KPW Core Drills
Core Drills
Butterfly drill
Warm-up/loosen up (up to 5 minutes):
1. Sprints between blue lines
2. Backwards between Blue Lines
3. Backwards around corners/cones, forward between Blue Lines
Circles:
(Depending on age group, plan roughly 5 minutes):
Players in groups of 3 skate all 5 circles consecutively (Near Right Corner, Center, Far Right Corner, Far Left Corner, Near Left Corner), first Counterclockwise, then Clockwise direction, in opposite sequence (Near Left Corner, Center, Far Left Corner, Far Right Corner, Near Right Corner);
Variant: Transition and skate center ice circle backwards.
Variant 2: Skate all circles backwards
Circles (alternative):
(Depending on age group, plan roughly 5 minutes):
Players in groups of 3 skate all 5 circles (Near Right Corner, Near Left Corner, Center, Far Right Corner, Far Left Corner), alternating direction Clockwise/Counter-Clockwise.
Variant: Transition and skate center ice circle backwards.
“W” Drill:
(Depending on age group, plan roughly 5-15 minutes, use 5 to 7 cones):
Iterations: Hockey turn at each cone (both ways)
Transition at each cone, alternating forward-backward skating (both ways)
Stop at each cone, facing finish end (both ways)
Variant (Time permitting): Circle each cone (both ways); Repeat each iteration with pucks
Note: Goalie(s) taking shots from Coach(s) during drill for warm-up; also have skaters shoot on goal after clearing last cone
“Zigzag” Drill (alternative):
(Depending on age group, plan roughly 5-10 minutes):
Cones are set up at Triangle locations - start in Near Right Corner. Skaters start drill once previous skater has cleared the 1st cone.
1st Variant: skaters carry puck and shoot on goal positioned in Near Left Corner (represented by rectangle at upper left of diagram)
2nd Variant: cones are positioned with only enough amplitude to force kids into 2-3 crossovers and then rapidly changing direction
Giant “W” Drill:
(Depending on age group, plan roughly 5 minutes):
Cones are set up at Triangle locations - start in corner, repeat in opposite direction. Skaters start drill once previous skater has cleared the near Blue Line. Emphasize rapid acceleration to Blue Line, long strides through rest of drill.
Variant: Transition (Forward – Backward) at each cone
Second Variant: Carry puck through cones, shoot on goal placed at opposite corner (red rectangle)
Core Drills Over-Speed Variant:
Butterfly drill
Warm-up/loosen up (up to 5 minutes):
1. Sprints between blue lines
2. Backwards between Blue Lines
3. Backwards around corners/cones, forward between Blue Lines
Half-Ice Circles:
(Depending on age group, plan roughly 5-10 minutes):
Players in groups of 3 skate circles in near zone, alternating counterclockwise then clockwise then returning in opposite direction (clockwise then counterclockwise). Skaters skate circles (both directions) forward, then backwards, then execute pivots at “12 o’clock” and “6 o’clock” facing the opposite end of the rink.
Important to note: skaters should be sprinting during this drill.
Half-Ice “W” Drill:
(Depending on age group, plan roughly 5-15 minutes):
Skaters start in corners, skate around cones and behind the net, and repeat from the opposite corner. Similar to standard “W” Drill, skaters execute hockey turns, then transition at cones, and carry pucks around cones/net. Important to note: skaters should be sprinting during this drill. Also note: this is a good opportunity to work with goalie(s)
Add a third cone in middle (green line) and have skaters stop at each cone (facing same direction).
Core Drills Bantam/Midget Variant:
Split S’s Drill: (plan roughly 5 minutes):
All skaters on red line in opposing lines, skate halfway around center ice circle to blue line back to read line, then break in other direction toward net and shoot on goal, and return to line.
Square Out Passing: (plan roughly 5 minutes)
1st player skates along red line, corners around cone toward net, 2nd player starts skating and passes puck to 1st player after 1st player clears the cone. 1st player receives pass, shoots on goal. 2nd player follows 1st player, receives pass from 3rd, and so forth. Emphasize stepping into passes.
Square Out 1v1:
Drill sets up like the Square Out Passing Drill; only the 2nd player making the pass is a defenseman who skates out and corners around the second cone. After receiving the pass, the 1st player attempts to beat the defenseman in a 1v1 scenario.
Core Drills: Revision: 4 Page 7 of 7