Special Thanks to Coach Terry Cosgrove for this drill.
Effective warmup the other night with our 8U team in Exeter.
4 cones in the middle (diamond shaped). Players in opposite/diagonal lines with pucks.
On the whistle, players accelerate with their puck, crossing over around the cones, before finishing with a shot. Switch the corners about halfway through the drill.
I like this drill for a number of reasons:
We did this in-zone as we were splitting the ice with another team, so players have a smaller space and almost immediately get into crossovers as they handle the puck
Another player is coming from the other side, so players instinctively keep their head up as they round the cones
Easy to set up and demonstrate so players can get right into it
You can add constraints like - Give and go with coach or opposite line- Specific places to shoot- Handling the puck on the opposite side of the cones or obstacles - and many more.
Encourages Overspeed- the idea of going faster out of your comfort zone
Try it for your young ones and see if they enjoy it. Great for stations!
