Snap Shot

The snap shot is the fastest releasing shot in ice hockey and functions like a combination between the wrist shot and the slap shot. Like the wrist shot the snap shot is accurate and very quick to pull off, it is also a very powerful shot, like the slap shot, because of the way that the blade meets the puck.

To perform a snap shot you use the power in your wrists to move the puck forwards, but instead of the technique used for the standard wrist shot you move the blade a short distance forwards before it meets the puck. This extra momentum gives the shot much more power than the wrist shot (although not as much as you’d get through using a slap shot). It’s a tricky shot to master, and takes a lot of practice but once you get it right it can be a powerful tool to add to your game. This video includes some tips for making the perfect snap shot.

So why use the snap shot rather than a slap shot? Well, although it isn’t quite as powerful the snap shot is more accurate and you have the added advantage of having very little wind up to it, this means that you have the chance to surprise the other team with a very quick, very powerful shot with very little warning.

The trick to mastering the perfect snap shot is in controlling the height of the puck. Ideally you want it to travel a couple of inches off the ice, this makes it harder for the other team’s goalie to stop and is the perfect height for one of your own team to deflect it into the goal.

Snap Shot