At the end of the day, to become a valuable member of any team, you need to learn how to put the puck in the net. While it's true that banging in the crease, sick dangles, or a beautiful tip will all get the job done, first you need to know how to shoot.
There are hundreds of different shooting drills to help you take your shot to the next level, but as Tim Turk explains in this article, you can warm up for any shooting practice with these different preparations.
Warming up before practice is vital to improve your range of motion, repetition, and ultimately your shot. First, you need to take care of your wrists. So much power and energy comes from a simple snap of the wrists that it's crucial to warm them up before shooting. Simply rolling your wrists as far as you can without being uncomfortable in both directions is a simple yet highly efficient way to stay loose. Rotate both wrists as far as they can go at least ten times, making sure to rotate as far as you can with each spin.
Full body warm-up
We know how important your wrists and hands are to shoot, but to get the most power out of your shot you need to use your whole body. This is where your shoulders and back come in. Stretching out the dominant parts of your upper back and shoulders allows you to stay fluid throughout the entirety of the shot. Simply lift your stick behind your back to a comfortable distance, and rotate in a figure-8 type formation. Doing this exercise backwards will help even further. Make sure to watch the video so you know exactly what the rotation looks like.
Important to keep in mind when working on your warm-ups is to pay attention to speed. We always want our shot to be as quick as possible, both through the air and in the release. To get your body used to quick motions, rapidly move your forearms back and forth starting at the wrists. Let your arms hang down just by your sides and repeat the motion over and over. Try going for at least 15 seconds on each arm to get your circulation going and improve the muscle memory in your arm.
Lower risk of injuries
Not only do these warm-ups help you throughout your practice and the game, they help to ward off potential injury risks. Far too often (especially young) athletes jump into a strenuous practice or game without doing the proper preparation. Videos like Tim allows you to learn the simple steps to help you take care of your body before any activity. These easy-to-follow exercises take no time at all, but will save you plenty of time down the road.
