On the Move: Waltham shot doctor offers hope to hockey players By Brion O'Connor Globe Correspondent October 22, 2015 JOSH REYNOLDS/FOR THE GLOBE Two years ago, Glen Tucker opened his Shoot to Score Shooting Academy in Waltham. Jordan Smelker is third on the career scoring list for the women's hockey program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She moved east to suit up for the Boston Blades of the Canadian Women's Hockey League. This season, the 23-year-old Anchorage native will skate for the Boston Pride in the inaugural campaign of the National Women's League. Her stick skills remain a work in progress. “My biggest problem is that I take too long to shoot, and I focus on power instead of quickness and accuracy,” said Smelker, who now resides in Somerville. “I think this is pretty common for a lot of players.” So Smelker turned to Glen Tucker, director of the Shoot to Score Shooting Academy in Waltham. Known as “Dr. Shot,” he has worked with players ranging from beginners to former Boston University star Jack Eichel to the NHL elite, such as Bruins Patrice Bergeron and Zdeno Chara, and John Tavares, the 25-year-old standout of the New York Islanders. “People don't take shooting seriously. Skating will always take top priority,” said the 46-year-old Tucker, who founded Shoot to Score in his native Canada in 1990. ‘People don't take shooting seriously. Skating will always take top priority . . . Players think too much about how hard they shoot, rather then where they are shooting.' “When I took my program to the Boston Bruins, [team president] Cam Neely told me that if kids just shoot 500 pucks a day, they'll get better. I told him I agreed, but if they shot 200 pucks a day the proper way, they'll be better shooters.” For almost any hockey player, at least those not tending goal — scoring is still the pinnacle of the game. Yet that singular skill – putting the puck in the back of the net – is often misunderstood. “Players think too much about how hard they shoot, rather then where they are shooting, how quick did they get rid of it, and are they balanced for a rebound,” he added. “At Shoot to Score, I teach the players to understand the technique and the body, so they can make corrections. It's OK to make a mistake, as long as they correct it.” Alyssa Gagliardi, who skates with Smelker on the Pride, calls Tucker's program revolutionary. “There's a very traditional way that hockey coaches have taught shooting for a really long time,” said the 23-year-old Woburn resident. “Glen completely re-tools your shooting technique to make it quicker, more effective, and more accurate.'' Smelker experienced similar results, but cautioned that improvement doesn't happen overnight. “If [players] put in the time to learn the technique, they will develop a quicker release and a more accurate shot,” she said. “We also work on situational plays which helps with game-time decision-making, and knowing what type of shot is necessary in certain situations.” Tucker said programs like Shoot to Score are much more popular among adults in Canada. Although instruction is readily accepted in more individualized sports such as skiing and golf, older hockey players tend to go it alone. “Hockey is a harder sell because adults think it's more about game smarts. There's more thinking in hockey then there is in skiing,” said Tucker. “All you have to know about skiing is not hitting a tree or going off a cliff. “It's like golf,” he said. “I would rather play 18 holes than to go to the driving range.” However, Tucker said any player can improve with his 10-point program. “Adults can learn how to shoot in a more uncomfortable position, in high-traffic areas with the least amount of time,” he said. Training adults is harder because it is more difficult to break old habits. “I give them a lot of muscle memory drills to take home,” added Tucker, who offers private lessons ($100 per hour), semi-private (two players, $75 each), and group (three players, $60 each). Gagliardi, who was an All-American her senior year at Cornell, said repetition alone isn't the answer. “There's the perception in team sports that you just get better by playing, and that's definitely true to an extent,” she said. “But there's a lot of value in honing those specific skills that transfer to games in team sports, as well.” Tucker's lead instructor, Medford native Michael DiMare, preaches patience. “If you're doing something wrong every day, you'll build on that bad habit,” said DiMare, 26, who starred on the ice at Malden Catholic and later Hamilton College. “Hockey is very technical, and proper technique takes years to acquire.” “Hockey is a muscle memory-related game. The longer you do something wrong, the harder it becomes to change that.” Interestingly enough, DiMare said younger players often develop bad habits because they don't have the size or strength to take advantage of proper technique. Meanwhile, adult players must be open to revamping their game to gain new skills. “I definitely would have started the program 13 years ago if I had lived here and had known about it,” said Smelker. For details on Tucker's Shoot to Score programs and his shooting academy, visit shoottoscore.com or call 781-216-8868. For link to Globe: https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/regionals/west/2015/10/22/move-waltham-shot-doctor-offers-hope-hockey-players/VBM86xGU0aUup0zE6GNQfN/story.html .