When a player skates too upright and their elbows rise during turns, it usually means:

• Their hips aren’t sitting down into the turn
• They’re rotating with their upper body instead of their edges
• They’re trying to balance with their arms instead of their inside edge + knee bend

The teaching cue I use with kids is:

“Nose over knees, knees over toes.”

If their chest stays forward and knees stay bent, the arms usually settle naturally.

Here are a few drills that work really well.

Touch the Knee Turning Drill

Setup

• 4–5 cones in a small circle.

Execution

1. Player skates around the circle.
2. As they turn, they touch their inside knee with their inside hand.
3. Keep the other hand on the stick.

Why it works

• Forces knee bend
• Keeps upper body forward
• Prevents elbows flying up.

Coaching cues

• “Sit into the turn.”
• “Chest over the puck.”
• “Touch the knee — don’t reach up.”