4. Goals...

This period we are going after goals, and that means assists, too. So let us take a look first at the various ways of shooting and of beating the goalkeeper.

Before we do this, you should know a very important fact about shooting. Your team will do well to average 30 to 40 shots on goal per game. If you are a forward, you may have only six to eight shots in a game. In an hour of scrimmage practice, this average may be only slightly higher.

RINK has two blue lines, making defending, neutral, and attacking zones.

So you will not score many goals unless you put in a good amount of shooting practice to get the speed, power, and accuracy which will make your few chances count. And you will not be able to shoot your way out of a paper bag unless your technique for getting the puck away is sound.

Then, too, there is the battle of wits that goes on between you and the opposing goalie. You can hope to win this duel only if you have a thorough knowledge of the target areas he has trouble covering, which means you will have to put in long, hard practice sessions with him in the net.

During these long, hard practice sessions, your constant companion will be your stick, which plays a very important part in good shooting. Your stick will be your best friend if you show as good a judgment in selecting it as you showed in selecting your skates.

Your Stick and Other Hockey Needs

Your choice of stick should be made with care so that, after you have used a few, you know what hand, lie, length, and weight suits you best.

You can buy a left, right, or neutral stick at a sporting goods store. Pick one for the hand with which you shoot, provided it does not have too pronounced a hook in the blade. A right-handed shot places his right hand lower than his left on his stick, shoots forehand from his right side, and usually uses a right-handed stick. A left-handed shot places his left hand lower than his right on his stick, shoots forehand from his left side, and usually uses a left-handed stick. Go to a neutral stick when you want to correct a fault of consistently shooting too high. Sometimes the bend or hook in a blade causes the aerial attack you always seem to launch.

The lie of your stick refers to the angle the shaft makes with the blade, when the blade is flat on the ice. You can buy sticks with lies ranging from three to seven. This means that, when both blades rest flat on the ice, the shaft of the lie seven stick is higher, or more perpendicular, than that of the lie three stick. Lies for goalies' sticks are higher, ranging from ten to fourteen. If you are a goalie, select a lie that lets the stick blade rest flat on the ice at your feet when you take your ready stance.

The variation from lie three to lie seven, in the angle of blade to shaft, is designed to suit your stance while passing, shooting, and stick handling. You can determine whether a lie six stick suits you only by actually using one and asking your coach to watch you. If, in receiving a pass or in stick-handling, the toe of your blade is off the ice, you should try a lower lie.

Do not be casual about the length of the stick you use, either. Having a length of cordwood jutting out beyond your top hand is not going to do your play any good. An average length will find the end of the shaft coming just below your nose when you hold the stick up against your body while wearing ordinary shoes.

This will vary according to the ease with which you can handle your stick. If you cut it off very short, it will be easier to handle, but then you lose effective reach for both passes and checking.

THE PROPER STICK LENGTH for any player is determined by holding the stick up against his body while he is wearing ordinary shoes. The stick end should come just below his nose.

The weight of stick you use should be the lightest you can get without it being too brittle or too "whippy." The less weight in the blade, the easier you can handle the whole stick. Some players go to considerable trouble to plane wood from the thick part of the heel, or they even cut an inch or two from the toe, to get a lighter stick.

You should wrap the blade with electrical tape to keep it from breaking. This also serves the purpose of "cushioning" the puck in pass receiving and in stickhandling.

Your necessary equipment for hockey is complete when you have gloves, shin pads, pants, stockings, elbow pads, athletic support, shoulder pads, and a helmet. You are very wise to wear a helmet, whether required or not. Not only will it protect you, but it also will give you confidence in your early years of developing skating skills.

The Forehand Shot

The basic shot in hockey is the forehand, which you should master before going on to develop others. The two elements you must try to develop are power and accuracy.

First, practice the following steps from a standing position on the ice, with the net or the boards as a target 20 to 30 feet away. Since the following instructions are for a left-handed shot, you will need to read right for left, and vice versa, throughout this description if you are a right-handed shot.

The Fundamentals

1. Firmly grip your stick with your left hand about 16 inches down the shaft, placing your right hand snug against the knob of tape on the end.
2. Your first move is to swing the puck around to your left side, taking it back just behind the midline of your body. This is the cocking action which causes your wrists to bend so that they are ready to snap into the shot.
3. This sweep of the puck to your side will cause your body to turn so that your right shoulder points to the net. Your skates will pivot slightly, the right foot going ahead of the left.
4. Transfer your weight to your left foot.
5. Sweep the puck forward, keeping it nestled in the center of your stick blade. You can think of this move as rolling the puck off the toe of your stick with a flicking action. As you make this sweep, push hard off your left skate onto your right one. Whip your wrists forward into the shot as you release the puck.
6. Your stick should follow through in the direction of the net at only a few feet off the ice. Many young players have trouble keeping their shots down below the four-foot height of the net. They have usually worked so hard to raise the puck that all their shots go whistling around the goalie's ears. This tendency can be controlled by sweeping the stick along the ice in the follow-through.
7. Now put all the above moves together in one smooth, powerful delivery. When you have this down, it is time to consider your head and eye position. You cannot hit what you cannot see. At the same time, you can be a real comedian if, while looking for the net opening, you shoot and no puck comes off your stick.

To prevent such mishaps, look up as you sweep the puck back. Quickly pick a spot as your target. Glance down to be sure the puck is on your stick; then let the shot go immediately. This sequence will be needed when you shoot while skating in at top speed. Glance down to control the puck; look up to pick an opening; peek to get the puck ready; then shoot quickly. As you improve your control of the puck by feel and by split vision, execute the complete shot while your head is up and you look for the net opening.

8. When you have the feel of shooting from a standstill, practice shooting on the move. You should beware of a fault that often creeps in at this point.

This fault involves the body turn mentioned in step three. While skating in, as you turn your body and bring the puck around to your left side just before shooting, do not let your skates pull you off to the left. This may spoil your shooting angle, particularly if you are coming in fast from left wing.

IN THE FOREHAND SHOT (left) , the player sweeps the puck to his forehand side and turns. He then (above) moves his weight forward into the shot, his stick following through low to the ice.

Such a sharp veer to the left also makes it hard for you to follow in quickly to play a rebound.

Try your forehand shot while carrying the puck fast down center ice and down both left and right wings. If you are a defenseman, practice it also from a stationary position at the "points" - just inside the attacking blue line.

Get a partner to feed you passes, which you should receive and shoot quickly. This helps you smooth out your puck handling before the shot.

If you want to test your power on the forehand shot, shoot at a heavy block of wood from a distance of one foot (the width of the blue line). Measure the distance you drive the wood with the puck. This will help you concentrate on wrist action, leg drive, weight transfer, and body pivot - all important factors in developing shooting power.

The Backhand Shot

Sometimes during a game, you will be in position to shoot, but the puck will be on your wrong side - that is, the side opposite your forehand shot. This may occur when you round a defenseman. Or you may be asked by your coach to play left wing when you shoot right-handed. Here the chance that you will need a strong backhand shot increases.

The following explanation of the backhand shot refers to right-handed players, that is, those who shoot forehand from the right side. So you lefties just substitute left for right and right for left on this one. Imagine you are coming in on the goal from left wing.

The Fundamentals

1. Swing the puck to your left side. Your body will turn so that your right shoulder points to the net.
2. Normally, your grip remains the same as with your forehand shot. But, if you find it helps, you may slide your lower (right) hand a bit farther down the shaft.
3. Your body weight is now carried on your rear, or left, skate.
4. As the puck is whipped forward in the shot, you shift weight naturally by pushing from your left skate to your right one.
5. Up to this point, the backhand and the forehand techniques are similar, but they are conducted on opposite sides of the body. You will notice, though, that there is a strong tendency for the backhand shot to flip the puck high in the air. There are two reasons for this: The stick naturally stays longer with the puck on the follow-through, and your wrist action tends to lift the puck at the end of the shot.

You can, however, correct this with the same medicine prescribed for the forehand shot: Keep your stick on the ice, or close to it, during the follow-through.

This shot will feel awkward at first, but with practice it will become more natural. You may also find it helps to get the backhand away while both skates coast on the ice. But work to execute the shot while taking normal strides.

IN THE BACKHAND SHOT (left) , the player sweeps the puck to his "wrong" side, back to the midline of his body. He turns, with one shoulder to the net and his weight on his rear foot. He then (above) shifts his weight to his right skate, which points in the direction of the shot, and he shoots, keeping his stick on the ice in the follow-through. After spotting his target, he glances at the puck and shoots quickly.

And, of course, you can follow the same instructions as for the forehand in sighting your target. Look up for the opening, glance down to set the puck, and shoot quickly.

The Slap Shot

The slap shot is the glamour shot of hockey which has become popular only in recent years. For the highly-skilled player, it is an effective, deadly weapon because of its velocity and explosiveness. The goalie has trouble with the slap shot, because its terrific speed makes it hard to see. He has about as much time to set himself for the shot as he would have for a rifle bullet!

The chief difficulty with the slap shot lies in controlling it with any degree of accuracy. Also, the fine timing required to get it away while skating at top speed is attained only through hard practice.

Let us take a look at the slap shot - first, as you let it go from a fixed position and then at top speed. Place yourself about 20 feet from the boards, with half a dozen pucks at your feet and an old stick in your hands. Again, the shot is described as though you were a right-handed shot.

The Fundamentals

1. Standing still, grip your stick firmly, sliding the lower hand farther down the shaft than you do in your fore hand shot.
2. Swing your body sideways to the boards. This is like a golfer addressing his ball on the tee, except that your skates should not swing completely around at right angles to your shot. The puck is opposite your front, or left, foot.
3. With a short backswing, bring your stick up to about waist height. As you do so, bend your wrists so that the blade of your stick turns. You may even find that you can point the toe of your stick down to the ice in the backswing. What you are doing here is cocking your wrists to get extra zip into the shot.
4. Swing your stick down to contact the puck, much as you would swing a golf club. Your weight swings into the shot onto your forward foot. There is little or no stick follow-through.
5. At the moment of contact, your wrists snap sharply, whipping the blade of your stick at the puck. This should add to the speed of the shot and raise it from the ice.
6. Your eyes must be on the puck throughout the move.

Now you are ready to try the slap shot while moving, after carrying the puck up the ice. Let the puck drift ahead of you, then skate up to it, and wham! For the actual shot, follow the same steps as given above for a fixed slap shot.

Of course, you add to the velocity of your shot if you carry it in at breakneck speed. Just remember your timing becomes more difficult the faster you skate.

You can use this shot anytime your forehand shot could have been tried, if (and this is a big "if") there are time and room enough to get the shot away. In the course of slapping the shot, there are a couple of seconds when the puck lies free on the ice, and an opposing player could get to it first. So always allow yourself plenty of time and room to make a slap shot - or you may be a real "loser."

As a defenseman, you can use a slap shot while playing the point position at the attacking blue line. You should try this, though, only if you have time to move two or three strides and let it go.

You can use this technique to shoot for goals from outside the blue line, when no passing play appears to be possible. Try to have a good head of steam when you do so, because it is not likely you will score from out there, and a rebound may be waiting for you.

Other Shots

A good hockey player is not limited to forehand, backhand, and slap shots, for he is aware of and can use other kinds of shots, which are really variations of the three basic ones. These variations are special shots in that there may be only a few, special times when they should be used.

A good example of a time calling for a special shot is when you take a position in front of the other team's net, while your teammate works to pass the puck out to you. You will be well covered. If the puck does get to your stick, you certainly will not have time to go through the elaborate windup, weight transfer, and so on, required by a regular shot. Instead you will need to use a special shot.

A good general rule to follow is this: When you suddenly get the puck around your opponent's net, shoot quickly. This seems pretty obvious, but many players lose opportunities to score because they have to set themselves up for a good, hard shot. In that wasted split second, either they are checked, or the goalie is set to block the shot.

Snap Shot, or wrist shot, stresses quickness in getting the puck away. You may get a passout onto your stick near the net, and without delaying, you should snap the puck to the net. This may even be a short slap shot. Or the puck may be fired with the wrists doing all the work.

You also can use this shot when you carry the puck in toward the goal and are unable to swing the puck to your side or turn your body for the normal forehand delivery. The wrists do all the work, which means you must have strength in your fingers, hands, and forearms in order to do the job.

Most boys your age have very weak wrists, unless they do extra work to develop them. Some basketball coaches prescribe push-ups and gripping a small ball to develop the wrist power needed in the basketball jump shot. To these exercises, you should add the wrist roll exercise.

For this exercise, tie a rope about four feet long to a ten-pound weight. Anchor the other end of the rope to a broomstick, which is about 30 inches long. Hold the stick in both hands and roll the rope and its weight up and down slowly. Determine the maximum number of times you can do this without stopping or letting the weight touch the floor.

Do three-quarters of your maximum number of repetitions daily. (If your maximum repetitions on this test go beyond 10 to 15 times, you should use a heavier weight.) After a few weeks, you may need to increase the weight and to reduce the number of wrist rolls you do. You get the greatest benefit when you really have to work.

Flip Shot is used to lift the puck over a stick or over the goalie's body, when speed and power are unnecessary. This is a useful shot for clearing the puck from your own end, when the other team really has the pressure on. If you have a man in the penalty box, you can use this shot to flip the puck the length of the ice. Or you can flip it off the boards into center ice to relieve the pressure.

In this shot, all the work is done by your stick blade and your hands. With the puck on your stick, tilt the blade and scoop the puck into the air. At first, you will find it is easier to do this on your backhand.

IN THE SLAP SHOT, the player's arms, shoul-ders, and full body weight are used to hit the puck with force and speed. His lower hand is well down the shaft, bracing it for the sharp slap that sends the puck whizzing toward the net.

An interesting variation of the flip shot is a freak shot, called blooper, which often catches a goalie by surprise. This shot, lifted high in the air from about center ice, is aimed right at the goalie. If it bounces about ten feet in front of him, it may take a weird hop into the net - making his face match the red light that goes on behind him!

TIP-IN, or deflection shot, does not involve any particular technique at all, but it should be mentioned, because today many goals are scored by using it. All you do with this shot is to change the path of a pass or a shot by tipping the puck into the net with your stick.

You may receive a fast, goal-aimed pass from a teammate in the corner. Deflect it with your stick blade, without first trying to stop it. In this way, you catch the goalie on the move from one side of the net to the other.

Your position as a forward in front of the opponent's net may pay off with a deflection of a teammate's shot from farther out in the ice. To succeed in this, keep your stick on the ice at all times, ready to tip the shot. You will probably have to keep moving in front of the goalie to free yourself from his check. If you do so, you also may be screening the goalie's view of the oncoming shot.

Ice Shot deserves mention here chiefly because many boys believe they must raise the puck in order to score. However, a hard shot along the ice with plenty of zip on it is very effective. The reason for this is simple. Imagine yourself in the goalie's shoes as he gets ready for a shot. You brace yourself to catch the puck or to kick a leg at it. In so doing, you unwillingly flinch, or tighten up. But, zingo! The puck never leaves the ice.

As in the forehand shot, the follow-through in controlling the height of your shot is important. To keep the puck on the ice, make sure your stick remains on the ice after the puck has gone. Also do not ease up on any part of your delivery to make the ice shot.

Shooting Targets and Angles

Now that you have studied a number of pointers on the mechanics of the various kinds of shots, you are ready to learn the best target areas at the net opening and the best shooting positions on the ice.

If you were to keep a chart of your goal shots during practices and games, you would be amazed at the number of your shots that have zeroed in on the goalie's pads. And these are the ones he scarcely has to move to save.

To prove this point during shooting practice drills, all a coach has to do is privately instruct the goalie to stand in the center of the net and not move to save a single shot. After ten shots from a distance of 30 feet, of which six hit the pads, three missed the net, and perhaps one scored, the coach might call over the shooter. The conversation probably would go like this:

"How many of your last ten shots hit the goalie?"

"Oh, two or three, I guess."

"Six of them did. What were you aiming at?"

"The net, I think."

"The goalie had orders not to move to make a save. His pads were what really caught your eye, and that's exactly where the puck went."

Consider this. The net is four feet high and six feet wide, and smack in the middle of this opening are the goal-tender's pads - 20 inches wide. They act as a magnet and an eye-catcher as you take that quick, split-second look permitted just before shooting.

Choosing Your Target

1. The goalie's weak side is the side opposite his catching hand. This is the left side of a right-handed goalie, and vice versa. You should spot this weakness early in the game and go for it, because without either catching hand or stick to use on that side, the goalie is considerably weaker than on the other side.

This means that if you were to shoot from the left wing against a right-handed goalie, you should shoot for the goal's far post - the goalie's weak, or left, side. Naturally, a goalie may favor his weak side by leaving more of the net to be covered by his catching hand and stick. You then should find other net targets on which to fasten your sights.

2. A shot headed for just inside either post is a dandy. You may force the goalie to move the maximum distance to save the shot, and anytime he has to move to save, you test him. Besides, a post is a good solid object to sight better than hitting the goalie's pads.
3. The net's four corners are small but good target areas. Here, control of the shot's height is important, with the lower corner of the goalie's weak side being best.
4. The ice shot which travels about six inches off the ice is particularly good for point-shooting defensemen. From the blue line (a distance of about 50 feet to the net), this shot has about the least chance of being blocked before it gets to the goalie.

THIS PLAYER wants to develop the wrist, hand, and arm strength needed by hockey players. He is doing the wrist roll exercise.

which is a good target. Other targets are the four corners and inside either post.

The shot close to the ice may surprise the goalie; he may tighten up in readiness for a high shot. Also, it is harder for him to kick a leg out to save on a low one than it is for him to use his catching hand.

The need for you to pick one of these specific spots as your target every time you shoot cannot be stressed too greatly. By picking one of these target areas, you will keep many of your shots away from the goalie, or, at least, you will force him to move to make the save.

Choosing Your Shooting Angle

In no other team sport does sheer luck play such a part in scoring. Freak goals are scored when passouts from behind the net hit the back of the goalie's leg. Sometimes a player out of shooting position blindly drives the puck for the net, and it bounces in off another player's skate.

These are the elements of chance you cannot anticipate. You can, however, work on the law of averages. That is, you can use the best possible shooting positions to guarantee the highest percentage of successful shots.

In Figure 1, your shooting angle is best at point A because your shot comes from a spot requiring the goalie to cover the widest possible angle. (The term angle is used here to mean the width of net space the goalie must cover when your shot comes from various places on the ice.) Your shooting angle is worse if taken from point B, and it is reduced to nothing at points C and D.

The ideal distance from point A to the net is about 15 feet. The percentage of shots scored from this area should be greater than from points B, C, and D, because the width of the net opening is much greater at point A. Or, to put it another way, the goalie has more net to cover on shots from point A than he does on shots from point B, C, or D.

In Figure 2, you improve your shooting angle if you get to point A. If you cannot get to point A but are forced to the corner, do not waste a shot to the net. Slide or flip a pass out to a teammate who is in a better shooting position. You can make this pass out to a teammate from any one of points B, C, and D.

Remember that you will be skating at top speed when you receive a pass along the boards from a teammate and your good shooting angle disappears in a second or two. Experience and practice will help you to get the feel of when and where your shot should be taken, so that you have the percentages working for you.

IN FIGURE 1, point A is the best shooting angle, with the ideal distance being 1 5 feet from the net. The angle is worse at B, and disappears at C and D. IN FIGURE 2, player 1 takes a pass on left wing and cuts to point A. If forced to the corner, he passes from B, C, or D to a teammate near net.

Deking the Goalie

The word "deke" seems to be uniquely a hockey term to describe the act of faking the goalie and putting the puck in the net. It is the play that is "the most" in hockey.

At top speed, the puckcarrier comes in alone on the goalie. In a moment, the duel between the two is over. A good fake shot drops the goalie to his knees. Then the puck is pulled to one side and, in a split second, shot into the open net. There is no prettier play in all of sport for sheer brilliance in timing and speed. Let us see how it is done with a left-handed puckcarrier.

The Fundamentals

1. Skating as fast as you can, break in on the goal. Try to get centered on the net as you hit the blue line.
2. As you near your target, sweep the puck to your left side, as though going to shoot from 20 feet out.
3. If you can do so without losing the puck, look at the lower left (your left) corner of the net. This will tend to hold the goalie, as he gets set for your shot.
4. Dip your head and shoulders to the left to add to your fake.
5. At the last moment, push to your right, off your left skate, quickly sliding the puck to your backhand as you do so.
6. As you swing by to the right of the net opening, flip the puck in. Try to relax at this last moment to avoid the nightmare of missing the open net. It can happen!

It takes a great deal of practice to perfect a good fake to the left. Work hard against a goalie by varying the deke with the actual shot, making the fake at 15 to 20 feet out.

Remember that your chances of breaking in alone and unmolested will be few and far between. Except on a penalty shot, your chance will likely come on an unexpected break, a bad mistake by an opponent, or a well-timed lead pass from a linemate. You will have to make a quick decision whether to shoot or to try to draw the goalie out. When you choose to do the latter, it helps to know that you have practiced the technique and are ready for the play.

Are You Ready To Move Onto The Next Lesson? Click Here...