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Mirror puck protection

Adjust the puck and body position as a passive partner changes the direction of imagined pressure.

10U · 12UIntermediate7 minutes2–6 players
Original drill diagram
Mirror puck protection: player positions and movement 12
Four cones mark a six-meter square. 1 carries; 2 is the passive shadow. The dot shows a protected starting puck below 1, away from 2. The arrow is one example of the shadow changing angle; carrier 1 adjusts in response rather than following a fixed route. Maintain about two stick lengths of separation. Waiting players are outside the square and not shown. 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: Stick, Pucks, Cones, Skates, Hockey protective equipment

  1. Mark a six-meter square with four cones. Carrier 1 starts near the middle with one puck; shadow 2 begins about two stick lengths away on the upper side of the diagram. For 2–6 players, use one active pair and a waiting line outside the square.
  2. For the first turn, the shadow moves slowly from the carrier’s front toward one side, then pauses. The carrier takes small repositioning steps and moves the puck to the side away from the shadow. The shadow supplies a moving reference and does not try to win the puck.
  3. On the coach’s “freeze,” check the order: shadow, carrier, puck. Reset if the puck lies between the two players. Begin another slow change of angle; keep the activity inside the square and maintain the starting separation.
  4. Work for fifteen seconds, then pause for fifteen seconds to reset and rotate. With two players, swap roles. With 3–6, the shadow becomes carrier, the carrier joins the waiting line, and the next waiting player becomes shadow.
  5. Use seven minutes including a demonstration. Aim for two carrier turns per player if time allows. Count correct freeze positions, not touches or takeaways; this version has no checking or body contact.

Key teaching points

  • Cue: “Find the shadow, hide the puck.” Adjust to the partner’s actual position instead of turning through a memorized pattern.
  • Move the feet enough to place the body between partner and puck; do not reach around a fixed stance to do all the work with the stick.
  • The shadow should pause long enough for the carrier to solve the position. Matching the task to the carrier is part of the shadow’s job.

Common mistakes

  • Carrier turns continuously and loses track of the partner. Try: use one shadow move and one freeze before adding another move.
  • Carrier retreats directly toward the shadow. Try: restart from the marked middle and have the shadow stay still while the carrier finds the protected side.
  • Shadow starts poking for the puck. Try: reset the roles and score only correct body-puck placement; there are no points for taking possession.

Make it fit the player

  • Easier for developing 10U: keep the shadow stationary for a whole turn while the carrier rehearses placement on the far side.
  • Harder for ready 10U/12U: let the shadow choose either side without announcing it, pausing after every change. Keep the same gap and passive role.
Research context & source notes

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

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