8 Drills That Use Face-Off Circles As Boundaries

The Rondo Circle Keep Away from Coach Alyssa Gagliardi is a great activity that can be used as a passing warm-up, or as an activity to improve overall awareness and passing with your head up. Rondos are popular activities in soccer and can be modified in a variety of ways depending on the skill level and the number of players you have on the ice. Read below to learn about the setup, coaching points & variations.

Setup

• Setup a group of 3 to 8 players around a circle.
• Start with 1 defender in the middle. After a few reps, progress to 2 defenders in the middle. 
• The goal is for the offensive players to keep possession, while the defender tries to take the puck. 
• If the defender steals the puck, they become a passer, and the person they stole the puck from goes in the middle.
• Count how many consecutive passes a team can get in a row. 
• Encourage players to cheer if they get the puck through the defender's legs!

Coaching Points

• Offensive players should keep their heads up to be aware of their teammates and the defender.
• Offensive players can work on deception (looking one way and passing another way).
• Defenders should keep their sticks on the ice at all times to block passing lanes.

Variations

• Can play with as little as 3 people around the circle or as many as 8.
• If players are skilled, you can require one touch passing, backhand passing, saucer passes, etc.
• Can play in different areas of the ice, not just around a circle.
• Can add 1 to 3 defenders.
• If offensive players are struggling connecting passes, coaches can have the defenders turn their sticks upside down.
• Can start a 2 on 1 if a pass is intercepted (view example).
• Learn 15 Rondo Variations and the Benefits of Adding Rondos to Practice.

The 3 vs. 3 Corner Drill is a fun game from Topher Scott that helps players develop a scoring mentality. This 3 vs. 3 game has one major constraint: each team is allowed one player that can play inside of the circle. The other teammates must play on the outside of the circle. Communication, quick passing and quick shots will help teams be successful in this game.

Setup:

• It is a 3 vs. 3 game that is played around a circle. 
• Two nets are set up on opposite ends of the circle.
• Each team is allowed 1 player inside the circle and their other 2 teammates stay on the outside of the circle. 
• The game starts when a coach chips the puck in the circle for a 1v1 battle or the coach can pass to one of the players to start the game.
• The game can be stopped or a new puck can be added when a goal is scored, the puck goes out of play, or the coach blows the whistle.
• Keep score!

Coaching Points:

• Quick shots and quick passes!
• Players without the puck should work to be an outlet for their teammates (get open, call for the puck and present your stick as a target).
• Defensive players should keep their sticks on the ice to block passing lanes.

Description

The 2 Pucks 2 v 2 Circle Game from Kendall Coyne Schofield is a great battle game that requires a high level of compete and quick decisions in an extremely constrained space.

Set Up

• 2 nets lined up on across from each other on the outside of a face off circle (doesn't have to be center ice)
• 1 goalie in each net
• 2 pucks laying in the center of the circle before the drill starts
• 2 "X"'s and 2 "O"'s lined up on the outside of the circle

Game

Play up to a certain number of goals, team "X" vs team "O"

• On the whistle all 4 players enter the circle to battle for the 2 pucks
• Players can score on either net at anytime 
• As soon as a puck exits the circle that puck is dead
• If one goal is scored, play out the other puck until a goal is scored or it exits the circle
• As soon as the game is over, set up 2 more pucks in the middle and the next players go on the whistle
• Keep score!

Coaching Points

1. Puck Protection - this game is played in such a small space, puck protection and using your body to protect the puck is crucial
2. Communication - you and your teammate need to be on the same page and communicate from the whistle until the game is over
3. Quick touches - playing in such a confined space requires quick touches for passing and a quick release when shooting

The Circle Warm Up Series is a series of skating & puckhandling exercises that helps a player practice common movements that appear during the course of a hockey shift (forward & backward skating, tight turns, escapes, pivots, stopping, and more. All you need is a puck and the lines of the circle. No cones are needed!

The video above from NewEdge Hockey Development shows 10 movements that can be practiced. However, it should be noted that a coach can pick as many or as few of the movements above that they want. Coaches can also add in modifications based on skill level. Only use one puck during the warm-up. If a player loses a puck, they are responsible for getting it back into the warm-up.

Coaching Points

• Underhandle the puck
• Head-up
• Verbally communicate with teammate (call for pass) and use non-verbal communication (show where you want the pass by having your stick on the ice).

Warm Up Movements (Shown In Video Above)

1. Stop at top of the circle, tight turn at hash & wheel
2. (Same as above, but opposite side) Stop at top of the circle, tight turn at hash & wheel
3. Skate to top of the circle, pass & receive, skate to hash, tight turn & wheel
4. Skate to top of the circle, pass & receive, escape to hash, 10 & 2 footwork
5. Receive pass, stutter stop step at top, wheel
6. Receive pass, stutter stop step at top (wide reach), wheel
7. Skate to hash, face-off dot, top of circle, hash, face-off dot
8. Pivot at hash, face-off dot, pivot at top circle, hash, pivot at face-off
9. Backwards skating one touch passes
10. Overspeed wheeling around the circle

This is a fun drill to start or end practice with that is great for the U6 age levels all the way to the NHL. Players love this drill! It is also known as Knockout or King / Queen of the Ring if you only use circles. If you have more than 6 players you can start by increasing the boundaries to include the entire neutral zone. Once there are 6 players remaining then you can narrow the boundaries down to the circle.

Setup

Every player will have a puck to start and on the whistle players will skate around controlling the puck. The object of the game is to maintain control of your puck and be the last player to have control of your puck. As players skate around they will also try to knock other players pucks away. If you get your puck knocked away then you have to leave the playing area. The last player with control of their puck WINS!

Watch the Colorado Avalanche perform this fun exercise below:

If you need further proof that this drill is great for all levels then watch this video of the Pittsburgh Penguins playing King of the Hill with the whole team in the neutral zone. This was during the Stanley Cup Playoffs when they won in 2017!

Split up players into four equal lines and have them line up at each neutral zone dot with pucks. On the whistle, first player from each line skates into the center circle with a puck. There will be four players in the center circle stickhandling and controlling the puck. On the next whistle the four player skate to the end of the line diagonal from the line where they came from. At the same time the next players from each line skate into the center circle doing the same thing. Players should focus on controlling the puck with their head up. Encourage players to be creative.

This puck protection drill can be done in one of the circles. To set it up place two players on opposite sides of the circle facing each other. One player will be designated as the puck protector. Place the puck closer to the puck protector to give them a slight advantage. On the whistle both players battle for the puck. As you see in the video the puck protector should take care the defender's stick and use their body to surround the puck. The puck protector works to keep the puck in the circle. Allow the players to battle until the puck protector looses possession of the puck.

Pass Through The Circle Game is a fun small area game that practices passing, puck protection, decision making and awareness. The offensive players work together to pass through the circle to score points, while the defense tries to gain possession of the puck to score points.

Setup

• Set up a 4 v 2 game around a circle. It can be at the center ice circle or any of the in zone circles.
• On the whistle, the forwards work to keep possession and are able to score points by passing through the circle (the puck can go through any part of the circle, but it must be a completed pass to count as a point).
• Defense tries to break up the play and get the puck out of play. Defense is awarded 2 points if they skate the puck out of play and 1 point for knocking the puck out of play.
• Forwards and defenseman can skate anywhere they want in the playing area (including the middle of the circle).
• Game should go for 30-45 seconds or so before a new set of players jumps in. Keep track of how many points are scored!

Coaching Points

• Offensive players
  • Keep head up to be aware of where teammates are, defenders are, and where the open ice is.
  • Players without the puck should jump to open ice to be an outlet.
  • Players without the puck should be thinking of where they will pass the puck ahead of time if they get the puck.
  • Players with the puck should practice deception with head, body and eyes to make the defenders think the puck is going somewhere else.
• Defensive players
  • Keep sticks on the ice to block passing lanes.
  • Protect the circle and only chase the puck carrier when there is a good opportunity. 

Variations

• Can be set up at center ice circle or in zone circles (example of in zone is shown below).
• If it is too easy for the forwards to score points, add an additional defender to make it more challenging (make it a 4 v 3 or a 3 v 2 game).
• If it is too hard for the forwards to score points, have the defenders flip their sticks over.
• Can make the outside boundaries smaller or larger (the smaller the boundary the harder it is for the offensive team).