Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a wrist shot and a snap shot?
All right, well here it is. The biggest difference between a wrist shot and a snap shot is the puck on our blade. If you think of a wrist shot, especially an old-school wrist shot, where players load it and roll those wrists around, the puck doesn’t separate from our blade. If I’m starting with a wrist shot, I load the puck on my heel, I come through with it, I roll it to the middle of the toe and then let that puck go. The puck is always pretty much in contact with my blade.
Snap Shots have Separation from the Puck to the Blade
Whereas a snap shot, we’re going to have separation from the puck to the blade. It’s also gonna allow us to add leverage on the ice. If I’ve got my puck on my blade, a snap shot would be a little tap out of the puck and then I snap down on that ice and then generate a little more flex on that stick and a little more power on that shot. Now good players can snap pucks from their heel. So snapping the puck off their heel, off the toe, off the middle or anywhere on their blade. But they’re going have a little bit of separation on that puck.
Find a full explanation of the Wrist Shot here
Wrist Shots have a Stick Drag
The other difference with the snap shot is you’re getting rid of that drag. On a wrist shot you’ve got to have a little bit of drag in order to get flex on that stick and then release the puck. The release is gonna be a little bit longer. If you think of a player getting a pass cross ice, they’re going to cradle it and then right away they might wrist or snap it. Whereas a snap shot I can hold my puck and right away I can let that puck go. So if you look at a wrist shot, I’m coming in, I load it and then I’m following through. Where a snap shot, I can keep that puck in tight and then right away we can let that puck go.
Find a full explanation of the Snap Shot here
If you’ve ever wondered why, those are a couple reasons why the wrist shot and the snap shot are a little bit different.
Want to connect and share ideas with other hockey coaches from around the world? Join our Minor Hockey Coaches Group on Facebook, which has coaches from Canada, the United States, Europe and even Australia.
Looking for help to practice more of your skills? Check out the rest of our videos here.
