A slap shot in ice hockey is the hardest shot. It has four stages which are executed in one fluid motion: · The player winds up his hockey stick by raising it behind his body, sometimes raising the blade to shoulder height or higher. · Next the player violently "slaps" the ice slightly behind the puck and uses his or her weight to bend the stick, storing energy in it like a spring. It is this bending of the stick that gives the slapshot its amazing speed. Just like a bow and arrow, the stick's desire to return to being straight is transferred to the puck, giving it much more speed than just hitting it alone could do. · When the face of the stick blade strikes the puck, the player rolls his or her wrists and shifts his or her weight so that the energy stored in the stick is released through the puck. · Finally, the player follows through, ending up with the stick pointed towards the desired target.