Scoring in hockey relies on your ability to put the puck on net. If you can't shoot accurately, you will not be able to score. Nearly as important as accuracy is the ability to get the puck away quickly. When you can shoot the puck before the defense has a chance to get in the shooting lanes or before the goalie can set himself, you improve your chances of scoring.
Step 1
Shoot a weighted puck at the end of practice to improve strength in your wrists and forearms. A standard hockey puck weighs 6 ounces; use a 10-oz. weighted puck to improve the velocity on your shot. It's best to do this exercise when you are fatigued at the end of practice. Take 10 slap shots, 10 snap shots, 10 backhand shots and 20 wrist shots to improve your velocity when you get in game situations.
Step 2
Shoot against a goalie cutout when you are practicing by yourself. While you will occasionally be able to shoot the puck between the goalie's legs, most shooters will aim for one of the four corners of the net to develop an accurate shot. When you get the chance to score from one of the prime scoring areas in the offensive zone, you may not have a lot of time to get set, aim and shoot. If you practice shooting a lot, you will have an instinct to fire the puck at one of the four corners, and that will give you a better chance to score, the HockeyShot website explains.
Step 3
Raise your stick blade back to hip level when you are taking a slap shot. While the slap shot has the most velocity of any hockey shot, it takes longer to shoot it --- meaninig defensemen have a greater chance to get in the way of the shot and block it. If you take the blade of your stick to hip level, you will get the puck away much quicker and opponents will have less chance of blocking it. This will give you a greater chance to score. The shorter backswing will also help you get the puck up higher and give you a chance to hit the upper right or upper left corners.
Step 4
Learn the opposing goalie's strengths and weaknesses. A basic rule for good shooters is to aim high to the stick side and low to the glove side. It is much easier for a goalie to stop a low shot with the blade of his stick. Therefore, he is vulnerable to a high shot on the stick side. It's easier to catch a high shot on the goalie's glove side. The lower shot may be more difficult to reach.
Tips and Warnings
- Your skating can also help you become a better scorer. If you have more speed, agility and balance than your opponent, you have a chance to get to the open areas of the ice and get away a dangerous shot.
Things You'll Need
- Hockey stick
- Hockey puck
- Weighted hockey puck
- Hockey net
- Goalie cutout
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