Hockey: Point the Front Toe on the Backhand Shot

Dick Moss, Editor, PE Update.com

Better Technique: Front Foot Pointing at Target Allows Hips to Rotate Forward for Better Power and Accuracy

Although it doesn't have the same speed as the slapshot, many goalies find the backhand an extremely difficult shot to stop.

A subtle shift of your players' front foot position can make the shot more accurate and powerful.

Better Backhands
As your players shift their weight from the back to the front foot, instruct them to

Incorrect Technique: Front Foot Is At Right - Angles to the Target

point their front toe towards the target. This allows the hips to rotate forward, providing additional power and allowing a smooth follow-through for better accuracy.

References:
1. Newell Brown and Vern Stenlund in cooperation with the Huron Hockey School, Hockey Drills for Scoring, Human Kinetics Publishers, 1997.
2. Don MacAdam & Gail Reynolds, Coaching Hockey for Dummies, Amazon Digital Services - Kindle Edition, 2010.

To download the pdf version of this
article, click here: Download Now