Coming soon to iPhone and Android. Made in Alberta for players 7 to 17.

puckmaxxing

Hockey shooting drills at home for kids

For hockey players aged 7 to 17 and the parents helping them. All you need is a stick, a ball or practice puck, a net and some floor.

The short answer: The best way to practice hockey shooting at home is short sessions: about 12 minutes for kids under 10, 15 for ages 10 to 13, and 20 for 14 and up. Start with the wrist shot: stand side-on, shift your weight from your back leg to your front leg, roll the ball from the heel of the blade to the toe, and finish with the blade pointing at the target. A few drills, like a weight-shift drill with no ball, need no net at all.

What you need

The first two drills below, Shot Weight Shift and Load and Freeze, need no net, and neither does Backhand Load and Freeze later on. Your kid can start on the motion before the net comes out.

For aiming, tape on the corners of the net makes a great target.

Set up the space

Clear the space before the first shot. These three rules come first:

Stance and the basic wrist shot

Every drill here starts from the same position:

Then the shot: start with your weight on your back leg and shift it onto your front leg as you sweep. Start with the ball near the heel of your blade, roll it along the blade and off the toe, and finish with the toe pointing at the target.

The grip is the same as for stickhandling, so if you've already set that up with your kid, you're ready.

Drills to start with

The first two need no net. They build the motion before any ball goes near the net.

Shot Weight Shift

Rock from your back leg to your front leg with a full shooting motion, no ball.

  • Setup: Find a spot with room to swing your stick low. Stand side-on with your feet a bit wider than your shoulders. No ball this time. It's all about your legs.
  • Good looks like: Weight starts on the back leg, then shifts onto the front leg as the stick sweeps forward, finishing with the weight on the front leg.
  • Common mistake: Swinging only the arms with flat feet.
  • Cues: “Load your back leg” · “Drive onto your front leg” · “Finish tall and balanced”
  • Timing: 30 seconds on, 30 seconds rest, 3 sets.

Load and Freeze

Practise the wrist-shot sweep and stop the ball on your blade at the finish.

  • Setup: A clear strip of floor about two big steps long. Stand side-on with the ball beside your back foot.
  • Good looks like: The ball sweeps forward along the floor and stops just past the front foot, held on the toe of the blade while you hold your finish for two seconds.
  • Common mistake: Letting the ball roll off the blade.
  • Cues: “Start at your back heel” · “Shift your weight forward” · “Freeze with the toe pointing ahead”
  • Timing: 30 seconds on, 30 seconds rest, 3 sets.

Wrist Shot Basics

Sweep and snap the ball into the net from a set spot.

  • Setup: Put the net about three big steps in front of you. Stand side-on to the net with the ball beside your back foot.
  • Good looks like: The ball starts near the heel of the blade, rolls along it and off the toe, and the finish has the toe of the blade pointing at the net.
  • Common mistake: Slapping at the ball instead of sweeping it.
  • Cues: “Start at your back heel” · “Shift weight to your front foot” · “Point the blade at the target”
  • Timing: 45 seconds on, 45 seconds rest, 3 sets, about 10 shots a set.

Low Sweep Shots

Keep the ball on the floor and sweep it into the bottom of the net.

  • Setup: Put the net about three big steps in front of you. Stand side-on with the ball beside your back foot.
  • Good looks like: The ball stays on the floor all the way into the net, and the finish is low, with the blade on the floor.
  • Common mistake: Lifting the ball off the floor.
  • Cues: “Stay low” · “Keep the ball on the blade” · “Hit the bottom of the net”
  • Timing: 45 seconds on, 45 seconds rest, 3 sets, about 10 shots a set.

Backhand Sweeps

Sweep the ball along the floor into the net with your backhand.

  • Setup: Put the net about three big steps away. Backhand side toward the net, ball near your front foot.
  • Good looks like: The ball stays low all the way into the net, with a low follow-through toward the net.
  • Common mistake: Slapping at the ball.
  • Cues: “Ball near your front foot” · “Sweep, don’t slap” · “Follow through low”
  • Timing: 40 seconds on, 45 seconds rest, 3 sets, about 8 shots a set.
When Puckmaxxing is out, it will run sessions like these for your kid, with spoken coaching cues and a timer. Join the waitlist.

When those feel easy

In the Puckmaxxing app, the first five are House-level drills (House is free) and these three sit at the A level, which is part of a paid plan.

Backhand Load and Freeze

Sweep the ball forward on your backhand and stop it at the finish. This one needs no net.

  • Setup: A clear strip of floor about two big steps long. Stand side-on, facing the other way from your forehand shot, with the ball beside your back foot on your backhand side.
  • Good looks like: The ball is pulled forward along the floor and stops just past the front foot, with the blade on the floor and the finish frozen.
  • Common mistake: Scooping the ball up instead of pulling it along the floor.
  • Cues: “Ball on your backhand side” · “Pull it forward, not up” · “Top hand leads”
  • Timing: 30 seconds on, 30 seconds rest, 3 sets.

Backhand Lifts

Lift the ball off the floor and into the net with your backhand.

  • Setup: Put the net about three big steps away. Turn so your backhand side faces the net. Set the ball beside your front foot.
  • Good looks like: The ball is cupped near the heel of the back of the blade. The top hand rolls back and the bottom hand lifts as the ball slides to the toe, finishing high and pointing at the net.
  • Common mistake: Trying to lift with the arms instead of rolling the top hand back.
  • Cues: “Ball near your front foot” · “Top hand rolls back, bottom hand lifts” · “Finish high”
  • Timing: 40 seconds on, 40 seconds rest, 3 sets, about 8 shots a set. To start, just get it off the floor.

Corner Targets

Wrist shots aimed at the four corners of the net.

  • Setup: Put the net about three big steps away. Pick a corner. Tape on the corners makes a great target.
  • Good looks like: Eyes go to the corner before the shot. The ball rolls from heel to toe, and the finish has the toe pointing at that corner.
  • Common mistake: Shooting before picking a corner.
  • Cues: “Pick a corner before you shoot” · “Eyes on the target” · “Point the blade where you want it”
  • Timing: 45 seconds on, 45 seconds rest, 3 sets, about 10 shots a set. Start with the bottom corners only.

Aim before power

A smooth motion comes before a hard shot. Pick a spot before every shot, the way Corner Targets does: “Pick a corner before you shoot.” Ten calm shots that hit the spot do more than a pile of hard ones that miss.

How long and how often

Most net drills are 45 seconds on and 45 seconds rest, 3 sets. The no-net freeze and weight-shift drills are 30 seconds on and 30 seconds rest, 3 sets. Aim for about 8 to 10 shots a set.

A session is 3 to 5 drills. Aim for about:

How that fits around team dryland and ice time: how much dryland training by age.

Keeping your kid doing it

For more on that, see our guide on how to get your kid to practice hockey at home.

If you'd rather not be the one running the timer, that's what Puckmaxxing is for. It runs guided off-ice sessions with 90+ drills and spoken coaching cues across four skills, including shooting.

When Puckmaxxing is out, it will run sessions like these for your kid, with spoken coaching cues and a timer. Join the waitlist.

FAQ

How can my kid practice hockey shooting at home?

Short sessions in a clear space, starting with the wrist shot. Begin with Shot Weight Shift and Load and Freeze to learn the motion, then move on to Wrist Shot Basics and Low Sweep Shots at a net.

Do you need a net to practice shooting at home?

For most shooting drills, yes. Three drills, Shot Weight Shift, Load and Freeze and Backhand Load and Freeze, need no net and work on the shooting motion.

Is it safe to shoot in the basement or garage?

Only shoot at a net with nobody behind or near it. Aim away from windows. Check there's room all around you first. Stop if it hurts. Tell a grown-up.

How long should a kid practice shooting at home?

About 12 minutes for kids under 10, 15 for ages 10 to 13, and 20 for 14 and up. That's 3 to 5 drills in a session. Most net drills are 45 seconds on, 45 seconds rest, 3 sets, with about 6 to 10 shots a set.

What's the first shot to learn?

The wrist shot. Start with the weight shift (Shot Weight Shift), then Wrist Shot Basics. Backhands come next, with Backhand Sweeps.

Is there an app that runs shooting drills at home?

Puckmaxxing runs guided off-ice sessions for players 7 to 17, with 90+ drills and spoken coaching cues, and shooting is one of its four skills. The first five drills on this page are House-level (House is free); the last three are at the A level, which is part of a paid plan. It's coming soon to Google Play and the App Store. You can join the waitlist.

Get sessions like these, guided

Puckmaxxing is coming soon to Google Play and the App Store.

Join the waitlist

Suggested exercise for young athletes, not medical advice. Stop if it hurts. Tell a grown-up.