Wrist Shot Checklist
Marion Alexander, Julie Hayward, Sport Biomechanics Laboratory, University of
Manitoba
Preparatory Movements
 Feet shoulder width apart with knees bent (approximately 25 degrees of flexion)
 Shoulders, hips, knees, and feet perpendicular to the cross bar
 Hands shoulder width apart on the stick
 Moderate amount of trunk forward flexion (approx 40 degrees from horizontal)
which will help determine distance puck is from feet
 Neutral stick blade
Figure 1: Ready Position of Preparation Phase
Backswing
 Blade is placed anterior to the puck and tilted posteriorly backwards, with the
puck between the heel and the middle of the blade
 Supinate the bottom hand and pronate the top hand in order to cradle the puck on
the stick blade while it is being brought back to its maximum takeaway position;
 Trunk rotation back is also used to help position the puck; Shoulders, hips, knees,
and feet are now parallel to the cross bar so the shoulders are sideways to the
direction of the shot
 Top hand horizontally adducts across the body, while the bottom hand
horizontally abducts away from the body to move the stick into a position behind
the player’s back foot
 Puck should be brought approximately 30 cm behind the back skate; if time puck
should be brought further back behind the skate in order to increase the time the
player has to apply forces to the puck
 Weight transfer to the back foot  Flexion of the back knee (approx 60-80
degrees) and extension of the front knee in order to pre load the extensors
Figure 2: High Knee Flexion and Puck Position at Maximum Backswing
Force Producing
 This phase begins immediately after the back leg extensors have been placed on a
stretch by knee flexion
 The player has her eyes on the target in the goal for the remainder of the shot; not
directly on the puck
 Weight is shifted to the front leg (plantar flexors, knee extensors and hip
extensors contract)  stick moves forward in a rapid sweeping motion (with stick
in forward tilt position)
 The front leg is held rigid with the lead skate angled slightly towards the target to
allow for a more complete body rotation, however, this lead skate should remain
in a rigid position to allow the weight to be transferred to the front foot
 A common error was seen when the player would glide forward on the front skate
during the shot, losing the ability to forcefully rotate around the skate
 Front elbow should be held tight to the body so the hand acts as an axis around
which the stick can rotate to increase velocity of the stick
 Bottom arm is extended at the elbow and flexed and abducted at the shoulder to
transfer power into the shot
 During the forward motion of the shot, the upper hand should remain ahead of the
lower hand as the upper elbow is flexed and the lower elbow is extended
 At least 40 degrees of trunk flexion should remain during the force production
phase to allow for maximal rotation of the trunk and maximal length of the
moment arm for spinal rotation
 Stick blade and puck move closer to the body during release of the puck in order
to allow some weight to be placed over the stick to allow for a whipping action in
the shot as well as to apply spin to the puck
 Just prior to critical instant, top hand reverses direction and comes towards the
body and the lower hand continues towards the target
Critical Instant (Release of Puck)
 Bottom hand is rapidly pronating as the top hand supinating about the forearm
axes
 The puck leaves the stick at a point well in front of the front foot, puck is rotating
due to spin applied by the stick at release
 Athlete should continue to have a high degree of trunk forward flexion in order to
maximize the lengths of the moment arms about the lead hip and the long axis of
the spine in order to increase torque
 The athlete should have a full weight transfer onto her front foot in order to
increase the force that can be applied to the puck
 Front foot and leg should be held rigid to allow for complete rotation around a
fixed axis
 The back foot should be off the ice and rotating around the back of the shooterthis will help take up some of the rotation produced by the trunk at release
Figure 3: Critical Instant
Follow Through
 The follow through should occur over a large distance and time in order to
decrease the risk of injury to the athlete- the stick will be extended well in front of
the player, or even wrapped around to the opposite side of the player
 Hips, trunk and shoulders complete the action of rotation and should be again
facing the goal
 The athlete should be balanced following the release with all the weight on the
front foot and the back leg off the ice