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Wide and narrow puck touches

Change between a small and a wider puckhandling range without stepping or reaching off balance.

6U · 8U · 10U · 12UBeginner5 minutes1–4 players
Original drill diagram
Wide and narrow puck touches: player positions and movement 1
Player 1 stays still. The puck starts in front. Upper arrows show the small range; lower arrows show the wider range, drawn separately for readability. Both are puck travel along the ice, not skating or passes. No fixed width is prescribed: stay within comfortable reach. 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, Skates, Hockey protective equipment

  1. Use one puck and stick in an open patch of ice with at least two stick lengths clear in every direction. For 1–4 players, one works while the others wait outside that space. No cones are needed.
  2. For 6U–12U players able to stand steadily, place the puck in front within easy reach. Make five slow side-to-side transfers between forehand and backhand; each trip across counts as one.
  3. Make five wider transfers, stopping short of the distance that makes the feet move or an arm lock straight. Then return to five small transfers. The player remains in the same place throughout.
  4. Pause after this sequence and let the next player try. In a five-minute station, demonstrate once and aim for three short turns each; with one player, rest between sequences.
  5. If the puck escapes, stop the sequence, check the area, and reset it in front. Do not turn the mistake into a chase through other stations.

Key teaching points

  • Cue: “Turn the blade with your wrists.” Use both blade faces with soft contact.
  • Cue: “Small, wide, small.” Keep the same unhurried rhythm as the travel distance changes.

Common mistakes

  • Wider transfers pull the player sideways. Try: reduce the width until the feet can stay planted.
  • Player loses the puck when looking up. Try: allow a look down to reset; introduce a brief glance only after the small transfers are reliable.

Make it fit the player

  • Easier for newer 6U/8U: practice small transfers only, pausing after each one.
  • Harder for ready 10U/12U: the coach calls “small” or “wide” during a short sequence; later, briefly identify a finger number held in front between transfers.
Research context & source notes

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

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