U8 - Skating & Spatial Awareness

Key Points

• Lean on edges as though you are going to fall over.
• Keep a 1/4 squat position in the gliding leg.
• Lead with your head, the head dictates where the body moves.

Key Points for Working on Outside Edges

• Lean into the outside edge as if you are falling over.
• The more you lean, the more force and power you create.
• Lead with your head, the head dictates where the body goes.

The drill is set up at both ends of the ice on opposite sides. The focus of the drill is on change of direction skating and racing to pucks for a scoring opportunity. 

Red players are the leaders. Blue players are the followers. On the whistle, red players can skate anywhere between the goalline and blue line working on tight turns, stops and starts, backwards, etc. Blue players are mirroing the leaders. They have to keep their head up and follow the movements. This happens for 10-15 seconds and then the coach blows a second whistle. On the second whistle, the players race to a puck placed in the neutral zone. First player to control the puck is on offense and trying to score at the net at the far end. 

Set up 2 small "obstacle courses" using divider pads and nets/mini nets. Players partner up for games of tags, but they are limited to a small area and use of the objectives to avoid being tagged. 

Tic Tac Toe Relay

Split up players into two teams. Have 4 of the players place their sticks down, in the shape of a Tic Tac Toe board. The rest of the players can place their sticks off to the side.

Set up a small "obstacle" course based on the skill you're working on (i.e. balance, edges, tight turns, etc.). On the whistle, one player from each team starts with their team object (e.g. puck, tennis ball, cone, etc) in their glove. 

On the whistle, players take off through the obstacle course and place their team object on the Tic Tac Toe board. After placing their object, players race back to their line to tag the next player who then takes off, completes the skating route, and then places their object down. Teams continue to race and play a game of Tic Tac Toe until one team has won. 

Sharks and minnows could be one of the most popular youth sports games around. In the hockey world you may know this as pom-pom-pullaway. It is a great way to start a practice session becuase it gets kids excited and engaged.

How to Play

All the players place their sticks down below the goal line and line up across the goal line. Select 3-4 players or coaches to be the "sharks". The "sharks" must stay between the blue lines at all times. On the whistle the players will skate from one side of the ice to the other. The object is to not get touched by a "shark". If they get touched then they join the "sharks" in the middle for the rest of the game. The last player to not get touched by a "shark" wins that round.

Variation #1 - Power Turns

This variation makes is tougher by requiring players to do 2 power turns within the neutral zone. They are required to do one power turn at the red line and then another power turn at the blue line. Then they have to try and get to the far blue line without being tagged. Players can power turn in either direction so they need to be aware of which direction will give them a better chance to not get tagged.