Goalies Read Your Stride Shot a Mile Away. Shoot Off a Stutter Instead
Goalies Read Your Stride Shot a Mile Away. Shoot Off a Stutter Instead
You wind up mid-stride, the goalie's already square, and the puck hits the logo. Again. The fix isn't a harder shot. It's a few goofy-looking little steps that load your shot every time your feet move and give the goalie nothing to time.
Breakdown based on coach Mason Hackel's stutter-to-shot video (Hockey Hacks), plus our rhythm stages and drills for rec players. ~9 min read.
SHOW ME THE STUTTERThe short version
A shot in stride has one timing and one look. Goalies pick it up early.
Feet about double shoulder width, small steps side to side, stickhandle with every step.
Every step loads the shot. Shoot off either foot, or fake and keep going.
Rhythm. Learn it slow, speed it up, then break it on purpose.
Why your shot in stride keeps getting saved
Shooting in stride was the thing every coach drilled for years: keep your feet moving, release off the stride, don't slow down. Mason Hackel's take is blunt. He calls it "late 2000s methodology" and says it's "super predictable. Every goalie is going to pick that up nowadays."
The problem is optionality. In stride, there's one moment the shot can come and one way it looks. The goalie only has to time one thing. The stutter-to-shot gives you a shot, a fake, a move or a delay from the same look, so the goalie can't commit.
More options means more control. More control means more deception. That's the whole idea.
How to do the stutter-to-shot, step by step
The cues are Hackel's. The step order and checkpoints are how we'd teach it to a rec player.
Feet about double shoulder width, give or take, knees bent. It's the same base as a corkscrew drill.
Shift from one foot to the other in small steps. Move the puck across with each step. Feet and hands on the same beat.
It doesn't have to stay in front of you. Out on your forehand side is fine, because that's where the shot loads from.
Each step is a loaded shot you could release. Most are fakes. The goalie can't tell which one is real.
On one of your last stutters, as the puck lands on your forehand, shoot. Then try the same thing off the other foot.
The real secret is rhythm
Hackel calls rhythm a pillar of every movement on the ice. A shuffle is a rhythm. A crossover is a rhythm. Loading a shot is a rhythm: "one, two, and then three." The stutter-to-shot is just a rhythm you control.
That's why he starts beginners at "square zero" with a slow, even beat. Once the beat is locked in, you speed up the cadence. Once that's comfortable, you break it: delay, then explode. The change of rhythm is what freezes goalies.
Standing still counts too. Hackel points out you can stutter and pump-fake without moving down the ice. He names Kucherov and Celebrini as players who are deceptive while standing still. In beer league, that's the guy at the top of the circle who makes the goalie drop before he shoots.
Stages and checkpoints: RocketGrip's progression, built on Hackel's slow-then-faster-then-changed rhythm.
Why it's harder than it looks for rec players
The stutter asks your feet and hands to do two jobs at once, on the same beat, at a wide base. That's where most beer leaguers fall apart. Our checklist:
Our drills for the stutter-to-shot
RocketGrip drills, not from the video. Do them in warm-up or at a stick-and-puck. The first one works off-ice too.
Stand still, wide base. Stutter and stickhandle on the beat for 30 seconds. Rest 30. 4 rounds. Off-ice with a ball works too.
A partner shouts a number from 3 to 6 as you start. Shoot on that stutter. Builds the ability to release off any step, either foot.
Skate from the blue line, glide, stutter three to five times at the top of the circle, shoot. 6 reps each side.
Same as drill 3, but delay then explode. Ask the goalie afterward which shots they couldn't time. Do more of those.
What it should feel like
Gear note: quick feet and quick hands need to stay put
The stutter loads both contact points at once: lots of small edge changes inside your skates, and lots of puck movement through your hands. Reps do the work. These are the two things we make, and here's honestly where they fit. Mason Hackel has nothing to do with them.
Stickhandling on every step and then snapping a shot means your top hand can't be slipping around the knob. The Grip Pack is designed to give a secure hold and better puck and stick control.
SEE THE GRIP PACK →
Quick side-to-side steps on your edges only work if your foot moves with the boot. The grip socks are designed to reduce foot slipping inside the skate.
SEE THE GRIP SOCKS →★ 4.7/5 from 50,000+ RocketGrip customers · 60-day money-back guarantee
Frequently asked questions
What is a stutter-step shot in hockey?
It's a shot released out of quick, small side-to-side steps on a wide base, with the puck moved across on each step. Every step loads the shot, so you can shoot or fake at any moment and off either foot.
Is shooting in stride bad?
It's not useless, but it's predictable. Coach Mason Hackel argues it gives goalies one timing to read, while the stutter-to-shot gives you several options from the same look.
How wide should my feet be?
About double shoulder width, give or take. Wide enough that your steps stay small and quick, not so wide that you lose balance.
Can I do this standing still?
Yes. Stuttering and pump-faking while standing still is how players stay deceptive without skating, for example at the top of the circle.
Do grips or grip socks help with this?
Not on their own. The Hockey Grip Pack is designed to give a secure hold and better stick control, and the grip socks are designed to reduce foot slipping inside the skate. They support the move. The rhythm and the reps make it work.
Watch Mason Hackel's stutter-to-shot
Under six minutes. Watch the feet and the puck together, then watch how the rhythm changes.
Video won't play? Watch on YouTube →
Stutter. Load. Shoot when they don't expect it.
Stop giving goalies one timing to read. Go wide, step and handle on the same beat, learn the rhythm slow, then break it.
Give your hands a grip that stays put, and your feet a sock that does the same.
- ★ 4.7/5 from 50,000+ RocketGrip customers
- 60-day money-back guarantee
Source: "Shooting in Stride is DEAD! Do this instead!" by Mason Hackel (YouTube), October 2026. RocketGrip is not affiliated with Mason Hackel or Hockey Hacks. This article summarises and builds on his publicly available video; the step order, rhythm stages, checklist, drills, mistakes list and gear notes are ours. No endorsement implied. Images are illustrations. RocketGrip grips and grip socks are performance accessories; they support technique and do not replace it. This article is general coaching information, not medical advice.