Shooting Effectively

16 Jan Shooting Effectively

Shooting: Why One-Legged Shots Never Work

One of the worst habits I see in hockey, are players blistering down the boards, getting ready to shoot and doing the old “Dog Peeing on a Hydrant” pose. Shooting with one leg up in the air, leaning away from the net might feel cool, but it is the total opposite of effective. Here are the top 5 reasons why we gotta trade in the “One-Leggers” and start improving shooting!

1) Shooting like this looks absolutely ridiculous- That’s right, shooting off one leg, leaning away from the target is the most  unnatural pose for anyone attempting to score a goal. How people end up this way in the first place is beyond me, but why would anyone want to be all “Everybody was Kung-Fu Fight-ing” on a 1 on 1. The only hope you have is if both the D and Goalie buckle to the ice in laughter leaving an open lane to a vacant net!

2) Where’s the torque? – Really, imagine trying to hit a baseball on one leg… the ball might, just might make it past the pitcher! Without getting too scientific, you need to invert the hip of the lead leg in order to allow for the explossive eversion necessary to start the shot! So a left handed player shooting on the net shouldn’t start by turning  with all the pressure on the left leg as the centrifical force will cause the dog peeing on the hydrant pose (weird Yoga huh)! If the weigh is evenly distributed on the legs, and the player consciously brings the right leg around to cock the right hip, the result will be nothing short of an absolute howitzer! It feels unnatural for the first few times, but name one thing done properly that doesn’t feel unnatural when starting out!

3) It’s a one way ticket to Lights-Outs-Ville –With all the media attention on concussions,

Johnny -one-legger about to become dinner for a hungry defenceman!

the message is clear… do whatever it takes to be aware, alert andstop concussions! Lifting one leg up in the air is the furthest from a position that will allow you to brace yourself when that D steps up to finish the hit. Bringing the front leg around when shooting not only adds 85% more power to the shot, it puts you perpendicular to oncoming contact and puts your front shoulder in the best position to take the brunt of the impact!

4) Where’s the element of surprise? – Sun Tzu would surely be disappointed. The object of a shot is to not let the goalie know when it is coming right? Well, if you are going to lift your leg in the air before a shot, you might as well just put a bow on it and hand it to the tender! These are vital hockey skills everyone. Shooting can lead to a goal, but it can also lead to an unnecessary injury!

Not all shots off one leg are wrong… just have to make sure your momentum is still going forward and that you aren’t leaning away from the net! Solution? Prepare to shoot ahead of time and position yourself so that you open up for a potential shot!