preview

Ice Hockey Research Paper

Decent Essays
Open Document

Introduction The sport of ice hockey is an impressive show of speed and skill, long fascinating fans for the fast-paced and exciting atmosphere the game provides. This game requires many complex movement patterns to perform the three core elements of hockey: skating, checking, and shooting.1 One of the more skillful maneuvers that hockey athletes perform is shooting.2 The five types of shots used in hockey are the wrist shot, snap shot, flip shot, backhand shot, and the slap shot, the last of which is the most commonly utilized shot in the sport, comprising 26% of offensive shots and 54% of defensive shots.1 The ultimate goal of this type of shot is to maximize the velocity of the puck in order to score on the opposing team. Puck velocity from a slap shot can reach speeds of 30 meters/second.3 This shot generally produces more speed and power than any other shot. Due to the prolific usage of the slap shot, instruction of proper technique to novice players is key for …show more content…

In order to achieve these desired results, the slap shot differs from other hockey shots; the hockey stick hits the ice prior to the puck, loading the hockey stick with potential energy.4 Six distinct phases make up the shot: the backswing, downswing, preloading, loading, release, and follow through,4,5 The initial stance of a slap shot places the shooter to the side of the puck, with the puck near the front leg. Ideally, hands grip the stick 40cm to 60cm apart.3 The stick goes up in an arc, ideally stopping below the shoulder (the backswing).5 After coming back down (downswing), the stick hits the ice 24cm prior to the puck in the preloading phase.6 The stick then slides across the ice to the puck, continuing to load the stick with energy, and hits the puck (loading phase).7 The puck is then propelled along its trajectory (release phase), and the athlete allows the stick to continue the motion in the follow through

Get Access