As a hockey community, we have done a great job promoting the idea of shooting pucks. We have put together challenges and rewards for our athletes – shoot more and you’ll get better. While that is in one sense true, the “shoot more pucks” advice certainly has limits. We need to now take a more nuanced approach to the idea. For instance, does the age of the athlete have any impact on the training return? To make the point clear, would a five-year-old benefit much from shooting 10,000 pucks? Or is the opportunity cost of doing so just too high? 

What we have missed is that proper sport-specific repetitions require certain athletic attributes. Repetitions are only as good as the athletic foundation they are executed upon. An athlete without any wrist or forearm strength will have a tough time snapping the puck. Similarly, an athlete that is unable to properly rotate the core and hips in a coordinated action will have a tough time maximizing shot power. We should consider these two athletic attributes (grip and forearm strength as well as rotational core control and power) when assessing what an athlete should do. 

Wrist and forearm strength
The correlation between grip strength and shot speed is probably very strong. I’ve tested a small group of female athletes and discovered this to be the case – the faster shooters had better grip strength than the weaker shooters. How can we work on training this attribute? The classic method is an easy-to-make wrist roller – skate laces, two feet of an old stick, and a weight. Attach the laces to the stick and the weight, then holding onto the stick, only roll the weight up and down. There are a variety of wrist curl exercises that anyone can find online. Another easy solution is to have younger athletes simply grab their stick at the top with one hand and perform wrist rolls (as if they were stickhandling) for short intervals (less than 30 seconds). 

Rotational core strength
Athletes at every age can improve their rotational core abilities and increase shot speed. Grip strength probably becomes less of a differentiator in shot speed as shooting ability increases. In other words, there is a minimally required amount of grip strength to shoot properly, but after surpassing that level, further increases in grip strength probably do far less in improving shot speed. 

Athletes that can rotate their hips and core properly will be able to fully utilize their body’s power. A lot of athletes shoot primarily through arm strength. They do not rotate with their hips or core very well. Either they rotate too slowly or the motion is not very familiar, so they have a hard time engaging the right muscles at the right time and in the right order. 

We also need to keep in mind that everything we do has an opportunity cost. Shooting 10,000 pucks at age eight has a long-term cost that cannot often be regained. Instead of expanding the athletic base through a physical literacy program, enjoying time at local parks or playing a variety of different sports, hockey players are stuck in a garage, often shooting improperly. 

Remember, practice makes permanent. Also, take a look at your player’s athleticism. Are they ready for high repetition shooting practice or would it be far better for them to focus on something else? 
 

Josh Levine is the Assistant Coach of the Bloomington Jefferson Girls Varsity Hockey team and owner of The Fortis Academy. Fortis works with youth associations to implement skill development programs with all teams, from Mites to Bantams. The program includes parent education seminars, coaching clinics and Fortis skill-based practices. If you’re interested in learning more, shoot Josh an email at joshletsplayhockey@gmail.com. Follow Fortis on Facebook and Instagram.