There is a good chance you have unknowingly(or knowingly) done a half clap while under pressure, but it can take a bit of practice to get use to the timing in order to perform it on demand. We’ll cover the what, how, and when in the following write up…
What is a Half Clap?
For those who don’t already know, a half clap is just a slap shot; however, you don’t wind up all the way so it’s much quicker than taking a regular full slap shot.
Here is an example of what it looks like:
How to do it
Much like a regular slapshot except you pull back the right analog stick only about 80-90% of the way and then immediately push forward again. This MUST be done very quickly, if it’s not fast enough then your player will do the regular full wind up animation.
I recommend practicing this in a Free Skate to get the timing down before trying utilize it in a game:
When to do it
As illustrated in the first video, it’s best utilized while under pressure. When you don’t have time to wind up a wrist shot or a full slapshot but want something harder than a snapshot.
I use it frequently with my D men to ensure I get a shot on net before a defender gets in the lane or pokechecks me.
With that said, it’s a lot of fun to score with so you might end up finding yourself using it all over the place!
**The last clip in that montage is actually against me – awesome shot! Deserving of being in the montage. Even re-uploaded the video just to add it. Making me do extra work… wow, the nerve on that guy.
Is it the Best Shot in NHL 17?
Best overall shot? Probably not. Best in certain situations? Definitely! I feel each shot has it’s own best use case scenario, which I guess isn’t much of a surprise but it’s definitely worth mastering them all to become the most complete NHL 17 player.
I’ll likely do a post for each type of shot and break it down like I have with the half clap above – let me know in the comments if that is something you would be interested in 🙂
See ya at the blueline!
Great post as always, ive used the half clap before and found it is good on the rush if you need to get a shot off before getting smothered
***next video suggestion****
I would love to see a break down of wristers and how to get the most power out of them. Ive experimented with wristing from the toe drag, like a half toe drag to kind of load up the shot but im clueless. Does the speed you push the stick really influence it?
Thanks for the suggestion, Bryce! Good idea. I’ll include that in the wrister breakdown for sure.
Based on experience, I don’t think the speed of you pushing forward on the analog stick makes a difference to the shot power. I believe it would influence the speed at which you release the puck though, much like the half clap. I’ll test that out to confirm once I work on the wrister post 🙂
Good stuff! I’d also love to see more breakdown of the wristers and how winding up actually affects the shot.
In my experiences I find using the right analog very finessfully without maxing out the stick. Think of it as mentioned in tips n tricks. Visually think about using your anolog sticks at about 90% most of the time.
I also find, in combination above, holding in your pass button (RT/R2) while using your focus button (LT/L2)in moderation/combination of everything mention.
That’s just me. I’m still trying to master everything, but try that out and please tell me what you think