Purpose

Defensemen practice making hard turns to go from skating forward to skating backward.

Setup

  • Players line up at the goal line near the boards.
hard turn defensive hockey drill

How it Works

  1. Coach blows his whistle or says “Go.”
  2. Player skates forward around the faceoff circle to the top.
  3. At the top he performs a hard Defense Turn and returns around the same portion of the circle skating backward.
  4. Run the drill for 4-8 minutes or 3-5 reps.

Coaching Tips

  • Players should be shifting their weight to their pivot leg and not crossing over to make the switch from skating forward to skating backward.