Why Wrist Curls Won't Help Your Wrist Shot: Insight Into Exercises Responsible For Helping You Shoot The Puck Harder

Everybody wants to score goals. When somebody looks up your stats, their eyes aren't going straight to your plus minus. The first thing they will look at is your goal total. At the end of the day, the team that is able to put more pucks in the other team’s net is the team that wins. Coaches want players that help them win. And while there are many ways to do that, scoring goals will always be the first to catch the eye. As goalies keep getting bigger and better, a great shot is needed to beat them. Look at Ovi, Auston Matthews, and Hilary Knight. Having a rocket of a shot will help you put the puck in the net more often, get more playing time, get noticed by scouts, and most importantly help your team win more games. Now that you know why your shot is so important, how can you improve it? 

There is a lot of misinformation about what creates a hard shot. With the advancing stick technology, how we shoot has changed over the years. Unfortunately, some people are stuck in the past and have probably been giving you outdated advice. For example, your wrists actually contribute almost nothing in terms of creating force in your shot. Doing hundreds of wrist curls will not give you that elite shot you are after. It is all biomechanics. Look to the right. When you break down how force is created in the shot, there are 2 main components. One is pushing into the stick with the bottom hand and pulling in with the top hand to create flex which propels the puck. The other is rotation through your core and hips which occurs when players shift weight from one foot to the other, “snap” their hips, and follow through. How much each of those actions contributes to your shot depends on the type of shot you are taking. 

If you want to improve your shot, there are a few main components that should be included in your training. Upper body horizontal pressing is a key for shot power, being able to push into the stick with the bottom hand and create more flex will help put some zip on your shots. An example would be a bench press variation. Upper body pulling strength will help with pulling back and stabilizing with the top hand. An example would be a rowing variation. Lastly is rotational power. An example would be lateral med ball tosses. If you include these things in your training instead of doing countless wrist curls and grip exercises, your shot will start to fly off your blade.

If you struggle to get power behind your shots and want a full 12 week program to help you start ripping the puck, click the button below and use code ShotPower at check out for 25% off as a thank you for reading the blog.

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