Quickening the Slapshot Setup

As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, practicing the slapshot in a stationary pose is “okay”. In fact, I think it’s necessary to do this as one attempts to polish his or her technique. Of course, the other side of the argument is that one hardly gets to stand still for very long during serious game action. And, the higher the level of play, the less time a player has to get-off a shot.

All that in mind, I noticed a few years ago that a number of my younger players were being smothered by defenders as they raised their sticks to shoot. With that, I decided to create a few drills that would help lessen the amount of time my kids needed to set-up for their slapshots.

You should know that all my big ideas don’t necessarily end-up working so well. Actually, the first drill I created to solve the above noted problem calls for spreading 30 or so pucks high in an end zone, and then having two players at a time race to get three quick shots on goal. That drill is okay, and I still do use it once in awhile, 1) because my players seem to like the competition, and 2) because it just seems to be a decent change of pace from all the other shooting drills we use more often.

Really, though, administration of a drill like that is a pain, and it also bothers me that too many players are left standing around while only a pair of players are active. So, I ultimately arrived at a drill that’s far more efficient, and one that seems to far better meet my players’ needs (to set-up quicker). In it, a player spaces three pucks in a straight line leading away from the target shooting area. (Know that all of my other players also have three pucks, and they’ve staked claim to their own shooting area, which means that all of my guys should be improving at the same time.) Now, the main idea of this drill is for a player to work on his footwork and body positioning prior to each shot. In a way, it’s a lot like a golfer “addressing” his ball in anticipation of a shot (with the obvious difference being the very short amount of time a hockey player has to ready).

As a side note… Most drills have to include a time of concentration or effort and then a time for resting (both the mind and the body). And, make no mistake about it, in that it’s as important for a player to rest briefly if we want him or her to apply all of his or her intensity or focus for a given period of time. If you think about it, a player who shoots more than a few quick shots is going to start losing focus (or tire), and that’s when poor technique starts to creep-in. So…

I have my guys start slowly on this drill, at least until they’ve gotten the feel for a good set-up. Over time, however, I want them to speed things to something closer to a game-like pace. I do NOT want my guys to hurry the actual shot; what I do want quickened is the time it takes to move and set-up between shots. Then (as suggested in the above note), my guys use the time it takes to put the pucks back in place to rest and gather their thoughts for another go-round. So, how about seeing the videos below as my guys are working at this drill…

Then, the next video shows a closer look at my guy’s footwork between shots…

Two final points…

Make no mistake about it: This drill is all about the kind of footwork you see in the above videos. Most of my guys can shoot the puck pretty well. It’s the set-up that now needs to be perfected, and that set-up mostly involves footwork. Don’t be thrown-off by the fact that these clips were taken at a recent off-ice practice; we do the same exact drill on the ice at least once more per week. And, I assure you the footwork you’ve seen here is exactly the same in the on-ice application. Yes, this form of practice easily transfers to quickening on-ice slapshot set-ups.

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