The trade-off between accuracy, power and quick release

Ideally, a player has an accurate, powerful shot always available without any time to set it up. In reality, hockey shots seems to be a trade-off between three qualities [1]:

Personal illustration by author, October 2018.

• Accuracy is obviously important given the relatively small goal and the incredibly skilled goalkeepers of today leaving only tiny gaps open at any given time.
• Powerful/fast shots are also important as, for example, it could make the puck reach a gap before the goalie has the time to move and block it. Secondly, a powerful shot increases the chance of the puck being left playable in the goal mouth area instead of being caught by the goalie.
• Quick release is perhaps most important as it means being able to shoot before the goalkeeper has had a chance to react and reposition.

A skilled player is one that can make the trade-off decisions in real time during matches. In this way, measuring accuracy alone could mean inadvertently teaching players to carefully set up weak shots. The question of how to practice all the aspects simultaneously rather than the individual qualities separately is one I will be returning to later.

References

[1] Scott McMillan Shooting With A Purpose In Ice Hockey, Bachelor’s Thesis, 2012.