This video was made to explain some slapshot tips for defensemen. This video compliments our article how to take a slapshot. A few of the slapshot tips for defensemen include keeping the puck low, work on accuracy first, and if you have your team mates in front of the net, take an easy low slapshot. To see all of our tips check out the video.
Slapshot Tips for Defensemen
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Jeremy Rupke
Coach
Hi my name is Jeremy. I LOVE hockey and I am passionate about improving and helping others improve. My goal is to break every hockey skill down into easy to understand articles and videos. I explain everything step-by-step to help others improve.
If you want to learn more about me you can read my about page. Thanks for reading and sharing!
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for the video i really appreciate it I will use it a lot in games and hopefully i can score more goals even thou I am the leading goal scorer.
Hi. I use a 52 flex stick and my slapshot is terrible. What other tips do you have to improve mt shot. I can take snapshots a wristers while playing center but i can never get my slapshot to get any speed or air.
It is all about teaching your muscles to perform the action quickly. When you first start your muscles will do everything slowly, but the more you practice the faster and more powerful your muscles will be and the faster your shot will be. You need to first learn the proper technique, then repeat it about 5000 – 10000 times. That sounds like a lot but that’s about how many repetitions it takes to make something automatic. Shoot a few hundred pucks a day for a few months and you will see HUGE improvements.
Hey one quick question, I just bought a Reebok 8.0.8 stick, 85 flex. I’m around 5’11, 135 lbs and I play defense. So do I need a lower flex or is it fine? Also thanks for all the videos, it’s great.
for flex I usually say half your weight to start, so for you half of 135 we will round up to 70, so start at 70 flex, if you have a good slapshot and you are fairly strong move up to 80 or 85, if your shot sucks and you are weak then move down to something lower.
Also if you cut an 85 flex stick then it will become stiffer the further down you cut it.
try the slapshot challenge it really works. i have been doing it for just under a month and my slap shot has gone up by 10mph already. it is awesome you need to try it.
one question, my coach always says that when i take my slapshot, i always chip it. he says it doesn’t have any power because i’m just chiping it. how can i get around that to improve the power of my slapshot but still be accurate at the same time.
thanks
easy. by chipping it he means your contacting the puck before the ice.
you have to make sure to hit behind the puck. this will put the flex into your stick and will create the power your looking for. when you contact the puck before the ice the amount of power you transfer is greatly reduced. check out the youtube channel and the slap-shot in a minute video. follow those tips and your coach will soon be asking you for tips
He could also mean you are hitting the puck with an open blade, like the wedge of a golf club. I see some players doing this because it makes the puck come off of the ice. Your coach is right because you will never get any power like that. Like Ken said, check out our article on how to take a slapshot, that should help you out. We also just posted an article on the common problems in slapshot technique, so take a look at that article as well.
One question I had is about stick flex regarding the slap shot. I play forward and use a 102 flex stick cut down to about 110 flex. I had a bauer vapor x40 sitck and broke it after two rat sessions. Sent it in and bauer upgraded my stick to the x50 with same flex. People keep telling me my flex is too high and I should get an 87 flex. I have a few friends that play collegiate hockey and they all told me to get 102 flex because this will prevent me from buying sticks every two weeks. Will I get better results on my slap shots if I use a lower flex stick or should I continue to use the 102? I’m roughly 5’11 about 170 lbs but when I load my sticks like in your video they SNAP… I cant afford to be buying $150 stick every other week. Got any ideas or recommendations?
Thanks!
Hey Lenny, thanks for your comment!
The flex of the stick is a measure of how much weight it takes to make the stick flex. I always like to use about half your weight as a good starting point for choosing the right flex, and then go from there for personal preference. How strong you are also plays a role in choosing your stick
For 170 lbs I would say an 85 flex would be a good overall flex for a decent wrist shot and slapshot, but if you are fairly strong and have a hard slap shot maybe go up to 90 – 95.
Everything breaks with enough pressure added, and most breaks are caused from slashes to your stick. Your flex depends on personal preference, so if you don’t want to break a lot of stick you could consider moving down to a 90 or 95 flex, then ease up a bit on your slapshots and let the shaft do a bit of the work. See if that works for you. Also this thread might help you out on the hfboards forum http://hfboards.com/showthread.php?t=753237