This hockey practice plan for beginners focuses on passing and shooting with accuracy and skating with speed and power. We’ll introduce a variety of fun drills to help develop passing and shooting fundamentals and apply those skills to game situations.
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Phase 1 – Warm Up (0:00-0:10)
- Free Ice Time – 10 minutes. Players enjoy free time on the ice. They can skate, shoot or practice their stickhandling.
Phase 2 – Push and Cushion Drill (0:10-0:20)
- Players pair off and form two lines facing each other. Each pair has a puck.
- Coach blows his whistle or says “Go.”
- Players pass the puck back and forth to each other.
- Run drill for 5-10 minutes.
Phase 3 – Passing While Skating Drill (0:20-0:30)
- Set up two small goals at the half line.
- The attacking team (circles) will have eight field players: 2 outside backs (#2, #3), 2 wing forward and 1 center forward (#4, #5, #6), and 3 center midfielders (#1, #7, #8).
- The defending team (triangles) will play with 6 field players and 1 goalie (4 backs, and 2 center mids).
- The defense scores by passing or dribbling through the cones and they are awarded 2 points. The attack scores on a goal.
- Play for 10 to 15 minutes and then switch players as needed.
- Encourage attacking players to play the center forward and make runs off or support the other attackers.
Phase 4 – Hit The Net Drill (0:30-0:40)
- Play a scrimmage with as many players as you have available (8v8 or 7 v7).
- Play two 15 minute halves and switch sides.
- Apply the principles talked about in practice and help players recognize when they did something right. Paint the picture of what it will look like in a game.
Phase 5 – Star Wars Drill (0:40-0:55)
- Play a scrimmage with as many players as you have available (8v8 or 7 v7).
- Play two 15 minute halves and switch sides.
- Apply the principles talked about in practice and help players recognize when they did something right. Paint the picture of what it will look like in a game.