Explosive Start Circuit
Athleticism
Legend
- player
- cones
- movement path
How it works
Develop first-step quickness and multi-directional power through a structured on-ice circuit.
What you need
- hockey stick
- puck
- cones
- ice
Your focus
Athletic power in hockey is built on short-burst, multi-directional explosiveness rather than straight-line speed alone. Circuit training on ice teaches players to generate force at different angles, mimicking the demands of real gameplay. Developing this early creates a versatile athletic base for all skating skills.
Set up 3 stations: (a) 5-cone sprint, (b) side shuffle between two lines, (c) backward skate to cone and pivot forward.
Players rotate through each station on coach's whistle, spending 30 seconds per station.
Each station uses a puck to connect athleticism with puck management.
Complete 3 full rotations of the circuit.
Goal
You're there when your first two strides after the whistle feel like a burst, weight forward, knees bent, and you reach the cone before you expect to.
Helpful cues
- Drive off the back leg on every start
- Stay on the balls of your feet, not your heels
- Attack the cone, don't cruise to it
Adjust the challenge
Make it easier
Strip it back
Reduce time per station to 20 seconds and remove pucks from stations 1 and 3
UpLVL it
Add the next challenge
Add a 15-second rest only and increase station time to 45 secondsNo account needed
Build a practice plan
Add drills, keep the plan in this browser, then share a link with your staff or parents.This library helps you find the right drill. Inside UpLVL the right drill finds the player.
This library helps you find the right drill. Inside UpLVL the right drill finds the player.After every practice, UpLVL automatically surfaces the drills each player needs to work on most. See it for yourself.