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

This is a free sample week of at-home hockey training for 7 to 10 year olds, for a forward: 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

Forward: Stationary Stickhandling 12 minutes

Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
Stationary Stickhandling · 4 min
Top hand controls, bottom hand slides.
Zigzag Path Run · 4 min
Get low to turn. Safety: Use a clear, non-slip space and change direction only as fast as you can control. Stop if a knee or ankle hurts.
Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Session 2

Forward: Sweep Shots at a Bucket 12 minutes

Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
Sweep Shots at a Bucket · 4 min
Look, sweep, point. Safety: Keep your stick down and make sure the area around you is clear.
Stationary Stickhandling · 4 min
Top hand controls, bottom hand slides.
Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Session 3

Forward: Towel Wring Wrists 12 minutes

Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
Towel Wring Wrists · 4 min
Squeeze and twist, both ways. Safety: Twist gently; stop if your wrist or elbow hurts.
Traffic Light Start-and-Stop · 4 min
Fast feet, soft stops. Safety: Run on flat, clear, non-slip ground with plenty of room to slow down. Stop if anything hurts.
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

Stationary Stickhandling

Ages 7 and up · 8 min

Move the puck side to side with soft hands while standing still.

Hold your top hand firmly and your bottom hand loose.
Roll your wrists to cup the puck each way.
Do 30 narrow dribbles, then 30 wide.
Repeat with your head up.

Coach's cue: Top hand controls, bottom hand slides.

Bring: stick, ball or puck

Zigzag Path Run

Ages 6 to 10 · 8 min

Weave in and out of markers set in a zigzag, getting low to turn around each one.

Set 6 markers in a zigzag line, about 3 steps apart.
Run to each marker and turn around it toward the next.
Bend your knees and take small steps as you turn.
Walk back; do 6 runs.

Coach's cue: Get low to turn.

Bring: 6 cones or shoes

Safety: Use a clear, non-slip space and change direction only as fast as you can control. Stop if a knee or ankle hurts.

Sweep Shots at a Bucket

Ages 7 and up · 10 min

Aim slow sweeping shots at a big target to learn to put the puck where you look.

Lay a bucket or box on its side 10 feet away.
Sweep the puck along the floor into it.
Point your blade at the target after each shot.
Take 30 shots and count the ones that go in.

Coach's cue: Look, sweep, point.

Bring: stick, balls or pucks, bucket or box

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

Towel Wring Wrists

Ages 7 and up · 8 min

Wring a towel both ways to build the strong wrists and forearms a quick release needs.

Hold a rolled towel with both hands in front of you.
Wring it as if squeezing out water, one way, for 10 seconds.
Wring it the other way.
Do 6 rounds.

Coach's cue: Squeeze and twist, both ways.

Bring: small towel

Safety: Twist gently; stop if your wrist or elbow hurts.

Traffic Light Start-and-Stop

Ages 5 to 10 · 8 min

A grown-up calls green and red: run fast on green and stop under control on red. Builds quick starts and safe stops.

Line up at one end of the yard; the caller stands at the other.
On "green" run fast toward the caller.
On "red" stop and freeze with soft knees.
Reach the caller, then walk back and play again.

Coach's cue: Fast feet, soft stops.

Bring: open space

Safety: Run on flat, clear, non-slip ground with plenty of room to slow down. Stop if anything hurts.

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)