Backhand-Forehand
Earlier we looked at Two-Touch forehand shots from the weakside and strongside (view the previous Two Touch Shot breakdown to learn more). This breakdown, will take a look at a third type of Two-Touch shot -- shooting on the forehand -- after receiving a pass on the backhand. Specifically, we will take a look at this type of shot on Zone Entry.
While the logistics of performing this type of shot are essentially the same as off the forehand, there are a few differences. As you will see in each of the video examples the shooter, who is typically the mid-lane driver, receives a backhand pass and does not dribble, or stickhandle the puck, but rather “kills” the puck in their wheelhouse, loads and shoots on the second touch. The players are able to do this by prepping for the shot, BEFORE they receive the pass. Once they receive the puck, they push top and out (load) and then use their bottom hand as fulcrum and to quickly release the shot with a push/pull motion.
SOFT PASS v. HARD PASS
On soft, often short and occasionally sauce, passes, depending of the position of the defenders, the player tends to catch the puck on the strong side of their center mass. You will see in each of those examples the player catches, or receives, and quickly release the shot. The Backlund, Marleau, Rattie, Stone and Philstrom clips are excellent illustrations of this technique. On hard, or “hot” passes, exhibited with the Matthews, Kopitar, Saad, and Scissons clips you notice that the players catch the puck off their weak foot. Meaning, similar to the forehand two touch shot, the have their stick parallel with their right foot if a left shot, and left foot if a right shot. You can see in the clips how the players has their top hand off their hips and their dominant elbow poking out behind their back (chicken wing). This positioning affords a STRONG stick which allows them to “kill” the puck in an area and on the next touch will release it.
Special Note: on the Auston Matthews video clip above, watch how he takes a quick peak at the goalie, as the puck is coming to him, to see his options. Impressive!
Lets Break it Down!
In this still image of Matthews, you can see:
- He is looking at the goalie – as the puck is coming to him. You can see the puck has been moved by Komorov…it is just to the left of the face-off dot.
- Get your 411 (your information) before you make a decision!
In this still image of Matthews, you can see:
- Chicken Wing arm
- His stick is parallel with right skate
In this still image you can see:
- Scissons's stick is (nearly) parallel with left skate.
- The preloaded Chicken Wing arm is visible.
- Killed (stopped) puck, so he can get ready to shoot it.
In this still image you can see:
- Scissons's loads (punches top hand away).
- Then he snaps (push/pull) and follows through.
Supporting Drills
In this video here, Professional Skills Coach Dwayne Blais explains tips to improve your two-touch shot. He dives into forehand tips and then finishes with backhand tips. Hand and body position are key. Watch the video to learn more.
A simple drill that players can work on shooting off of the pass from the point (similar to the zone entry examples above).
Coaches can set up this drill to have the players come zone the middle of the ice, while the pass comes from the board by the point.
Here is a simple yet highly effective shooting drill to practice quickly shooting off of a pass. The coach can set up the passing and shooting lanes in a variety of ways to practice shooting from different areas of the ice, or to practice different situations.
To learn more about the basics of the Two Touch Shot, view our first breakdown on the skill. The idea behind the technique is to stop (kill) the puck on the reception of the pass (FIRST TOUCH) and then quickly release the shot with the SECOND TOUCH. It is a great skill to develop, as the quicker you can get a shot off when you get a pass, the harder it is for a goalie to get set up and square to the shot.