Purpose
Defensemen practice skating forward and backward and switching between the two.Setup
- Players line up at the side of the faceoff circle.

How it Works
- Coach blows his whistle or says “Go.”
- Defenseman starts forward to the center line.
- There he executes a defense turn and skates backward to the blue line.
- There he pivots forward and skates forward back to the center line.
- There he pivots backward again and skates (backward) into the zone.
- Run the drill for 4-8 minutes or 3-5 rep.
Coaching Tips
- Defensemen should always strive to skate as fast backwards as forwards.
- Players should be pivoting not crossing over – if a defender crosses over they become easier to beat.