The hardest shot in hockey is probably also the most identifiable, and is a shot that most hockey fans have witnessed at least once in their lifetime. The puck has been in the hands of a professional hockey player for about five seconds, and it already feels like an eternity as the player watches the puck hit the back of the net with his team in victory, or in despair, as the case may be.
You might be familiar with the expression “the hard shot” in golf, which can be used to describe a difficult but well-struck shot that has the potential to go in the hole. In hockey, the hard shot is the one that is technically difficult to execute perfectly, but that has the most satisfying impact when it connects with the puck or the target.
Table of Contents
The Importance Of Coordination
To hit a hard shot well, you have to have proper coordination between your eye, the puck, and the stick, as well as perfectly balanced body weight prior to the shot. For most players, this is not easy. Even NHL stars such as Wayne Gretzky have had trouble with this as he told ESPN’s Rachel Nichols, “To be honest, it’s not that easy to just push a button and shoot the puck…it takes a lot of practice.”
While some might dismiss this as mere puck luck, the truth is that the harder the shot, the more satisfying it is when you nail it. This is particularly true for pro hockey players who are used to hitting shots that are difficult to predict and even those used to scoring might find that their skills do not translate easily over into shooting practice. For example, if you can’t see the puck clearly, you may find that your other senses such as sound do not serve you as well either.
Difficulty And Predictability
To hit a hard shot well, you need to take into account how difficult it is and how much you may have to predict about where the puck is going to be when you pull the trigger. In order to do this, you need to practice and you need to do so in an environment that will allow you to experience the same satisfying feeling you would get from a real game situation. The best way to get this is through practice, which is why hitting the gym regularly is so important, even if it’s just for a few hours a day.
Aside from practice, you need to also consider the difficulty of the shot itself. This is something that can be difficult to gauge, and it’s not always easy to know how skilled you are at hitting a certain type of shot until you have actually shot it and seen the results.
Body Weight
When you are standing with your body weight evenly distributed and in front of a solid target, such as a goal or a hockey puck, it is relatively easy to shoot accurately. However, if you are off-balance, this could potentially lead to an inaccurate shot. In order to prevent this, you need to focus on keeping your body weight evenly distributed and in front of the target. As for the type of shot you need to practice to become skilled at, it depends on your personal preferences. If you want to become a slapshot specialist, you will need to practice using a slap shot regularly, but if you want to become a one-timer, you may need to focus on one-timers.
The Evolution Of The Shot
As for the evolution of the shot itself, it initially started as a “weak” shot in which the ballistics of the weapon would determine the quality and direction of the shot. However, due to the increasing speed of the puck and the game itself, this initial impulse of a weak shot soon evolved into a full flight, fast shot in which the speed of the puck would determine the outcome of the shot.
In other words, the faster the puck is going when you shoot, the smarter the shot, because it means you have more time to aim and pull the trigger. Of course, this does not mean that every hard shot will be a good shot, but it is generally true.
The Different Types Of Hard Shots
Aside from the general category of “hard shots,” you need to also consider the different types of shots that make up this category. There are some shots, such as the wrist shot, where you simply hold the gun close to your wrist and shoot as the puck comes at you. These are known as “flick” shots because the ballistics of the weapon determine the speed and direction of the shot, not your aim or grip. Other types of shots, such as the slap shot and the overhead shot, are more complicated and require a bit more planning and practice.
To hit a slap shot well, you need to get your stick in the right position first, grip the handle with your dominant hand, and then raise your arm above your head, pointing the shaft of your arm forward, like the blade of a knife. Once you have done this, you can lower your arm and follow through with the puck. In other words, you bring your arm down, cutting through the air towards the ice, while your wrist follows suit, rotating as you do so, creating a slapping action that will send the puck towards the net with great force.
An overhead shot is most easily recognizable by the distinctive zigzag movement the player makes as he or she raises the arm to shoot. This is a combination of a wrist shot and an overhand grip, where you hold the gun above your head and use the momentum of the upper arm to shoot the puck. This is arguably the most difficult shot to predict, and even skilled players have found it very difficult to master, as Gretzky admitted, “I’ve had practice, but I still couldn’t do it consistently every time.”
More Body Weight
When you are using your body weight to generate force, you need to focus on keeping your body weight low enough so that you generate enough force, but not so much that you end up off-balance or falling over, which could make an inaccurate shot. Simply put, you need to use your body weight effectively, keeping a consistent low center of gravity so that you can generate maximum power when you shoot. You also want to avoid using too much arm weight when you shoot, instead using your body weight to generate the power, as this could result in an inaccurate shot due to lack of balance.
More Practice
Apart from all of the above, the only way to become a truly efficient and skilled shot is through practice. This does not mean that practice makes perfect, as no two shots are ever truly alike, but it does mean that repetition makes precision and keeping track of your practice makes it easier to gauge your performance level. In addition to this, you need to bear in mind the lessons you have learned and the improvements you have made, as these will determine how effective your practice has been and allow you to identify your weak points and work on correcting them.
Final Takeaway
Hitting a hard shot well, no matter where you aim or how you shoot, is definitely a thing, and it can be done, however, it is not easy. It takes a bit of planning, practice, and most importantly, it takes talent.