Q&A for How to Take a Slapshot in Ice Hockey

Concentrate on the proper grip and stance. First, place your stick with its face down on the ground and the hook pointing away to your right side. Then, bend your knees and pick it up with your left hand gripping tightly at the top of the stick and your right hand loosely placed around the middle. Your left hand does most of the maneuvering, while your right hand provides gentle support. A key thing to watch out for is your left wrist position. If your wrist is rotated too far forward, it’ll be harder to control the ball properly. Here’s a quick test: push the stick out in front of you, and check if you can read a watch on your left wrist. If not, adjust your hand and wrist position until it feels natural. For practice, try slipping an empty toilet roll over the stick shaft under your right hand. It’ll stop you from gripping too tightly and help you get the right feel. When carrying or dribbling the ball, keep it slightly out in front of your right foot, with your knees bent and your left arm extended straight ahead. This helps your arms stay comfortable during the game.

Head to your local hockey store and buy some high quality stick tape. (The more expensive the better.) Make a little roll out of the tape, so that the sticky side is facing outwards, and firmly press it to your ear. Proceed to put on your helmet as usual.

Follow through higher. Note: This is usually a bad thing. Keep your shots down low.

It's best that you get a new helmet if this happened. A cracked helmet will no longer provide you as much protection as before.

There could be a few factors. Could be the loading zone, could be the amount of flex, could be length.

Yes, you'd perform a slap shot in roller hockey just as you would in ice hockey.

Because that "loads" tension on the flexible stick. The stick can then whip back into shape, thus adding a lot of power to the shot.

Your stick flex should be half your weight to have a good slap shot. The ideal for you would a 35-40 flex.

It depends on what position you play and at what level. In general, if you're a center, wrist shots are vital to help get the puck at the net quickly. When you're a wing, wrist shots are still important, but you should also learn how to take a proper slapshot in case you get a smooth pass from one of your other players.