At-home hockey drills for 7 to 10 year olds: defense

This is a free sample week of at-home hockey training for 7 to 10 year olds, for a defense: 3 of the 7 plans SSTracker has for this group, each 12 minutes, with every step and minute. Nothing here is written for this page alone; it is what the app gives a family.

Everything here can be done in a room, garage or yard. Drills that need a team are left out; a parent can be the partner in a pair drill.

A free sample week of hockey for 7 to 10 year olds

Session 1

Defense: Forehand Pass to a Wall 12 minutes

Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
Forehand Pass to a Wall · 4 min
Sweep it, do not slap it.
Hopscotch Course · 4 min
Light and bouncy. Safety: Land softly on grass or a mat, knees over toes, never caving in. Keep the number of jumps low. Stop if knees, shins or ankles hurt.
Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Session 2

Defense: Gap Stance Backward Steps 12 minutes

Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
Gap Stance Backward Steps · 4 min
Low and square, then pivot. Safety: Land softly with knees over toes on a non-slip floor. Stop if your knees or ankles hurt.
Snowplow Stop Game · 4 min
Knees bent, push out, scrape. Safety: Wear a helmet with a full cage, a neck guard, a mouthguard and full gear on the ice.
Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Session 3

Defense: Tightrope Line Walk 12 minutes

Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
Tightrope Line Walk · 4 min
Arms out, slow steps. Safety: Practice on soft ground or near a wall with clear space around you, so a wobble is no problem.
Gap Stance Backward Steps · 4 min
Low and square, then pivot. Safety: Land softly with knees over toes on a non-slip floor. Stop if your knees or ankles hurt.
Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Want the rest of the plan?

This sample is 3 of the 7 hockey plans SSTracker has for this group. In SSTracker every step is on the screen, your child logs the work, and you see it. No club needed: the family plan is $7.50 a month per player, or $12 a month for the whole household, and the first 14 days are free.

Get the full plan free for 14 days Coach or club director? Set up your team free Print a free week for another sport or age

The drills in this week

Forehand Pass to a Wall

Ages 7 and up · 8 min

Sweep a flat pass and receive it softly.

Stand 10 feet from a wall.
Sweep the puck and point your blade at the target.
Cushion the return by giving with your stick.
Do 40 passes.

Coach's cue: Sweep it, do not slap it.

Bring: stick, ball or puck, wall or board

Hopscotch Course

Ages 5 to 10 · 10 min

Classic hopscotch builds springy hops on one and two feet, plus balance and rhythm.

Draw a hopscotch grid.
Toss a marker into a square.
Hop and jump through the grid, skipping the square with the marker.
Play 10 turns, taking turns with a family member.

Coach's cue: Light and bouncy.

Bring: chalk or tape

Safety: Land softly on grass or a mat, knees over toes, never caving in. Keep the number of jumps low. Stop if knees, shins or ankles hurt.

Gap Stance Backward Steps

Ages 7 and up · 8 min

In shoes: hold a low defender stance, take small backward steps and pivot, the footwork of keeping a good gap.

Get low: knees bent, back flat, chest up.
Take 3 small steps backward.
Pivot your hips to one side and freeze.
Do 10 each way.

Coach's cue: Low and square, then pivot.

Bring: none

Safety: Land softly with knees over toes on a non-slip floor. Stop if your knees or ankles hurt.

Snowplow Stop Game

Ages 7 and up · 10 min

Learn to stop by pushing your skates out into a wedge and scraping the ice.

Glide slowly toward a cone.
Push both heels out and toes in to make a wedge.
Scrape the ice until you stop at the cone.
Do 10 stops, a little faster each time.

Coach's cue: Knees bent, push out, scrape.

Bring: skates, ice, 2 cones

Safety: Wear a helmet with a full cage, a neck guard, a mouthguard and full gear on the ice.

Tightrope Line Walk

Ages 5 to 10 · 6 min

Walk along a line on the ground like a tightrope walker: forward, backward and on tiptoes.

Lay a rope or draw a line about 4 yards long.
Walk heel to toe along it.
Then walk backward, then on tiptoes.
Do 3 trips each way.

Coach's cue: Arms out, slow steps.

Bring: rope, tape or chalk line

Safety: Practice on soft ground or near a wall with clear space around you, so a wobble is no problem.

Safety for ages 7 to 10

Plans for this age group use beginner drills only. Advanced drills open from age 13 in the app.
Home plans use only drills for a room, garage or yard. Stop if anything hurts.

Before you start: hockey

Helmet with full face cage, neck guard, mouthguard and full gear on the ice.
Goalies wear full goalie gear before any shot; soft balls and slow shots first.
No body checking in 12U and younger, and none at any age in girls' and women's hockey (USA Hockey).
Never hit from behind or to the head. Contact skills are taught slowly with a coach and a similar-size partner.
Locker rooms are supervised; an adult is never alone with one child.

For every sport and age (7)

Head knock or concussion signs (headache, dizziness, confusion, feeling "off"): when in doubt, sit them out. See a doctor, and no return the same day.
Back to sport only with a doctor's written OK, after a step-by-step return. Every U.S. state has a youth concussion law.
Heat: drink water before, during and after. Take shade breaks, ease into hot weather over about two weeks, and stop if dizzy, sick or headachy.
Lightning: if you hear thunder or see lightning, go inside a building or a closed car. Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder (the 30-30 rule).
Pain is a stop sign, not something to push through. Stop and tell a grown-up; pain that lasts or comes back each session needs a doctor.
Water and rest are part of training: 1-2 rest days a week, plenty of sleep, a meal or snack before and after, and other sports welcome.
Know where the nearest AED (heart defibrillator) is, and who calls for help in an emergency.

The research behind these plans

Which drills are shown at which age, and the safety notes, follow the 28 sources below: national governing bodies, medical associations and studies on youth sport (last reviewed October 2026). Where no study gives an exact number, the plans use cautious defaults, and we change them as the research does.

Hockey: governing bodies, safety and development (8)

Youth athletic development and safety (20)