One of the greatest coaching skills is your ability to modify your core drills to address key skills and tactics with your team. Once players learn the name, set-up and key points of a new drill, it’s much more effective and efficient to stick with that drill and tweak it slightly than to teach them an entirely new drill.
1v1 Skate Thru The Gate is one of my favorite drills to run at both hockey camps and team skills sessions to works on players’ ability to win wall battles. With over 80% of our game being played within 3 feet of the wall, our ability to win that puck and get it to the middle of the ice to create offense is critical. This drill is super simple to set-up, works with players of all ages and levels, and is a player favorite. I have at least 15 slight tweaks and variations that I use to change it up to keep players engaged and challenge them on both the offensive and defensive side of the puck, and I wanted to share the 3 simplest variations with you here.
1v1 SKATE THRU THE GATE - BASIC VARIATIONS
GOAL: To help players to build confidence with physicality to win battles along the wall and get pucks to the middle of the ice.
SET-UP: The drill can be done anywhere along wall - side boards, corner, or end wall. Create smaller groups so players have 1:2 or 1:3 work-to-rest ratio
#1) Both Attacking, 1 Gate
Two players start on either side of coach. Coach passes puck against wall & both players sprint to battle for possession and look to skate the puck through the gate from wall to the middle of the ice. If puck leaves immediate playing area, coach can throw in a new puck. Drill should last 10-20 seconds.
• Change the start: Have players start in different body positions (kneeling, stomach, back) or have them do some skating agility around cones first before racing for puck.
• Add a shot: Same as above but player who skates it through the gate is rewarded with a shot on net.
• Start in pin: Players start in a pin with the puck in between the pinned player's feet. On the coach's go, the players battle for possession and look to skate puck through the gate from the wall to the middle of the ice.
#2) 1 Attack & 1 Defend, 1 Gate
Designate players as attacker & defender. Coach dumps puck into wall - attacker tries to skate through the gate from outside to inside and the defender tries to keep the attacker from skating through the skate for 10 seconds. Defender wins the rep if they keep the player from skating through for 10 seconds.
• Change the stick: Have the defender defend with no stick, flipped stick or regular stick.
#3) 2 Gate Variations
This is a more challenging variation that promotes finding open space and defending a more challenging scenario. Set up is the same but there are two mini gates instead of just one. Player with possession can skate through either gate to win the drill.
• Both attacking: Coach puts puck against wall & both players sprint to battle for possession and try to skate the puck through the gate.
• 1 attacking & 1 defending: Defender wins the rep if they keep the player from skating through either gate for 10 seconds.
Try this drill out at your next session to help your players be more confident and dominant along the wall. Challenge yourself to come up with your own variations that best fit your team’s needs. If you want to see more of my variations for 1v1 Skate Thru The Gate, including a few small area games, send me a message and I will send them your way.
