Free drill library · Hockey

At-home hockey drills for 11 to 13 year olds: forward

This is a free sample week of at-home hockey training for 11 to 13 year olds, for a forward: 3 of the 7 plans SSTracker has for this group, each 14 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 11 to 13 year olds

Session 1

Quick release 14 minutes

  1. Catch and shoot off a passer · 5 min
    Shoot in one motion
  2. Pull and shoot (change the angle) · 5 min
    Move it, then release
  3. Backhand shots · 4 min
    Roll the wrists and lift

Session 2

Forward: Stickhandling Through Cones 14 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Stickhandling Through Cones · 5 min
    Eyes up, feel the puck.
  3. Mohawk Open-Hip Turns · 5 min
    Open the hips, heels together. Safety: Wear a helmet with a full cage, a neck guard, a mouthguard and full gear on the ice.
  4. Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
    Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Session 3

Forward: Shoot and Follow the Rebound 14 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Shoot and Follow the Rebound · 5 min
    Shoot, stop at the net, stick down. Safety: Keep your stick down and make sure the area around you is clear.
  3. Mohawk Open-Hip Turns · 5 min
    Open the hips, heels together. Safety: Wear a helmet with a full cage, a neck guard, a mouthguard and full gear on the ice.
  4. 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

Stickhandling Through Cones

Ages 11 and up · 12 min

Carry the puck through cones with your head up.

  1. Set 6 cones in a line 4 feet apart.
  2. Weave through keeping the puck close.
  3. Look up between every cone.
  4. Do 8 trips.

Coach's cue: Eyes up, feel the puck.

Bring: stick, ball or puck, 6 cones

Mohawk Open-Hip Turns

Ages 11 and up · 12 min

Open your hips heel to heel to turn from forward to backward while you keep facing the play.

  1. Skate forward to a cone.
  2. Open your hips and turn your heels toward each other.
  3. Glide backward the other way without stopping.
  4. Do 8 turns each direction.

Coach's cue: Open the hips, heels together.

Bring: skates, ice, 3 cones

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

Shoot and Follow the Rebound

Ages 11 and up · 12 min

Shoot, then drive to the net for the second chance.

  1. Shoot from the side of the slot.
  2. Skate or step to the front of the net right after.
  3. A partner slides a loose puck near the crease; tap it in.
  4. Do 12 reps.

Coach's cue: Shoot, stop at the net, stick down.

Bring: stick, pucks, net, partner or coach

Safety: Keep your stick down and make sure the area around you is clear.

Safety for ages 11 to 13

  • Plans for this age group use beginner and developing 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)

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