Drills

Special Olympics floor hockey has a superb web site of drills that can be adapted for use in Special Hockey.

The sports skills list includes

• Stick Handling Drills
• Passing Drills
• Receiving Drills
• Face-off Drills
• Shooting on Goal Drills
• Defense Drills
• Offense Drills
• Goal Tending Drills

There's a PDF on the page that summarizes all the skills teaching.

Some specific drills we've used:

Pass around the circle: A group of athletes and volunteers stand on the circumference of a face-off circle by the goal. Start with one puck and pass from person to person. Call names before passing. Add another puck. If players are doing well stop calling names.

Pass and shoot: Players line-up. Start with a skilled person in 1st position. Pass the puck to them. They receive then skate to the empty net and shoot. Rotate. Repeat with passing the puck to a skating person. In advanced version line up in two lines. Pass to one who passes to second who shoots. One line is shooter, one is passer, so on return players switch line. A volunteer will be needed to conduct on entry.

Pass between lines: Line players up. Pass back and forth. See how can get four in a row, six, etc.

Pass off the boards:Players line up. Pass puck to front, then player shoots off boards, recovers pucks, turns and passes to coach.

Go for the rebound:Coach and player go up ice, player behind. Coach shoots to a coach who blocks shot, directs rebound. Player picks up rebound and shoots, scores.

Games

Sharks and minnows: Start with 1 coach/volunteer and one skating athlete (the sharks) standing on the blue line and everyone else (minnows) on the goal line. Minnows attempt to reach the other side of ice. If minnows are touched they become sharks. Last minnow is the winner.

Red light, green light: Practice stop and start.