A little more confidence. A little more fun. Free to use.
PRACTICE BARNHOCKEY DRILLS & PRACTICE PLANSBuild a practice
Home / Drill library / Skating
Skating / On ice

Backward one-foot balance

Maintain a short straight backward glide on either skate without adding a push or turning during the hold.

10U · 12UIntermediate6 minutes1–1 players
Original drill diagram
Backward one-foot balance: player positions and movement 1
1 faces left while traveling backward to the right. The gap between arrows marks the one-foot balance segment; all pushing occurs before that segment and both feet return before the finish. Original schematic; not to scale. Circles with numbers or letters mark players. Other markers and arrows are explained in the caption; some diagrams show puck or ball movement instead of skating. Red arrows show shots. Follow the written setup for spacing.

How to run it

Equipment: Skates, Hockey protective equipment, Cones

  1. Mark a 20-foot lane, 6 feet wide, with four cones. Leave another 10 feet beyond Finish. Start facing away from Finish without a puck; backward travel and a controlled backward stop must already be familiar.
  2. Check the lane, then make two gentle backward C-cuts. Bring both skates under the body and coast before lifting one skate an inch or two.
  3. Hold the straight backward glide for one count on the other skate. Put both feet down before making any further push or preparing to stop.
  4. Stop beyond Finish and return forward outside the lane. Alternate the supporting foot for six trips, resting briefly after every two.
  5. Use six minutes including demonstration. Count straight one-count holds followed by an intentional two-foot recovery, rather than distance traveled on one foot.

Key teaching points

  • Cue: “Push, coast, lift, replace.” Separate propulsion from balance.
  • Keep the supporting skate under the body rather than leaving it to one side.
  • Let the free foot hover close to its starting position.

Common mistakes

  • Player lifts during a C-cut. Try: require a clear two-foot coast first.
  • Glide curves out of the lane. Try: shorten the hold and center weight over the supporting blade.
  • Player tries to stop on one foot. Try: call “both down” well before Finish.

Make it fit the player

  • Easier: lighten one skate without lifting it during the backward coast.
  • Harder: extend the same straight glide to two counts on both supporting feet.
Research context & source notes

Background sources for this drill’s skills and teaching principles.

Keep building

More skating drills · Development guides