Hockey drills to improve your shooting

File photo credit: VOXSPORTS (for SportSG)

By Adila Shahrin

Once you’re done familiarising yourself with the different types of hockey shots, it’s time for you to take out that hockey stick and practice, practice, practice! You’re not going to succeed in scoring goals if you don’t actually practise your shooting!

Here are 4 drills that you can do to improve your shooting right away, by yourself, with a partner or even with a team.

Drill 1: To Practice Your Flicks (Solo)

1. Get a plastic bucket and place them 5 metres from the starting point. 

2. Practice your flicks by trying to shoot the ball into the bucket.

3. Try to get as many balls in the bucket in as little time as possible.

Drill 2: To Practice Your Push Pass (Partner)

1. Grab a partner and distance yourself 5 metres apart from each other.

2. Start with the ball in your possession and push pass it towards your partner’s stick.

3. Once your partner receives the ball, get him to push pass it towards your stick.

4. Repeat this for at least 15 times. 

Drill 3: To Practice Your Scoops (Partner)

1. Grab a partner for practise, who will go head to head with you.

2. One of you starts with the ball while the other acts as the defender. As the player approaches the defender, the player should slow the ball down and angle their stick such that the face of the stick faces the sky.

3. As the ball reaches the defender, the player should lift it above the defender’s stick.

Drill 4: To Practice Your Drives And Slap Shots (Team)

1. Gather a few friends and split yourselves into two teams.

2. Place the ball at the top of the shooting circle, equidistant from Team A and Team B.

At the blow of a whistle, a player from each team will run towards the ball. The first player to reach will either drive or slap shoot the ball towards the goal while the other player becomes the defender. 

Now that you’re done practising your shooting, try out some dribbling drills as well! If you’re unsure what kind of dribbles there are in the first place, you can read more about the types of dribbling possible in hockey. 

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