Studying Alexander Ovechkin
August 9, 2009 by Dennis Chighisola
Early next month I want to share something pretty interesting with you. I’m going to give all my friends a little homework first, however. 
Of course, any study of the great Ovechkin has to be worthwhile. And I’ll suggest that there’s something to be learned from watching every single goal the great OV has ever scored.
Now, if you watch all of the goals shown in the following video you’ll notice that Ovechkin shoots off a different foot nearly every time. I mean, he’ll have his weight on the left foot while firing one time, and the next time he’s likely to be balanced on the right. That’s the mark of a great goal-scorer, you know. Goaltenders can’t get comfortable — or really set — with OV owning the puck, because he can shoot at any time, not just while in a traditionally comfortable posture
Once you’ve had some fun, though, here’s your homework: I’d like you to study goals #4 and #2 as much as possible. In both instances the right-shooting Ovechkin is balanced on his right skate and doing something a little different with the left foot or left leg. Then, after you’ve had a chance to do that for awhile, I’ve added a few more comments below…
As an aside here… The above video obviously comes by way of the NHL and YouTube.com. And I can’t stress enough the benefits of using such great resources. The human mind learns a great deal from observing others. So, what better way for a player, parent or coach to improve than to study the world’s absolute bests!
What Ovechkin is doing in those selected clips is not as pronounced as I’ve seen at other times. Still, there’s a hint of what I’m going to be getting at later.
Actually, the first times I saw him shoot in this manner, I felt the slight wiggle of the foot opposite his stick-blade had to be an awful distraction for a goaler. Still, it wasn’t until a long time later that I discovered The Great Eight had something else — even more challenging — in mind for the goaltender.
So, stay tuned…
Great read!
I’ve noticed that before a game he’ll go on the ice with his shower slippers and take shots. I’d imagine that it’s hard to use your legs to generate shot power that way, since you wouldn’t have any traction… right?
He’s also great at shooting the puck between (or even around) a defender’s shin guards.
Ya know, Ravi, I see a lot of players do some amazing things instinctively (not that they didn’t previously work very hard on their games). But I always sense as I watch Ovechkin that a lot of what he does was purposely programmed into him during his developmental years (and I’d have loved to have been a fly on the wall back in Russia during that time). For example, I think he is one of the best at using a defender as a screen.
Of course, I teach large groups of kids to perform similar movements, which suggests that everyone in the group would be able to apply those moves in a game. Yet, it doesn’t seem to work that way. No — and this might have been the case with OV, in that a few guys in a group seem capable of adopting those moves a lot faster than the others. Could it be genetics? Could it be a reflection of what they did during those important “windows of opportunity” back in the youngest years?
Then, on Ovechkin’s pre-game shooting while wearing clogs, hmmmmm… Although some guys do mindless things prior to games, just to get the nervousness out, I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if OV’s practice IS calculated, and for just the reason you mention. Sure, slightly taking away the feet is going to help him gain a feel for generating stick strength with just the upper body. (And, hey, you’re really thinking along with me on this stuff, aren’t you?
I had an interesting telephone conversation with my grandson recently…
He’s a pretty good goal-scorer, and he’s been brought-up in the game to think and practice outside the proverbial box.
So, when I mentioned Ravi’s observation — about some of the pro guys firing pucks while wearing clogs on the ice, Anthony Chic said, “I do that all the time!” (Huh???)
Well, the reason I wasn’t privy to this is because things change from local youth and high school hockey to college and beyond. I mean, there’s no way a youth or school boy player is going to be allowed to go near the pre-game ice, never mind while not wearing full gear. But, the atmosphere is quite different surrounding college and pro games. Most often the ice is empty for a long stretch prior to those games, and those older players have the opportunity to relax and prepare themselves for the games in almost any way they need to. So, little wonder Tony C — who never could stop fiddling with a puck — has found a way to sneak onto the ice to rip a few long before the fans start arriving.
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