How to Shoot in Ball Hockey?

EdJovanovski

#RempeForCalder
Apr 26, 2016
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I play in a ball hockey league (in rinks) and it seems the shooting mechanics are different than ice hockey. When I shoot how I normally would striking the floor a few inches before making contact with the ball to make the stick flex; it doesn’t seem to get much velocity. I’m having difficulty especially with slapshots. How are you supposed to shoot in ball hockey compared to ice hockey?
 
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puckpilot

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Oct 23, 2016
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I haven't played ball hockey in ages. Closest I've come is shooting a stickhandling ball against the wall in the dressing room as I warm up.

For me, there isn't a difference in mechanics between shooting a ball and a puck.
 

WolfgangPuck

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May 12, 2012
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When I was playing ball hockey in the streets there is no slap shot It was like wrister mostly to control the ball
A clapper is for off the ice
 

EdJovanovski

#RempeForCalder
Apr 26, 2016
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I haven't played ball hockey in ages. Closest I've come is shooting a stickhandling ball against the wall in the dressing room as I warm up.

For me, there isn't a difference in mechanics between shooting a ball and a puck.
I don’t know, I’ve seen conflicting opinions. Some people say you should strike the ball rather than the floor because the floor has more friction so you’ll lose power, and some say to shoot the same way you’d do on ice. I shoot the same way I shoot on ice and my shot is far worse, yet I see some guys with weird form who snipe it
 

puckpilot

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I don’t know, I’ve seen conflicting opinions. Some people say you should strike the ball rather than the floor because the floor has more friction so you’ll lose power, and some say to shoot the same way you’d do on ice. I shoot the same way I shoot on ice and my shot is far worse, yet I see some guys with weird form who snipe it

There are some things you can do to reduce friction. One is to not use hockey tape on the bottom of the blade. If that isn't an option for you, you can use sock tape on the bottom of the blade and then put a strip of hockey tape on the blade for grip. You get to protect your blade, reduce friction, and still not lose the grip of the hockey tape.

Now that you mention it, I now remember that one of my friends used to hit the ball directly when he shot. He was slicing under the ball kind of like a golf club. It worked for him, but I don't think it's the proper way to do things.

I went to youtube and found these two videos. One is instructions on how to take a slapshot in floor ball and it says to strike the floor first. The other one is footage of the World floor hockey championship. If you watch the guys taking slapshots, at least to me, it looks like they're shooting like they do on the ice.



 
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Realgud

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Nov 4, 2013
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I'm a skinny guy and I have one of the strongest slapshot just by doing it the same way as I'd do it on the ice. Don't ever tape your stick blade, and I guess it also depends on the type of the ball.
 

Fixed to Ruin

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Feb 28, 2007
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Is your stick too long?

If you are using the same stick as the one you use in ice hockey you might have issues since you're not standing on skates. The extra couple inches might be to blame for why your shot isn't up to your expectations.
 
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EdJovanovski

#RempeForCalder
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Here's video of me taking a slapshot at a The Hockey Guy meetup lol @23:57

What's wrong with my slapshot that I can improve upon/what should I change to make it harder?
 

EdJovanovski

#RempeForCalder
Apr 26, 2016
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Is your stick too long?

If you are using the same stick as the one you use in ice hockey you might have issues since you're not standing on skates. The extra couple inches might be to blame for why your shot isn't up to your expectations.
I don't think so, I'm 5'10" 135lbs and use an intermediate 67 flex. In the video posted was me using a senior 87 flex. Maybe I should go down to a 60? 67 is pretty much the exact flex recommended based on my weight but I know a lot of players use one much lower
 

Realgud

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Yea I don't tape my blade, and it's the "official" hard orange ball

Hmm ok that is strange, we are in the same situation then. But like the post above, it might be the length of your stick. Mine goes up to my chin, I had it up to my nose before but it wasn't as comfortable for shooting and stickhandling.

Don't be afraid to cut your stick if needed, and it's hard for me to see your technique based on the above video. Are you able to slapshoot properly when you play on the ice?
 

puckpilot

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Oct 23, 2016
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When I first saw the video of you shooting, I though hmm it doesn't look like you're really leaning into your shot. It didn't seem to look like you were dropping your weight onto the stick. Then I read your later post about using an 87 flex when you normally use a 67.

I think that may be your problem right there. Do you feel your stick flexing when you shoot? If you don't then that's probably where you're losing your power.

Every one is different in their flex preferences, and it's a matter of what works for you, but FYI, your using a heavier flex than Ovechkin, a guy that's 100 lbs heavier than you to play ball hockey.
 
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EdJovanovski

#RempeForCalder
Apr 26, 2016
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When I first saw the video of you shooting, I though hmm it doesn't look like you're really leaning into your shot. It didn't seem to look like you were dropping your weight onto the stick. Then I read your later post about using an 87 flex when you normally use a 67.

I think that may be your problem right there. Do you feel your stick flexing when you shoot? If you don't then that's probably where you're losing your power.

Every one is different in their flex preferences, and it's a matter of what works for you, but FYI, your using a heavier flex than Ovechkin, a guy that's 100 lbs heavier than you to play ball hockey.
I can try filming a close up slow-mo of me shooting with the 67 flex
Do you think I might be better suited for a 60 flex? The half your weight rule would suggest 67 (135lbs), but it seems a lot of players drop below that. Perhaps I'm having difficulty flexing the stick enough
 

puckpilot

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Oct 23, 2016
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I can try filming a close up slow-mo of me shooting with the 67 flex
Do you think I might be better suited for a 60 flex? The half your weight rule would suggest 67 (135lbs), but it seems a lot of players drop below that. Perhaps I'm having difficulty flexing the stick enough

The half the body weight rule of thumb IMHO gives you the high end of what you should be using. From the bits of info I've gleaned over the years, I don't think there are too many NHL players that go above 50%. In fact, the trend right now is for players to go down.

I saw a video of a a Warrior stick rep saying that the flex range in the NHL used to be between 85-100, but now, 85 tends to be the high point.

Again, it's about preference. But a general rule of thumb test you can do is to see how difficult it is for you to flex the stick one inch, without dropping all your weight onto it. Ideally, it should take almost no effort at all.

I'm 5'5 175. Because of my height and because I use a short stick, I don't have as much leverage to flex a stick, so I use a 50 flex stick for ice.

You're tall, so that can give you an advantage in terms of getting a stick to flex, so a higher flex stick may not be out of the question. If you film yourself shooting, you should be able to see how much you flex the stick. You should be able to see the stick bowing out.

If you can, maybe see if you can find someone with a lighter flex stick that you can take a few shots with and see if there's a difference in velocity.
 
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