Your slapshot is a key component of your hockey game, so learning the proper form for a powerful, accurate slapshot should take an important place in your training routine.
In this article, we show you the basics of what it takes to create a great slapshot, and then we give you several tips that helped Jeremy improve his slapshot by up to 20 mph on the Extreme Radar 2.0.
To begin with, line up the puck a few feet in front of you and two to three inches inside your front skate. Hold your hockey stick with your front hand just about halfway down on the shaft and your back hand at the top of the stick.
As you begin to put your slapshot into motion, don’t overstretch yourself on your backswing; bring your stick back to a point where it’s not quite straight up and down. On your downswing, make contact with the ice behind the puck in order to load your stick with extra power. As you follow through, rotate your hips to transfer your weight forward and maximize the power you put into your shot. Keep your follow-through low to send the puck skimming over the ice or follow through high to hit the top corner of the net.
Once you’ve established a proper slapshot, try the following tips to help squeeze even more power from your shot. As Jeremy has experienced, each of these techniques has the potential to add a few miles per hour to your slapshot.
Slapshot Tips
The first habit to tweak is to move your lower hand up higher on the stick, right about the middle of the shaft. Having your grip higher allows you to flex your stick more when it’s in contact with the ice, and more flex translates to more power in your shot.
Next, don’t keep your legs straight; bend your knees so you can transfer more weight forward and really drive your shot at the net. Also make sure to drive hard off your back leg. Meanwhile, use your upper body to rotate at your hips and core to provide more torque for your shot.
Notice, too, that if your top hand is positioned close to your hip, your swing may be all over the place depending on the situation. Instead, move that top hand out from your body during your swing, which will provide a more consistent and more fluid backswing and downswing. This change will also train you to utilize your shoulders more with a shot, giving you another extra source of power to drive your slapshot harder.
Lastly, watch where the blade of your stick is hitting the ice in relation to the puck. If it’s only a few inches before the puck, adjust your shot to hit farther away. Jeremy recommends hitting the ice 10 to 12 inches before the puck, because the extra space puts more flex on your stick, and again, more flex means more energy in your slapshot. When he made this adjustment, it instantly added power to his shot.
Invest time into getting proper slapshot form, and then try out these tips to see how much speed you can add to your shot.
Get your Extreme Radar 2.0 — plus more tips, more tricks, and more drills to help elevate your hockey game — on our website.
Extreme Radar 2.0
Easy to set up with speed tracking up to 150 mph, the HockeyShot Extreme Radar is a portable speed tracking machine! Fully adjustable angle to allow the radar to be set up anywhere with more accurate readings!Visit the Extreme Radar 2.0 page
