Purpose

Defensemen practice skating forward and backward and switching between the two.

Setup

  • Players line up at the side of the faceoff circle.
Defense Zig Zag Hockey Drill

How it Works

  1. Coach blows his whistle or says “Go.”
  2. Defenseman starts forward to the center line.
  3. There he executes a defense turn and skates backward to the blue line.
  4. There he pivots forward and skates forward back to the center line.
  5. There he pivots backward again and skates (backward) into the zone.
  6. 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.