Hockey Specific On-Ice Training Drill

I had comment posted on one of my hockey training videos on YouTube, the athlete asked me what hockey team I played for.  Although I do play some adult pick up hockey from time to time, I don’t think this is what he was looking for.  I had to confess that I am a fitness coach who happens to work with many hockey players. 

I typically leave the on-ice training to the hockey coach or power skating coach, after all he or she is the expert in that realm.  One exception is on-ice conditioning.  Where many elite level players take time away from the ice for the summer, I like my clients to do some power skating and on-ice conditioning once or twice per week during June and July, expecting that they will be on the ice scrimmaging 3-5 days per week starting in August.

 As you can well imagine, bicycling, running, doing ladder drills are all very different from the skating stride.  I love the slide board, but there is no opportunity for multi-directional drills on the slide board or on a skating treadmill for that matter.

 I have a few different categories of on-ice drills on a continuum from speed and acceleration to speed endurance.  Then I can add layers to that continuum including stability, reactivity or agility.  Below I will describe one of the big bang exercises I use when training hockey players on-ice.  The only equipment required is small cones and a stop watch.

 The exact set up will vary based on the position the athlete plays, but this is how I set it up for a forward.  I set up approximately five small marker cones in the offensive zone varying the position, but to demonstrate, let’s look at the area around the attacking zone face-off circle to the right of the net.  Typically one will be a the top of the circle, one is in front of the net, one deep in the corner, one by the hash marks closest to the boards and another one behind the net.  Each cone is approximately 3-7 meters apart.

 You can do this drill with or without the puck; it depends on your goal.  Do you want to work pure speed and agility or do you want to work speed with puck control?  Whatever you chose the drill runs the same way.  

• Begin with the player standing at one of the cones
• You will begin the drill by saying “Go” as you start the stopwatch.
• You immediately give the player a visual cue by pointing to one of the cones.
• The hockey player skates to the target as quickly as he or she can.
• As the player approaches the cone, he or she looks toward the coach for their next destination.
• You need to deliver the visual cues quickly so the player does not need to slow down or stop and wait for the cue. 
• Continue directing the athlete in a random patter for the predetermined time.

I will typically use this drill for 8-15 seconds with a 1:4 or 1:6 work to rest interval.   

This is one of my favorite hockey training drills because it combines on-ice agility and conditioning as well as cognitive training as the athlete must read and react to visual cues.  Hope it helps you train hockey players to perform better.