Effective practices are essential to successful hockey teams. Basic drills may seem easy, but they help players perfect important aspects of the game such as shooting, skating and passing. As your team masters these drills, your players will be able to execute them quickly and smoothly.
Circle Drills
Using five circles drawn on the ice is a great way to improve footwork. Have your players do forward crossovers around the five circles. Once they master this, have them skate around the circles backwards. Then try one-way circles. This means the players skate around the circles but always face center ice. This forces them to transition from forward to backwards. More advanced players can skate with pucks to improve stick handling.
'W' Drill
To incorporate stopping, try the "W" drill, which has skaters start from where the goal line meets the boards. The players then skate forward in a diagonal line across the zone to the opposite end of the nearest blue line. When they reach the blue line, they stop facing the boards and skate backwards in a diagonal to where the center line meets the opposite side of the rink. They then stop and skate forward in a diagonal line to the other edge of the blue line; then skate backward in a diagonal line to the corner where the far goal line meets the boards. Their skating pattern should form a 'W' in the ice, thus giving the drill it's name.
Shooting
The horseshoe drill is a basic drill that improves shooting and warms up the goalie. Line the team up in a horseshoe around the goalie and have each player take a shot one at a time. Then repeat the drill after each player retrieves a puck and finds a new spot on the horseshoe. A give and go corner drill combines passing, shooting and skating. Line players up in the corner with the coach standing in the center of the nearest circle. Each player takes a turn passing the puck to the coach who then returns the pass to the player as he skates along the boards. When the player passes the blue line he turns and skates back into the zone and takes a shot on the goalie.
Passing
The weave is a basic passing drill that gives each player a chance to catch and receive both forehand and backhand passes. Form three lines with equal numbers of players along the goal line. The first player in each line starts skating down the ice. The player in the center will pass a puck to the player on her left. The passer will follow her pass and skate to her left as the player receiving the pass, catches it and passes it cross ice to the third player. The original center will have taken the second passer's position, and the second passer will follow his pass by skating across the ice to the third players spot. As this happens, the third player skates toward the center of the ice, passing to the original passer, who then passes across the ice to the second player. This routine of each player passing and following his pass continues to form a weave pattern until the three players reach the other end of the ice.
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