Brandon Rubeo of Quest Hockey and the Hockey Players Club demonstrates 10 shooting drills you can do at home to improve your shot.
It’s important to develop the habit of practicing and shooting with purpose.
So when practicing any of these 10 shooting drills to do at home, focus on your technique and accuracy so you’re confident in your skills once you’re pressed for time in a game.
Try these 10 shooting drills to improve your shot at home:
- Kessel Switch Feet Shoot In Your Stride [0:08]: With your chest and hips facing the net and puck on your forehand, pick up your inside foot (right foot if you’re right-handed, left foot if you’re left-handed). Keep your top hand out and away from your body (your knuckles facing the net) and engage your bottom hand, applying downward pressure into the playing surface behind the puck to generate flex. Synchronize switching feet, effectively transferring your weight into your other foot, as you aggressively snap your wrists down and through the puck.
- Stamkos Toe Drag One-Timers [0:30]: Toe drag a loose puck towards your body, giving yourself a soft pass, while you pull your blade back and one-time the puck at the net. Remember to create flex behind the puck and follow through.
- Matthews Change the Angle Toe Drag Shot [0:49]: While you toe drag a puck around a “defender” (bucket, puck bag, cone, whatever you have handy) to change the angle of your shot, remember to keep your top hand out and away from your body and use your bottom hand to flex and snap the puck on net.
- Getzlaf Pull In Push Out Shot [1:05]: Utilizing a toe drag as a fake, pull the puck in before pushing the puck away from your body (while shifting your weight) and snap the puck on net.
- Datsyuk Backhand Pull and Shoot [1:29]: Set up two pucks/cones to your forehand side with a pile of pucks set up to the far side. Grab a puck on your forehand. Stickhandle forward towards the net before using your backhand to pull the puck between the two pucks/cones. With the puck now on your forehand, pull in and around the closest puck and snap your shot on net.
- Pastrnak Spin and Shoot [1:50]: Start with the puck on your forehand and back facing the net. Pull the puck across your body as you spin to face the net and snipe a corner.
- Ovechkin Snapshot with Near Foot Down & Far Foot Up On a Chair [2:11]: Face the net and stand with your inside foot (right foot if you’re right-handed, left foot if you’re left-handed) on the ground and your outside foot resting on top of a chair (or box, bench, etc.). With the puck on your forehand, keep your top hand up and away from your body and focus on flexing your stick before snapping the puck on the net.
- MacKinnon Front Stickhandle Pull to Shooting Position [2:25]: Facing the net, start with the puck out in front of you. Pull the puck to your forehand side and quickly take a snapshot. Try to minimize any extra stickhandling once the puck is on your forehand side.
- Laine Weight Shift Catch and Release [2:48]: Pretend you’re catching a pass from across your body (pass coming from your left side for a right-handed shooter, right side for a left-handed shooter) by starting with your weight and the puck on your backhand side. As you pull the puck across your body to your forehand, shift your weight to your strong side before shooting and transferring your weight back onto your other foot as you follow-through.
- Hughes Rotate Around the Puck and Shoot [3:09]: With your chest perpendicular to and your backhand facing the net, use your backhand to pull the puck in towards your feet while you rotate your body 180-degrees around the puck to snipe a corner.
Select some of the drills and do numerous reps of each to make your own at home shooting workout.
