
You aren’t useing your arms to generate power but uf core( keeping your arms straight but turning your body for power while keeping your feet apart for balance) you also look at your target.
You shave down the shaft at the top of your stick.
You shoot Right Handed!
your using a wooden stick with a reduced size for your top hand.
It is bottom hand wrist position. The wrist is “cocked and locked”. Very few female players have the bottom wrist in proper position while taking a slap shot. You also shave the end of your stick for top hand feel and comfort.
You use a wood stick with a tapered shaft at the top.
As you are shooting you are turning to face where you are shooting. Some girls don’t turn they just keep their body facing the same direction giving them less power and accuracy. By turning you are using your whole body (arms, core, legs).
When you follow-through your entier body face the direction that you what the puck to go in and you are pionting youe stick in that same direction as well !
you are looking at the net and not at the puck.
You use white tape on your blade not black.
The difference is that you aren’t looking for height in your shot but the power, precision, and position that you have you body in, which is centered and balanced, everything is in tighter. You’ll have more control over the puck and more power. Most girls, as you said, just want to hit top corner but the best shots are low and hard
You put your lower hand farther down on your stick than the other people.
First of all, you guys are awesome. So many great answers that are all “right” but not the ones I was thinking of specifically.
Alisha got it right out of the gate with the wood stick.
No $300 fluorescent green sticks for me - plain old wood is great. I am making all the girls I am coaching at a private school here in Toronto next year use them too (they just don’t know it yet).
Thanks again for all the awesome feedback.
And FYI - shaving your stick down is illegal (but not if the refs don’t see it).
Your friend and coach,
~ Kim
I thought it was the way to hold your stick at the very end. I hold mine about 10 cm from the end.
What makes your shooting different than 98% of all the female hockey players out there is that you do not do those three slapshot sins(the first one, the big wind up, the second, poor puck placement,and the third, not closing the blade on the follow through)