1. Drills
  2. Hockey
  3. Defense

Shadow the Skater

Mirror a partner side to side and stay in front of them without touching.

By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026

Set up

Face a partner inside a narrow lane.

Core: Skates. Beat your own run of steady shadows.

Ages
7 and up
Time
8 min
Players
You and a partner
Space
Gym or court
Bring
Stick, partner, 4 cones
Level · skill
Beginner · Defense

The steps

How it works

  1. Face a partner inside a narrow lane.
  2. They move side to side; you copy them going backward.
  3. Keep your stick out and your body between them and the net.
  4. Do 6 rounds of 20 seconds, then swap.

Coaching point

Stay in front, no reaching.

Make it fun

Play it, don't drill it

Game version

Shadow skate: stay between your partner and the net with your stick on the ice, with no contact. Swap often.

Challenge

Pick a level: Less (partner glides), Core (skates), More (changes direction). Beat your own run of steady shadows.

Story

You are a shadow that sticks to its owner.

My best

Beat your own count

Beat your own run of steady shadows. Only your own number counts: today against last time.

Practice makes progress

Print it now, or save it free

Free for families and teams

Save this drill to your child or team, free

Sign up and the free hockey week for this age opens in your child's planner, kept to healthy limits. A coach can send this drill to the whole team as homework, and parents see every session logged.

14 days free for a family, no card · Running a team is always free

Does your child's coach know about this?

An email from you to the coach, with the words ready. Nothing is tracked and nobody is rewarded.