The Tips to an Effective Wrist Shot
There are so many important skills in the game of hockey. Being able to improve and eventually master skating, stickhandling, and passing is incredibly important. But, let’s be honest. There is nothing that is quite as rewarding or quite as fun as ripping a shot on the net!
Because of this, one of the questions we get asked most at Snipers Edge is how to better shoot the puck. This is a difficult question to answer simply because, the truth is, there are a number of ways to shoot. Depending on the situation, you may need a slap shot, a snap shot, or a backhand. However, the best all-purpose shot for players to master is the wrist shot, affectionately known as “the wrister”.
There are plenty of shooting drills and shooting tips for learning how to take an effective wrister. The key to all of them though is to concentrate on and master the basics. When you do this first, you will see a great improvement in the accuracy and speed of your wrist shot. Here are the critical basics to work on to perfect your wrister.
How to Master Your Wrist Shot
- First, with the puck on your stick, slide your body forward,leaving the puck at your back foot.
- Once in position,the most effective wrist shot is a pull motion. The idea is to pull the puck from your back foot toward the net.
- Puck position on your stick is critical. You want to position the puck out as far as possible towards the tow of the stick, with the heel of the stick off the ice just a bit.
- 4. As you start pulling the puck,step forward towards the target while pushing down with your bottom hand toapply pressure to the toe of the stick.
- Finally,pull and follow through towards your target. Once you have completed the wrist shot, your blade should be straight up in the air.
To get a better idea of how the shot should look visually, take a look at this video showing the basics discussed above:
Once you have the basic form down, the next steps are to practice, practice, and practice! The best way to do this is by using a hockey training tarp, also known as a shooting tarp. This tarp will not only allow you to practice the fundamental mechanics of a wrist shot but also start to make it a more accurate shot for you as well.
Conclusion
The wrister is one of the most basic yet valuable shots you can learn as a young hockey player. It can be used close to the net or from further away. It can be shot low and fast on the ice or can be lifted to go top shelf. No matter how you implement it, a great wrister is a huge key to scoring goals. Using a shooting tarp to help develop it off the ice is a great way to become extremely proficient at this important shot.
