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One-touch open target

Choose an available passing target before an incoming feed arrives and redirect the puck there with a single controlled passing contact.

12U · 14U+Intermediate8 minutes4–4 players
Original drill diagram
One-touch open target: player positions and movement FRAB
F feeds R, who chooses A or B on first contact according to the presented blade. Dashed branches are alternatives for the same puck, never simultaneous feeds. The receiving target returns outside R to F during the reset; that return is omitted for clarity. 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, Stick, Pucks, Cones

  1. Place one cone beside each of four spots: feeder F, receiver R 12 feet ahead, and targets A and B 10 feet diagonally beyond R to opposite sides. Four players occupy the spots with one puck at F. No one stands in another player’s passing line.
  2. Before each feed, A and B agree which player will present a blade; the other keeps the blade out of the passing lane. R scans both targets and calls the available player’s letter.
  3. F then sends a gentle flat pass to R’s forehand. R directs it to the called target on first contact, using a short controlled passing motion without stopping the puck first.
  4. The receiving target settles the puck. F waits while that player sends it back around the outside of R. Reset the available target before the next feed; the outside return is a reset, not part of the one-touch score.
  5. After four feeds, rotate F to R, R to A, A to B, and B to F. Give each player one receiver set. Count accurate first-contact passes to the available target, allowing a controlled catch if the feed is poor.

Key teaching points

  • Cue: “Find the blade before the feed.”
  • Prepare the stick angle for the selected target before contact.
  • Use a compact passing action; a one-touch pass is not a hard shot.

Common mistakes

  • R waits until the puck arrives to look. Try: require the target call before F releases.
  • Puck stops on the blade. Try: soften the feed and rehearse one continuous passing contact.
  • R forces a bad feed toward a closed target. Try: catch and reset; do not reward rushed errors.

Make it fit the player

  • Easier: keep the same target available for all four feeds.
  • Harder: reveal the available blade just as F begins the passing motion, while keeping the feed gentle.
Research context & source notes

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

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