How to Hoist a Hockey Puck
Being able to lift a hockey puck with your stick during the course of a shot is an important skill to have during a game. When a goalie drops to the ice, his leg pads and stick can make scoring a low goal nearly impossible. If you can raise your shot, however, you have a better chance of shooting the puck past him. As with all elements of sports, practice makes perfect with this drill.
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Instructions
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Position the puck toward the end of your blade, called the "toe," through stickhandling. If you're new to the sport of hockey, get accustomed to moving the puck from one end of your blade to the other through stickhandling.
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Rotate your wrists slightly so the upper corner of the toe of your blade turns toward the ice. In other words, the front face of your blade should dip downward.
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Slide your stick blade forward as you transfer the weight of your body from your back foot to your front foot. As you slide the blade forward in the direction of the net, roll your wrists forward to create a "scooping" action with the blade of your stick. As your stick moves in this manner, its bottom edge will slide beneath the puck and lift it off the ice.
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Finish your shot by allowing your stick to continue on its trajectory. Be careful about letting the blade fly significantly above your waist; if an opponent is close enough to get hit with your blade, you may get called for a high-sticking penalty.
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Tips & Warnings
The stick movement for slap shots and wrist shots is similar when you want to raise the puck off the ice. With a slap shot, especially a "one-timer" that is passed to you just prior to your shot, you will not get the opportunity to position the puck at the toe of your stick. Through practice, you'll be able to get your shot action timed so the toe makes contact with the puck.
Practice taking high shots on goalies or set up targets mounted to the top inside corners of the net to perfect your accuracy with high shots.
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