Top Shelf Essay, Research Paper

Top Shelf: A Guide to the Perfect Wrist Shot

What youngster has not dreamed about snapping a wrist shot past the goalie in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final to win the game? However, not everyone has a shot of this calibre; a shot so great that any goalie who faces it trembles in fear as the player with the puck breaks in alone with his eye on the corner of the net. There is hope though, and in the following pages you will find a step by step guide to the perfect wrist shot so that you too may reduce any goalie you face to nothing more than a target full of holes. To get started you will need a hockey stick of the proper length. This means a stick that is cut so that when the end of the blade is placed onto the ice, the top of the stick reaches the bottom of your chin. Be sure to check this, because a stick that is the wrong length can impair the accuracy of your shooting. In addition, you will need a hockey puck, and a net to aim at.

To begin, take a stance with your knees bent, feet shoulder width apart and perpendicular to the direction you are shooting, back straight and bent slightly forward at the waist, and weight slightly forward on the balls of your feet. Place one hand half way down the shaft of the stick (your right hand if you are a right-handed shot and vice versa) and the other hand at the top of the stick. Both hands should grip the stick firmly while keeping the wrists loose. Once you have achieved this stance and feel comfortable, you are ready to initiate the movements of the perfect wrist shot.

Bring the puck behind your back leg lowering your shoulder as you reach back and down with your stick to position the puck. Keep the puck in the middle of the blade with the blade tilted over the puck. In this position, your weight should be on your back leg. Sweep the puck forward while transferring your weight toward your front foot and rotating your body forward. As the stick blade crosses your body, transfer your body weight onto your stick while pushing forward with your lower hand and pulling backward with your top hand. The puck is released when it reaches your front foot and your shoulders are square to the net. At the point of release, your wrists snap forward causing the stick blade to turn out and lift the puck. After the puck is released, follow through pointing the toe of your stick toward the point on the target that you are aiming for. The height of the shot depends on how much you rotate your wrists and how high your follow-through is.