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Traffic-light glides

Respond to three familiar signals by skating gently, gliding, and using an already-learned stop.

6U · 8UBeginner6 minutes1–4 players
Original drill diagram
Traffic-light glides: player positions and movement 1StartYellowEnd2
1 starts; 2 represents waiting skaters. Green at Start, yellow at the middle cone, red before End. Stop in the clear runout, then return on the lower outside route. The signals are coach calls, not colored cones. Six-meter lane plus at least four meters of stopping space. 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: Cones, Skates, Hockey protective equipment

  1. Place Start and End cones beside a three-meter-wide, six-meter-long lane. Leave at least four meters clear beyond End for stopping; increase the space for the child. A third cone halfway along marks where the coach first calls yellow.
  2. Use one active skater and up to three waiting beside Start, outside the route. The coach stands beside the middle cone. Explain: green means gentle strides, yellow means two-foot glide, red means the stop you already know.
  3. For 6U/8U skaters who can stop independently, rehearse the signals while standing. On the first moving attempt, call green at Start, yellow halfway, and red well before End so the child has the remaining lane and clear runout to stop.
  4. Wait for a complete stop. The player returns outside the lane; the next turn starts only when that return is complete. If the child cannot stop within the space, end this version and use the easier task with the coach.
  5. Allow six minutes for explanation and short turns. Give each child one useful correction between attempts; there is no winner for arriving first.

Key teaching points

  • Cue: “Yellow: soft knees.” Stop taking strides and glide with both feet underneath you.
  • Cue: “Red: your usual stop.” This game practices a known stopping skill; it does not teach a new stop.

Common mistakes

  • Child speeds up to beat red. Try: agree on a gentle pace and announce the signal sequence before restarting.
  • Child freezes upright at yellow. Try: rehearse the glide position while still, then use just a few gentle strides.

Make it fit the player

  • Easier for a new 6U skater: practice green/yellow only over a shorter distance, with an instructor managing the finish; do not send a non-stopper down an open lane alone.
  • Harder for a ready 8U skater: vary the timing of yellow within the first half of the lane. Keep red early and the stopping space unchanged.
Research context & source notes

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

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