Sling Shot Backwards is a drill to develop backwards skating and edge control. Encourage players to have a deep knee bend and extend through the hips.
Description
Coach sets up 2 cones at the top of the drill
Players start on the goal line.
Coach directs player to go.
Player skates hard backwards to gain speed then goes into a glide at the cones.
While holding the backwards glide the player pushes out on their inside edge to help gain speed.
The player resets their foot position and repeats until they move past the second cone.
Once the player gets around the second cone they return to line forwards.
Key Points
Reinforce skating stance techniques:
- Hips down
- Chest up
- Shoulders back
Focus on proper backwards skating technique:
- No swivelling hips
- Extend the same arm and leg
Encourage players to push down on their inside edge to propel themselves and gain speed.
Ensure to do drill in both directions.
To increase difficulty have them perform backwards pushes on their inside edge until they get back to the goal line.
If players are excelling add in an under push for backwards crossovers.
