Training

66 terms

How players practice: drills, stations, small-area games, dryland and recovery.

#

1v1 drill: One attacker against one defender, used to practice beating a player and defending one-on-one.
2v2 game: A small-area game with two players a side, which teaches support and quick passing.
3v2 drill: Three attackers against two defenders, used to practice odd-man rushes and how to defend them.
3v3 game: A small-area game with three players a side, often cross-ice or in one zone, which teaches spacing and support.

A

Agility training: Drills that build quick changes of direction, balance and footwork, such as cone and ladder drills.

B

Battle drill: A drill where players fight for the puck one-on-one or in small groups, often along the boards or in front of the net.
Breathing techniques: Slow, controlled breathing used on the bench or before a big moment to calm nerves and refocus.

C

Clinic: A short, focused training event on one topic, such as shooting or goaltending.
Competition drill: A drill with a winner, such as a race or a battle, that adds compete level and game pressure.
Concussion protocolRules vary: The steps to follow when a player may have a concussion: remove them from play, have a health professional evaluate them and return only after clearance. Specific requirements depend on the league and state.
Conditioning: Fitness work that builds the energy to play hard shift after shift and recover quickly.
Confidence: A player's belief that they can make the play, built through preparation and success in practice.
Cool-down: Light skating or stretching at the end of a session to help the body recover.
Core strength: Strength in the muscles around the trunk and hips, which moves power from the legs to the stick and protects the back.
Corner game: A small-area game played in one corner of the rink, focused on battles, protecting the puck and quick shots.

D

Decision-making: Choosing the right play quickly, such as when to pass, shoot, carry or hold the puck, based on what a player sees.
Deliberate practice: Focused practice on a specific weakness with feedback, instead of just going through the motions.
Drill: A structured exercise that repeats a skill or game situation with set rules, groups and space.
Drop-in hockey: An informal session where players show up, split into teams and play, often for adults.
Dryland training: Off-ice training for hockey players, including strength, speed, agility and stickhandling work.

E

Emotional control: Managing frustration, anger and nerves so they don't lead to bad penalties or lost focus.
Explosive power: The ability to produce force fast, as in a first-step start or a quick shot.

F

Flow drill: A continuous drill where players go from one rep to the next without stopping, keeping legs and minds working.
Focus: Paying attention to the right thing at the right time, and getting attention back quickly after a mistake.
Full-ice drill: A drill that uses the whole rink, often for skating, passing and rushes at game speed.

G

Game-situation drill: A drill that recreates a real game moment, such as a power play or a 2-on-1, so players practice the decision as well as the skill.
Growth mindset: Believing skills improve with effort and practice, so mistakes are part of learning.

H

Half-ice drill: A drill that uses one half of the rink, so two groups can work at the same time.
Hockey camp: A training program over several days, often in summer, with on-ice sessions and sometimes dryland and classroom time.

I

Injury prevention: Training that lowers injury risk, such as mobility, balance, landing mechanics and sensible workloads.

K

Keep-away: A game where one group tries to keep the puck from another in a small area, building puck protection and support.

L

Lower-body strength: Strength in the legs and hips, the engine for skating speed and battles.

M

Mental performance: The mental side of playing: focus, confidence, emotional control and handling pressure, which can be trained like a physical skill.
Mobility work: Exercises that improve how freely joints like the hips, ankles and shoulders move, helping stride length and injury prevention.

N

Next-play mindset: Letting go of the last shift, good or bad, and focusing on the next one.

O

Off-ice shooting: Shooting pucks at home or in a gym on a slick surface, an inexpensive way to add shooting reps.
Off-season training: Training in spring and summer, when most players have the most time to build skills and strength.
On-ice communication: Players talking during play, calling for the puck, warning about pressure and naming assignments, so teammates know what is coming.
Overtraining: Doing more training and games than the body can recover from, which can lead to fatigue, injury and burnout.

P

Periodization: Planning training in phases across the year, such as building in the off-season and maintaining during the season.
Plyometrics: Jumping and bounding exercises that train muscles to produce force quickly.
Practice: A team or group ice session for teaching and improving skills, as opposed to a game.
Practice plan: The coach's written plan for a session: the drills, their order, timing and teaching points.
Pre-game routine: The same steps a player follows before every game, such as warm-up, gear order and focus cues, to feel ready and calm.
Pressure management: Handling high-stakes moments like tryouts, shootouts and big games without freezing up.
Private lesson: A one-on-one session with a coach focused on one player's needs.
Progression: A sequence of drills that starts simple and adds speed, pressure or decisions step by step.

R

Repetition: Doing a skill many times, which is how players build reliable habits. Good practices give every player lots of reps.
Resilience: Bouncing back from mistakes, bad games and setbacks and keeping going.
Rest and recovery: Sleep, good food, easy days and time off that let the body adapt to training and avoid burnout.

S

Scrimmage: A practice game between teammates, sometimes with special rules to focus on one skill.
Self-talk: What players say to themselves in their head. Coaches teach short, positive cues to replace negative thoughts.
Semi-private lesson: A lesson shared by a small group of players, usually two to four, which costs less than a private lesson.
Single-leg strength: Strength and balance on one leg at a time, which matters because every skating stride pushes off one leg.
Skill station: A station built around one specific skill, such as passing or edges, with lots of repetitions.
Slideboard: A slick board players slide side to side on to copy the skating stride off the ice.
Small-area game: A game played in a small part of the ice with few players, giving every player more puck touches, battles and decisions.
Speed training: Work to get faster, such as short sprints, starts and technique drills with full rest between reps.
Sprint training: Short, all-out efforts with rest in between, which match the stop-and-go demands of a hockey shift.
Stability training: Exercises that build control and balance, especially through the hips, core and ankles.
Station: A section of the ice where a small group works on one drill before rotating to the next.
Stick and puck: An open ice session where players skate and shoot on their own, with no games or teams.
Strength training: Exercises that build muscle strength, such as squats, lunges and pulls, done with good technique and a sensible load.

T

Training load: The total amount and intensity of training and games a player takes on, which should rise gradually.

V

Visualization: Picturing a skill or game situation in your mind before doing it, to prepare and build confidence.

W

Warm-up: Easy skating and movement at the start of a practice or game to raise body temperature and get ready to play.

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1v1 drill

One attacker against one defender, used to practice beating a player and defending one-on-one.

2v2 game

A small-area game with two players a side, which teaches support and quick passing.

3v2 drill

Three attackers against two defenders, used to practice odd-man rushes and how to defend them.

3v3 game

A small-area game with three players a side, often cross-ice or in one zone, which teaches spacing and support.

Clinic

A short, focused training event on one topic, such as shooting or goaltending.

Competition drill

A drill with a winner, such as a race or a battle, that adds compete level and game pressure.

Concussion protocolRules vary

The steps to follow when a player may have a concussion: remove them from play, have a health professional evaluate them and return only after clearance. Specific requirements depend on the league and state.

Conditioning

Fitness work that builds the energy to play hard shift after shift and recover quickly.

Confidence

A player's belief that they can make the play, built through preparation and success in practice.

Cool-down

Light skating or stretching at the end of a session to help the body recover.

Core strength

Strength in the muscles around the trunk and hips, which moves power from the legs to the stick and protects the back.

Corner game

A small-area game played in one corner of the rink, focused on battles, protecting the puck and quick shots.

Decision-making

Choosing the right play quickly, such as when to pass, shoot, carry or hold the puck, based on what a player sees.

Deliberate practice

Focused practice on a specific weakness with feedback, instead of just going through the motions.

Drill

A structured exercise that repeats a skill or game situation with set rules, groups and space.

Drop-in hockey

An informal session where players show up, split into teams and play, often for adults.

Dryland training

Off-ice training for hockey players, including strength, speed, agility and stickhandling work.

Flow drill

A continuous drill where players go from one rep to the next without stopping, keeping legs and minds working.

Focus

Paying attention to the right thing at the right time, and getting attention back quickly after a mistake.

Full-ice drill

A drill that uses the whole rink, often for skating, passing and rushes at game speed.

Off-ice shooting

Shooting pucks at home or in a gym on a slick surface, an inexpensive way to add shooting reps.

Off-season training

Training in spring and summer, when most players have the most time to build skills and strength.

On-ice communication

Players talking during play, calling for the puck, warning about pressure and naming assignments, so teammates know what is coming.

Overtraining

Doing more training and games than the body can recover from, which can lead to fatigue, injury and burnout.

Periodization

Planning training in phases across the year, such as building in the off-season and maintaining during the season.

Plyometrics

Jumping and bounding exercises that train muscles to produce force quickly.

Practice

A team or group ice session for teaching and improving skills, as opposed to a game.

Practice plan

The coach's written plan for a session: the drills, their order, timing and teaching points.

Pre-game routine

The same steps a player follows before every game, such as warm-up, gear order and focus cues, to feel ready and calm.

Pressure management

Handling high-stakes moments like tryouts, shootouts and big games without freezing up.

Private lesson

A one-on-one session with a coach focused on one player's needs.

Progression

A sequence of drills that starts simple and adds speed, pressure or decisions step by step.

Repetition

Doing a skill many times, which is how players build reliable habits. Good practices give every player lots of reps.

Resilience

Bouncing back from mistakes, bad games and setbacks and keeping going.

Rest and recovery

Sleep, good food, easy days and time off that let the body adapt to training and avoid burnout.

Scrimmage

A practice game between teammates, sometimes with special rules to focus on one skill.

Self-talk

What players say to themselves in their head. Coaches teach short, positive cues to replace negative thoughts.

Semi-private lesson

A lesson shared by a small group of players, usually two to four, which costs less than a private lesson.

Single-leg strength

Strength and balance on one leg at a time, which matters because every skating stride pushes off one leg.

Skill station

A station built around one specific skill, such as passing or edges, with lots of repetitions.

Slideboard

A slick board players slide side to side on to copy the skating stride off the ice.

Small-area game

A game played in a small part of the ice with few players, giving every player more puck touches, battles and decisions.

Speed training

Work to get faster, such as short sprints, starts and technique drills with full rest between reps.

Sprint training

Short, all-out efforts with rest in between, which match the stop-and-go demands of a hockey shift.

Stability training

Exercises that build control and balance, especially through the hips, core and ankles.

Station

A section of the ice where a small group works on one drill before rotating to the next.

Stick and puck

An open ice session where players skate and shoot on their own, with no games or teams.

Strength training

Exercises that build muscle strength, such as squats, lunges and pulls, done with good technique and a sensible load.