Drills

9 hockey shooting drills you can do at home

By Jeff Sararas, creator of Sniped It! · Updated October 18, 2026

Before you start

All you need is a net, some pucks, a smooth surface (ice, a shooting pad or synthetic tiles) and something to aim at: corner targets, a shooter tutor or tape on the posts. Every drill below has a score, because a drill you don't measure turns into just shooting pucks. Write the numbers down, or let Sniped It! count them while you call out each result.

Accuracy drills

1. 4 in 4 (around the world)

Goal: Hit all four corners in as few shots and as little time as possible.
How: Shoot at any corner you haven't hit yet. Hitting a corner twice counts as a miss. Stop when all four are hit.
Score: Total shots and time. A perfect round is 4 shots.
Tip: Sniped It! has this game built in: call each corner as you hit it and it ends the round and shows your result automatically.

2. Weak-corner sets

Goal: Turn your worst corner into a strength.
How: Look at your last few sessions and find the corner you hit least. Take 3 sets of 10 shots at only that corner, resetting your feet each time.
Score: Hits out of 30. Try to beat it next session.

3. Partner calls the corner

Goal: Pick a target late, like in a game.
How: A partner stands to the side and shouts a corner just as you start your shot. Without a partner, use a random-number app on a timer, or decide only after you've started stickhandling.
Score: Only shots that hit the called corner count as hits.

Release and movement drills

4. Quick-release rapid fire

Goal: Get shots off fast without losing accuracy.
How: Line up 10 pucks. Shoot them one after another as quickly as you can while still aiming at a corner each time. Don't reset your feet between shots.
Score: Hits out of 10 and total time. Speed that misses doesn't count.

5. Pull and shoot

Goal: Change the shooting angle just before you release, so the goalie has to move.
How: Start with the puck out wide on your forehand, pull it in toward your body (or toe-drag it), then shoot in one motion.
Score: Hits out of 20, alternating high and low corners.

6. Angle arc

Goal: Score from everywhere, not just straight on.
How: Mark five spots in an arc in front of the net: both sharp angles, both slot positions and the middle. Take 10 shots from each spot.
Score: Hits per spot. Your weakest spot is next session's focus.

7. Backhand ladder

Goal: Build a backhand you trust in close.
How: Start close to the net and shoot backhands at the low corners and five hole. Every time you hit, take a step back; every miss, a step forward.
Score: How far back you get in 20 shots.

Game-pressure drills

8. Pressure round

Goal: Practice shooting when it counts.
How: Take 10 shots at any targets. You need 6 hits to pass. Miss the mark and you repeat the round.
Score: Rounds needed to pass. Raise the bar to 7 or 8 as you improve.

9. Tired-legs finisher

Goal: Keep your form when you're tired, like at the end of a shift.
How: Do 30 seconds of fast stickhandling, quick feet or skating, then take 5 shots right away. Rest 30 seconds and repeat 4 times.
Score: Hits out of 20. Compare with your rested accuracy.

A sample 30-minute session

Time	Drill
5 min	Warm up: easy wrist shots, focus on form and weight transfer
5 min	4 in 4: three rounds, note your best
8 min	Weak-corner sets: 3 × 10
7 min	Quick-release rapid fire or pull and shoot
5 min	Pressure round to finish

New to structured practice? Start with the fundamentals in how to improve your hockey shot.

Score your drills by voice

Sniped It! is a free iPhone app that counts your shots while you train. Say “top left”, “five hole” or “miss” after each shot and it tracks hits, misses, accuracy and time, then shows which corners you hit most and least.