There's no replacement for perfect posture in hockey. Which is ironic, because perfect posture doesn't exist.

But efficiency exists.

For Daniel Broberg, everything starts with posture. Losing speed around tight corners? Check the posture. Losing ground to opponents off your first three steps? It's probably posture.

Getting walked by an opponent because you couldn't turn quickly enough?

You get the idea.

The best time to hammer away at the details of posture is the start of the season, and the second-best time is right now. Summer is the right time to ingrain the habits of posture and how they relate to speed, agility, and power so that you're trained to look for the right things when the players come back.

In this drill from Broberg's course 7 Steps From Basic Skills to Smooth Power, the key is to be patient and hold the turns for as long as possible. When players rush the drill, they lose the feeling of being connected to the ice. The idea is to build speed, but if a player cheats the drill, their potential for speed will effectively be neutered.

Hip Control

Drill Description

• Players start on the goal line and glide forward on the outside edge.

• When they're into the turn, they shift their balance and flip to the inside edge, now gliding backward.

• Forward glide (outside edge) → backward glide (outside edge).

Key Points

• Hold each edge for as long as possible.

• Exaggerate the turns, but stay low and engaged at the same time.

• Use the eyes to pull the body in the next direction.

Check out 7 Steps From Basic Skills to Smooth Power today!