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Teaching Skating Fundamentals
presented by:
Presenter: Carrie Keil
Skating Coach - U.S.A. Hockey NTDP
Teaching Skating Fundamentals - Workbook
Anatoli Tarasov once said, “you will not get far using old skates, using old tactics, skill and
techniques.” HOW RIGHT HE WAS! Skating is the foundation for good hockey players and teams.
While there are different types and levels of skating ability, all players can improve through the use
of skating techniques assisting them to be as competent as possible. Coaches should encourage
players not to be afraid to look or feel funny in pursuit of good technique. Motivate them to operate
at a high tempo.
Herb Brooks
Coach, 1980 & 2002 Olympic Hockey Teams
Introduction
Hockey is a game that is dependent upon the skill of skating. Skating is an acquired skill, one which must
be mastered if children are expected to execute some of the more demanding skills off hockey properly.
Skating, however, is often the most neglected skill among all hockey fundamentals.
To most players, and in many instances coaches, attention to skating technique is often the
least enjoyable part of a hockey practice. Why – because as coaches we fail to make it FUN! And
unfortunately, practice and repetition are the key elements to improving skating technique. If
coaches will focus on teaching skating techniques in a FUN environment, players will benefit –
improving a players skating requires the implementation of a total, well balanced and ongoing program!
The most important elements of skating fundamentals include teaching the principles of:
• Posture
• Balance
• Stability
• Stride
• Rhythm
• Strength
• Speed
• Power
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Planning and Executing an Effective Practice
All discussions regarding teaching skills must begin with the concept of planning a practice.
Planning is an essential part of any successful activity. Coaching is no exception, if you and the
participants in your program are to achieve the goals you set together, you need to know where
you are headed and what you have to do to get there. Planning is NOT complicated. Rather, it is a
simple matter of determining priorities and deciding how and when to act on them. But how should
you plan? What are the building blocks of a good practice? The purpose of this lesson is to give you
some basic information on what goes into planning an effective practice.
The Process of Planning a Practice
Planning a practice is a three-stop process:
• Setting the framework of the individual practice
• Deciding on the content of the individual practice
• Evaluating the individual practice
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The Framework
The first step in planning a practice is to establish its framework – to take into account the general
factors affecting the practice. In particular, you need to think about the following:
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Your personal coaching philosophy. What you do as a coach is simply your coaching philosophy in
action – it affects every practice you run.
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Skill considerations. People’s physical, intellectual,
Skill
Growth and development
social and emotional
Development
Development
capacities are always changing, and what you expect of participants in an individual practice MUST
reflect their current level.
Practice
Sport safety. Before every practice, you must make sure that the practice environment is safe.
Mental
Preparation
Coaching Philosophy
Physical
Preperation
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Teaching Skating Fundamentals - Workbook
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The Content
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The second step in planning a practice is deciding on the content of the individual practice.
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Such content consists of the following:
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• Skill-development activities
- Skill-development activities are activities that develop technique.
• Physical preparation
- Physical preparation refers to the physical activities that make up a practice – training the
energy systems, working on strength and flexibility, warm-ups and cool-downs.
• Mental preparation
- Mental
preparation
refers to the development of certain tactics and strategies.
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Closely associated with all these activities is the overall analysis of skills – how you observe and
analyze participants’ performance.
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Practice Plan + Evaluation = Next Practice Plan
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Teaching Skating Fundamentals - Workbook
Evaluation
The third step in planning a practice is evaluation: Gathering specific information about practices
and using this information to plan the next practice. This step is crucial, because it allows you to base
practices on what you know about previous practices – and so ensures that you plan sound practices.
“Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run-over if you just sit there”
Will Rogers from the book “The Edge”
Tips for Running a Quality Practice
Quality instruction is built on six basic principles:
1. Planning what you want to achieve
2. Effective drills
3. Progressional teaching
4. Observing
5. Motivating your players
6. Success in learning by your players
All practices should follow these fundamental steps:
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Set specific objectives for practice.
Plan the practice with assistant coaches and discuss with players before going on the ice.
Begin with a proper warm-up, starting with stretching in the dressing room and/or on the ice.
Teach and practice new skills and plays early in the practice before players become tired.
The practice should conclude with fun drills which improve players’ conditioning and skills.
After practice, you should evaluate its effectiveness by getting feedback from players and
assistant coaches.
Here are more essential ingredients of a quality practice:
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Make FUN a priority
Utilize the 100% rule: 100% use of the ice, 100% player participation, 100% effort and 100%
coach control
Keep players active, not passive
Give clear, concise instructions
Give positive feedback to team and individuals
Treat all players equally
Focus on practicing a few areas well rather than trying to cover many areas
Arrive at the arena early and insist that players be punctual
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Components of a Functional Practice
1. Coaching Initiatives
2. Practice Concepts
3.Technical Skill Concepts - The Athlete
4.Tactical Skill Concepts - Team Play
1. Coaching Initiatives
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Multi-task
Stretch
Inspire
Reward
FUN
While you should establish objectives for your practice such as skill and fitness development,
don’t forget the main reason players participate is for enjoyment. FUN can be an element in every
component of your practice, including the warm-up, instruction, skill practice and fitness. Just
because a game or drill is FUN, does not mean it is unrelated to objectives like skill development.
Games can be designed to incorporate fundamental skills such as skating, puck control and
checking. Even during FUN drills, always use the 100% rule: 100% use of the ice, 100% player
participation, 100% effort and 100% coach control.
2. Practice Concepts
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Ice Utilization
Work: Rest Ratios
Duration of Drills
Fundamental Skill Objectives
Understanding Game Characteristics
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Speed
Tight area game
East-West vs. North-South
Puck support vs. Positional play
Transition
Loose pucks abound
Game of possession
1 vs. 1 battles
3. Technical Skill Concepts - The Athlete
Pre-requisite Hockey Skills
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Physical Skills
Skating/Shooting
Passing/Receiving
Puck-handling
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Intellectual Skills
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Decisions with and without the puck
Awareness
Recognizing threats/opportunities
Exploitation
4. Tactical Skill Concepts - Team Play
Capturing Game Characteristics in Practice
Tactical Skills – The Team
Concepts of team play
• Offensive concepts
- Speed
- Possession
- Pursuit
- Puck Support
• Defensive concepts
- Coverage
- Support
Technical Skill Concepts- The Athlete
Skating
• Circles (Figure 8’s)
• Peanuts (Transition)
Passing/Receiving
• Support – be an option for puck carrier (passing lanes)
- Timing
- Proper support routes
• Resistance/Possession games
Puck-handling
• Tight areas
• Deception Techniques – delay/escapes/dekes/cut-backs/wide dribbles/use of body
Shooting
• Incorporate scoring attempts
Hockey Sense: Intellectual aspect
• Small games
- Decision training – Teach players to think and execute faster
- Place conditions on games
- Recognize threats/opportunities
• Situations: game-like scenarios
Tactical Skills – The Team
Concepts of team play
• Offensive concepts
• Defensive concepts
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Methods of Teaching
Fundamental Skill Drills
• Emphasis on speed
• Incorporate options
• Situations
• Simulate game-like scenarios
• Add/remove players during drill - awareness and exploitation
Small Games
• Decision training
Teaching Tips
• Practice doing things correctly.
• Stop the drill and correct if execution is improper.
• Coaches learn just as much from the players as players learn from the coaches.
• Is the drill accomplishing the objective?
• Are the players being challenged?
• Don’t be afraid to make adjustments.
Conclusion
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The coach is primarily responsible for creating the environment in which our kids participate.
Fundamental skills are the tools players need to master in order to execute team strategy.
Game Specific – “Practice how you play”.
Implement the Development Model vs. Pro Sports Model of win at all costs.
Formula for a Functional Practice
Coaching
Initiatives
Practice
Concepts
Fundamental
Skills
Concepts of
Team Play
“The most wonderful thing about sports is that it allows us to care passionately about
something that really doesn’t matter!”
Winnipeg Free Press
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Teaching Skating Fundamentals - Workbook
Creating a Positive Learning Environment
It’s the responsibility of all coaches to create a positive learning environment for his or her athletes,
regardless of the age level they are coaching. Even the most knowledgeable hockey coach does not
know everything there is to know about the game. One of the most common areas of deficiency for
youth coaches is skating – skating after all, is a highly technical area, which is why coaches should
consider seeking special training and take special care to prepare themselves for teaching skating.
Because repetition is so necessary to the learning process, the most challenging job for the coach
is to teach the fundamentals of skating in such a way that they will be easily understood, and to
present a variety of drills for teaching that are functional and FUN so that the learning process never
becomes tedious or boring. When players become restless, it is time to change the routine and drills.
Here are some helpful tips:
• Stimulate learning and creativity by injecting FUN into every practice!
• Utilize obstacle courses incorporating multiple skating techniques – this is known as
“multi – tasking”.
• Reward is far more effective than punishment so provide incentives for learning and improving.
• Use prizes and races to stimulate the competitive spirit;
utilize “small games” at periodic intervals during practice to break up the teaching phases.
• Teach proper skating principles and design FUN exercises to implement and practice them.
• Be patient and don’t expect instant success!
• Make learning FUN! Keep players moving and avoid standing around –
design and organize drills to keep players active as much as possible.
• Use praise when deserved and treat all players with respect – coaches must not use “intimidation”.
• Encourage players to skate outside their “comfort zone” and to not fear making a mistake!
Guidelines for Effective Instruction
Effective instruction is the foundation of successful coaching. This is particularly true when you are
coaching younger players ages 6 to 16. Successful results in competition are directly related to the
quality of instruction that players have received during practice.
Effective instruction requires:
• Clear communication of what is to be learned (objectives which represent skills, rules, strategies,
and/or personal – social behaviors)
• Continual evaluation of players ability in selected objectives
• Using a systematic method of instruction
• Applying guidelines for effective instruction
• Evaluating and altering instruction in accordance with the degree to which the
objectives have been achieved
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Although there are many ways to instruct young players, the following simple guidelines have
proven to be both easy to use and effective in teaching and/or refining skills:
1. Get the attention of your players in a firm but appropriate manner. Establish and maintain the
understanding that when you speak, important and useful information is being communicated.
2. Communicate precisely what needs to be learned – because individuals learn most efficiently
when they focus on one aspect of a skill at a time, it is important to communicate precisely the
one key element of the skill on which you want an individual, pair, group or team to concentrate.
3. Provide for practice and feedback – repetitions and feedback are essential to effective coaching.
Repeated trials and specific feedback on what was right, followed by what can be improved, with
an encouraging – “try again” – produces results.
4. Evaluate results and take appropriate action. Evaluation of player performance must occur on a
continuing basis during practices and in games. Consider how you can be more efficient in your
methods – are there ways to get better results in less time?
As you provide for practice and feedback to your players you may want to consider using some of
the following proven techniques:
1. Set realistic expectations – the expectations you communicate to your players can create a
“positive climate” for learning that will influence your players’ achievement.
2. Structure instruction – player achievement has been strongly linked to clear communication of
intended outcomes (objectives of instruction), why the goals and objectives are important
(essential or pre-requisite skills) and what to do to achieve outcomes (instructional directions).
3. Establish an orderly environment – maintain orderly and disciplined practices; maintain clear,
reasonable rules that are fairly and consistently enforced. CAUTION – Over control can cause
frustration, but under control can lead to lack of achievement!
4. Group your players according to ability – the critical condition for grouping to be effective is to
have players practicing at the skill levels needed to advance their playing ability. The placement of
students into groups for learning various skills must be independently decided for each skill
because players level of proficiency will vary with each skill.
When establishing groups it is important that the following conditions be set-up:
• Establish order at each learning station by having a coach present
• Clearly state the task(s) that are to be mastered at each station
• Provide many trial opportunities – Repetition, Repetition, Repetition!
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Teaching Skating Fundamentals - Workbook
5. Maximize on-task time – there are several important steps that you can takes as a coach to
maximize the use of available ice time:
• Reduce the number of athletes that are standing in line by setting up more
sub groups/stations in your drills
• Provide sufficient equipment so that players do not have to wait their turn to use it
• Reduce the transition time between drills by planning your practices to minimize reformulation of
groups and equipment set-up time
• Use instructional grouping practices that have players practicing skills at their appropriate
performance level
• Clearly outline and/or diagram each portion of your practice and communicate as much of that
information in advance of going on the ice
• Complete as many pre and post warm-up/cool down activities off the ice as possible
• Recruit assistants to help you run instructional stations under your supervision
6. Maximize the success rate – the relationship between successful experiences, achievements and
motivation to learn, is very strong - Success will motivate players to want to continue to achieve!
There are 2 major factors that contribute to maximizing the success rate:
• Reduce each skill into achievable sub-skills and focus instruction on those sub-skills
• Provide feedback to the player such that, on most occasions, something that they did is rewarded –
followed by specific instructions on what needs continued work – ending with additional encouragement
7. Monitor progress – actively moving about, monitoring progress and providing individual and
small group instructional feedback, your players will make greater gains
8.Ask questions – questions should promote participation, establish, reinforce, and/or reveal
factual data associated with a skill
9. Promote a sense of control – Players should feel that they have some control over their own
destiny if they are to reach their potential as a hockey player - you can develop a sense of control by:
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Organizing your instruction to result in many successful experiences
Teaching your players that everyone learns various hockey skills at different rates and to use effort
and their own continuous progress as their primary guide
Encouraging individual players to put forth their best efforts
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Using Drill Progressions
One of the most important aspects of teaching skills such as Skating is to utilize what is commonly
referred to as “drill progressions”. Drill progressions are designed to break down the components of a
skill or tactic into simple to understand and execute parts for easier learning and successful execution.
Drill progressions typically result in breaking the skill or tactic down in the following manner:
1. Drills should be “sequenced” in such a way that the skill is broken down into parts rather than
teaching the whole skill to start
2. Drill parts should start with the simplest element of the skill and move to the more complex parts
3.The skill should be taught from a stationary position and then add movement
Getting Started
The most important “foundational element” in skating is having “Good Posture”. Incorrect posture
is the direct cause of most poor and inefficient skating. Correct posture is also more commonly
referred to as the “Ready Position”. The key elements of the “Ready Position” are:
• Feet shoulder width apart
• Ankles bent in slightly - weight on the inside edges
• Knees bent out over the toe of the skate/buttocks down low – “Knee and Hip Flexion”
• Chest Up/Back Straight
• Head Up/Eyes Forward
• Arms held out in front of the chest and bent slightly at the elbows
The second most important “foundational element” of skating is “Edge Control”. All of the skills of
skating are controlled by using the edges of the skate blades – both the inside and outside edges.
The ankles control the edges, therefore, every player must develop skill in using “ankle positioning”
in both stationary and moving situations to control the edges. The key elements of “Edge Control” are:
• The knee of the glide leg is bent out over the toe of the skate
• Weight is on the correct edge (inside/outside)
• Distribution of weight from the ball of the foot, back to just in front of the heel
With the “mastering” of these two components as a foundation, the coach can now begin to work on
individual skating techniques in a systematic approach, building upon skill after skill as your players
improve. Here is the recommended progression for teaching specific skating techniques:
1. Ready Position
2. Edges
3. Forward Skating and Quick Starts (Forward Power Starts)
4. Forward Stops: Control Stop (using inside edges)
5. Forward Crossunders
6. Control Turns
7. Backwards Skating; Backwards Crossunders; Backwards Starts and Stops
8. Mohawk Turns
9. Pivots left to Right; and Right to Left
10. Evasive Skating Maneuvers
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Skating Skills Overview
Edge Control
Key Elements:
• Knee of glide leg is bent (over the toe)
• Weight on the correct edge (inside / outside
• Distribution of weight from the ball of the foot back to just in front of the heel
Common Errors
• Failure to roll the ankle
• Transfer the weight and glide on the edge
• Insufficient knee bend
Suggestions for Coaching
Drills are an excellent tool for becoming familiar with both the inside and outside edge. Generally
players should progress from stationary to moving and from inside to outside edges as they practice
their edge controls. Some example drills that have been found effective are described below:
Windshield wiper or flip flop drill: Have the players standing stationary (in the correct ready
position) and roll the ankles in transferring the weight to the inside edges of both skates. Then roll
the ankles out, transferring the weight to the inside edges of both skates. Then roll the ankles out,
Transferring the weight to the outside edges of both skates. Repeat the process. (See Figure 2.)
As the players gain confidence, move from stationary drills to drills that involve movement. The
following drills for “Inside edges” and “Outside edges” are good examples
Inside edges: A drill that is designed to improve the control of the inside edges requires the skaters
to make half circles (See figure 3) on alternating legs while gliding on their inside edges. The knees
are bent and the weight shifts from one gliding leg to the other. The knee of the glide leg is bent to a
position directly over the toe.
Outside edges: Proper use of the outside edges is usually more difficult than use of the inside edges.
As illustrated in Figure 2, have your players begin in a stranding position by pushing off the inside
edge of one skate and gliding on the outside edge of the other skate. The transfer of weight is to the
outside edge of the glide leg. Again the knee of the glide leg must be bent (over the tire). By riding
the outside edge of the glide state, the players should return to their starting position. This drill
should be repeated in both directions.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Teaching Skating Fundamentals - Workbook
Skating Skills Overview
The Ready Position
Key Elements:
• Skates are shoulder width apart
• Weight is on the inside edges of the skates
• Knees are bent over the toes
• Buttocks is lowered
• Back is straight and the head (chest) is up
• Shoulders are level and aligned over the knees and toes
• The stick is held close to the ice (allowing free range of motion)
Common Errors
• Positioning the skates more than shoulder width apart (this limits the ability to move quickly)
• Too much bend at the waist (this straightens the knees and reduces stability
• Positioning the skates less than shoulder width apart (this reduces stability and limits the ability to
move quickly
Suggestions for Coaching
You should be able to press down on the outstretched hands of your players in a ready position
and they should be able to hold much of your weight. A good position will allow them to hold your
weight and be able to skate and push you back wards. In a poor position, players will fall forward
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Skating Skills Overview
Forward Start
Key Elements:
• Full extension of the thrust leg
• Shoulder and knee of glide leg over the toe
• Rapid leg recovery
• A straight alignment of the trunk and thrust leg at full extension
Common Errors
• Bending at the waist
• Failure to fully extend the thrusting leg
Suggestions for Coaching
The forward start right and left should receive at least an equal amount of instruction. Often,
additional time will be needed to develop strong starting skill from the weak side
Forward start - right / left: In order to properly execute a forward start to the right or left, the skate
must rotate the chest and the hips in the intended direction. The skates should be placed in a heel-toheel position with the blades approximately 90° to each other. The thrust is off the inside edge of the
back skate while pointing the others skate in the intended direction. (See Figure 2) As in the forward
start, the ankles are turned in with the weight on the inside edges. Emphasize full extension and
rapid leg recovery. For a forward start to the left, reverse the process.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Teaching Skating Fundamentals - Workbook
Skating Skills Overview
Forward Stride
Key Elements:
• Full extension of the thrust leg
• A straight alignment of the trunk and thrust leg at full extension
• Knee of glide leg bent (over the tie of the glide skate)
• Thrust and glide legs alternate
Common Errors
• Failure to place weight on the glide leg
• Not bending the knees sufficiently (This results in a short skating stride, i.e. a Short Stroker)
• Thrusting backward off the toe instead of the outward to the side (Walker)
• A high kick on the recovery phase of the stride (High Kicker)
• Straightening the glide leg after each stride (the skater must replace one bent gliding knee with
another, i.e., The Bobber)
Suggestions for Coaching
You should begin the teaching process with stationary exercises that will enhance technique and
then progress to drills that may be done at 1/2 to 3/4 speed. Remember, it is the quality of the
technique that is most important to the ultimate success of your players.
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Skating Skills Overview
The Control Stop
Key Elements:
• Head and chest up
• Both inside edges utilized
• Bending the knees (toe-knee-shoulder alignment)
• Skates shoulder width apart
• The majority of the weight on the front foot
Common Errors
• Stopping with the skates spread more than shoulder width apart (This provides for stability but
little mobility)
• Stopping with the skates spread less than should width apart. (This reduces mobility and stability)
Suggestions for Coaching
An effective way to teach the control stop is to break it into three phases.
Phase 1 - In two separate movements: a) pushing against the inside edge of the lead skate and
b) pulling with the inside edge of the trailing skate.
Phase 2 - In a single movement, both legs are shuffled simultaneously using the inside edges of
both skates in the same manner as in Phase 1.
Phase 3 - Practice this technique at reduced speed by taking one stride in either direction and
stopping on both inside edges.
Phase 1
Phase 2
Phase 3
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Skating Skills Overview
Backward Skating
Key Elements:
• Thrust off the inside edge with the skate in a heel-out/toe arc
• A full transfer of weight to the glide leg at the completion of the thrust
• A full extension of the thrust leg
• Knee of the glide leg positioned over the toe of the glide skate
Common Errors
• Excessive side to side motion at the hips (this limits the power that can be applied to the thrust leg)
• Excessive forward lean at the waist throwing the weight forward and places the body out of
balance. (This may limit knee bend and may, therefore, limit thrust)
• Skates less than shoulder width (stability is decreased)
• Skates beyond shoulder width (causes a loss in maneuverability and power)
Suggestions for Coaching
Practice in pairs with another player. The attacker skates forward as the defender skates backward.
Always attempt to keep the attacker directly in front of the defender.
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Skating Skills Overview
Backward Stop
Key Elements:
• Knees bent (toe-knee-shoulder alignment).
• Toes out; heels in
• Weight on inside edges
• Slide forward body lean
Common Errors
• Inadequate knee bend
• Not turning the toes out and the heels in with both skates equally
• Placing insufficient weight on the inside edges
• Leaning the body too far forward
Suggestions for Coaching
Practice in pairs with one stick held between the two players at chest height. One player skates
forward and the other skate employs the backward stop. Reverse the direction and the roles of the
player pairs.
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Skating Skills Overview
Control Turn
Key Elements:
• Skates shoulder width apart
• Knee or lead skate bent (over the toe of the skate)
• Weight on the outside edge of the lead skate
• Weight on the inside edge of the trailing skate.
• Rotate the hips in the direction of the turn
Common Error
• Placing the body weight too far back on the heels
Suggestions for Coaching
Refer to the Windshield Wiper of Flip Flop drill listed under suggestions for coaching in the Edge
Control section of this chapter. The variation of this drill is to roll the ankle inward on one skate
(inside edge) and outward on the opposite skate to the outside edge.
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Skating Skills Overview
Forward Crossunder
Key Elements:
• Weight alternates between the inside of the outside skate and the outside edge of the inside skate
• Alternating full extension of the inside and outside legs during the thrust phase of the cycle
• The knee of the gliding leg is bent (over the toe)
Common Errors
• Failure to fully extend the leg that drives underneath
Suggestions for Coaching
Coaches must make a conscious effort to have players work on crossunders to their weak side.
Specific times and drills should be designated during practice, warmup and cool down periods to
work on the weak side crossunder.
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Coaches' Clipboard
Notes:
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Teaching Skating Fundamentals - Workbook
Coaches' Clipboard
Notes:
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Drills
Full Peanut Skating
Set up cones as indicated in diagram(shape of peanut).
Players skate around cones using crossunders and
accelerating through turns.
Key Elements
• Keep feet moving
• Crossunders pushing through/under
• Push through to full extension
Variations
• Add: Pivot turns Forward and Backwards Skating Pucks
Use a “half” peanut
Objective:
• Skating agility and quickness
Goalie
• Working on skating skills
1/2 Peanut
Player skates tight figure 8 twice through. Each time he
gets to middle of the “8”, Coach gives him a pass - player
one touch passes back. Skates out of “8” right into 1/2
Peanut. Receives pass from coach, shoots on goal.
Key Elements
• Skating
• High speed
• One touch passing
• Quick release on shot
Objective:
• Fundamental skill drill
Variations
• Player can carry second pass out of the figure “8” and
make a move on coach before he shoots on goal. Replace
the last cone of the 1/2 Peanut with the coach for player
to make a move on.
Goalie
• In the net - Play angle
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Drills
Skating Fundamentals
Objective:
• Skating Skills
The players are in one corner, the pucks are in the other.
Four cones are placed at the same side of the rink as
the pucks, evenly placed just inside and outside of the
blueline. The players start by skating a half circle around
the inside of the face-off circle, the player then pivots
backwards facing the middle of the rink and skates
backwards toward the redline, pivots from backwards
to forward and repeats 3 times. Now the player skates
forward around each cone making tight turns and
accelerating out of the turn to the next cone. After going
around the last cone the player accelerates down to the
hash marks on the outside of the face-off circle. Lateral
cross-overs, (left over right and right over left on the
return), across the face-off dot. The player then picks up
the puck in the corner and skates to the back of the net,
either continuing around for a shot on goal or stopping
and coming back to try to stuff it on the goaltender.
Key Elements
• Skating
• Crossunders
• Pivots
• Balance and Agility
• Transition Backwards to Forward
Variations
• The players can start by making one full circle around the
face-off circle or two full circles to work on crossunders
Goalie
• N/A
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Teaching Skating Fundamentals - Workbook
Drills
Skating Stations
Set-up 4 stations and evenly divide your players. 1.
Forward to Backward crossunders and pivots facing the
net. 2. Tight turns and 360 turns. 3. Forward and Backward
starts and stops. 4. Forward and Backward striding.
Key Elements
• 5-8 minutes at each station
• Rotate on whistle
• Proper skating technique
• Balance and body position
Objective:
• Skating
Variations
• Set-up drills to work on different skating skills
Goalie
• Separate goalie station: 1. T-pushes side to side
2. Movement up and back 3. Mirror Drill 4. Pair Passing
Ice Utilization 1
Drills organized from left to right. Drill 1, 2 on 0 Delay
Play. On whistle, the first 2 players in line skate through
the figure 8. When player 1 gets back to middle of figure
8, he skates out of figure 8, heading into zone. Player 2
continues through figure 8. When he gets back to middle,
player 2 skates out of figure 8 and heads into zone.
Meanwhile, player 1 receives pass from coach, carries
puck into zone, delays around cone on dot passes to
player 2 heading into scoring area. Player 2 shoots. Drill 2,
3 on 3 Defensive Zone Coverage Two defenseman and one
forward defend against three forwards below the tops of
the circles.
Objective:
• Maximizing the time and space allotted
Key Elements
• Skating
• Passing/ Receiving
• Communication
• Defensive awareness
• Read and react to the situation
Variations
• None for this drill
Goalie
• In both the nets at each end.
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Teaching Skating Fundamentals - Workbook
Drills
Ice Utilization 5
Objective:
• Maximizing the time and space allotted
Divide players up into five equal groups. Drill 1, Forward
Backward Pivots Skating. One player at a time skates
forward into the circle around the cone, backwards out
around the next cone to their left, back in forward around
the middle cone, pivots backward out to next cone to their
left and this continues until they have gone completely
around the circle. Drill 2, Tight Turn Backward to Forward.
The first player in line starts out skating forward to the 1st
cone inside the blueline skates 1 1/2 times around, pivots
backward to the 2nd cone between the face-off circle and
the goal line, transition forward to the 3rd cone on the
neutral zone face-off dot around that final cone and finish
with a shot on goal. Drill 3, Timing Pivots Passing. The first
player to the right of the coach gets a pass from the coach
and passes directly back to the coach before he pivots
back, as he pivots the coach passes it right back to him
and he one touches it right back to the coach. The other
player that started on the other side should be in position
with the correct timing to where the first player had began.
This player continues in the same pattern as the other
player. This drill is continuous in the same direction for 30
seconds. Drill 4, Tight Turns with a Shot. The player starts
the drill with the puck, skates up to the first cone and
make a tight turn to the middle of the ice around the cone,
skates to the next cone and goes in the opposite direction
from the inside to the outside, and continues around the
last cone for a shot on goal. Drill 5, Bull in the ring. Player
1 with a puck and player 2 without a stick placed inside a
face-off circle. On whistle, player 2 tries to push player 1
out of the face-off circle. Player 1 uses body position to
protect puck and roll off check to stay inside circle.
Key Elements
• Fundamental skill development
• Puck handling/Protection
• Compete
• Battle 1 on 1
• Timing
• Passing While in Motion
Variations
• None for this drill
Goalie
• In both nets at each end, taking shots from drill 2
and drill 4.
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Teaching Skating Fundamentals - Workbook
Drills
Freeze Tag
Spread players out across one third of the ice surface.
Denote either a coach or a player as “it.” All other players
skate within the area avoiding the tag. If they get tagged,
they are frozen until another player frees them by tagging
them. The game is over when all players are frozen.
Key Elements
• Skating
• Balance
• Agility
• Teamwork
• Communication
Objective:
• Work on Skating Agility
Variations
• None for this drill
Goalie
• Participate in the drill with all players
Agility Races 2
4 cones positioned on one half of the ice at the 4 face off
dots. Coach positioned at the center ice with pucks. 2 lines
of players on each side of the coach. A player from each
line starts on the blueline facing the goal. On the whistle
the 2 players take off skating inside to outside the 2 cones
and race to retrieve the puck that the coach positioned
just inside the blueline. The 1st player that retrieves the puck
takes a shot on goal, the 2nd player becomes the backchecker.
Objective:
• Accelerating out of a turn/Skating/Overspeed
Key Elements
• Skating
• Crossovers/Acceleration
• Overspeed
• Puckhandling with pressure
• Puck protection
Variations
• The players can also skate a 360 degree circle around
the 1st cone. The players can also skate forward to the 1st
cone, pivot and skate backward to the cone in the neutral
zone, pivot forward and race for the puck. The player that
does not get the puck can pick up a 2nd puck behind the
net for a 2nd shot on goal with a wrap-around.
Goalie
• 1 on 1 Game like situation, puck carrier is under
a lot of pressure
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Teaching Skating Fundamentals - Workbook
Drills
Stick Jump Agility Drill
Players line up behind one of the face-off dots. Place all of
the players’ sticks out in front of them. At the end of the
sticks, two cones are set up with a stick across them. The
players jump over the sticks, alternating feet, then dive
under the stick placed on the cones. After each player has
gone through the drill twice, tip the cones on their side
and have players try to go under again or jump over the
lowered stick.
Key Elements
Objective:
• Teach Skating Agility and Balance
• Skating Agility
• Balance
• Knee bend
• Having fun
Variations
• None for this drill
Goalie
• Participates in the drill with all the players
Stick Jump/Crossover Drill
Players spread out and place their sticks on the ice in front
of them. On the coach’s command, players two-foot jump
over the stick back and forth. After awhile, have players
jump forward from the bottom of the stick side to side,
to the top and then backward jump side to side down to
the bottom of the stick. Next, line the sticks up around the
circle and have the players skate around the circle doing
crossovers and jumping over the sticks at the same time.
Change direction after 30 seconds.
Objective:
• Teach Skating crossovers
Key Elements
• Skating
• Crossovers right and left
• Balance and Agility
• Create good knee bend
Variations
• None for this drill
Goalie
• Participate in the drill with all players
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Teaching Skating Fundamentals - Workbook
Drills
Czech Skating
Four equally divided lines of players all at one end of the
ice behind the goal line. On the whistle the first player in
each line starts and skates to the neutral zone area. Lines
one and three execute their circles before the red line, and
lines two and four do so after. Maintaining good balance
and edge control while maintaining their speed through
the turn and accelerating out of the turn all the way to the
tops of the circle at the other end.
Key Elements
Objective:
• Edge control drill maintain speed around circle
• Skating
• Edge Control
• Circle with speed
• Both ways
• Acceleration out of a turn
• Can be used as conditioning drill
Variations
• Add pucks, or perform backwards, or stagger players and
turn it into a shooting drill for the goalie, can also be
used as a race
Goalie
• Participate with the players working on skating.
Figure 8 - Skating
Players skate around face-off circles using crossunders in
order to accelerate through the turns.
Key Elements
• Keep feet moving
• Crossunders pushing through / under
• Push through to full extension
Variations
• Use cones in tight circles. Use gloves in tight circles - Can
use a control / tight turn and accelerate out of circle using
a crossunder. Add Pucks
Objective:
• Crossunder skating
Goalie
• Work on skating skills.
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Teaching Skating Fundamentals - Workbook
Drills
4 Skating Stations
Divide players into 4 equal groups positioned as shown
in the diagram. Station #1: Skate through the cones with
good puck control with your head up to the goal line, stop
using a hockey stop, facing the middle of the ice. Station
#2: From a starting position, explosive quick start to the
redline, continue long strides down to the far goal line
with a hockey stop, facing the middle of the ice. Station
#3: Backwards start, skate backwards to the redline, pivot,
Objective:
• Fundamental Skill Development
open up towards the boards, skate forward to the corner of
the net. Station #4: Obstacle course; stick handle through
the cones first, make a move right or left of the stick on the
ice, jump over the next obstacle, skate a figure 8 between
the next two cones and skate forward to the far cone,
backward around the next cone, down the ice to make a
move around the last object or coach for a shot on goal.
Key Elements
• Skating
• Puck handling
• Pivots
• Agility
Variations
• Stations #2 and #3 can add pucks.
Goalie
• Goalies can take shots at the end of Station #1 and at the
end of Station #4, or participate in all the skating drills.
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Teaching Skating Fundamentals - Workbook
On Ice Presentations
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Teaching Skating Fundamentals - Workbook
On Ice Presentations
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Teaching Skating Fundamentals - Workbook
On Ice Presentations
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