Extra-Effort Forechecking Drill
Effort
Legend
- player
- defender
- movement path
How it works
Develop maximum-effort forechecking by training players to sprint the full forecheck and win every puck battle at top intensity.
What you need
- hockey stick
- puck
- ice
Your focus
Elite forechecking requires effort that most players are unwilling to sustain , the willingness to sprint through the entire zone, finish every battle, and pursue even 50-50 pucks with 100% effort. Teams whose first forechecker arrives with maximum speed and physicality create turnovers that passive forecheckers never generate. Training max-effort forechecking creates a competitive advantage that scales directly with the group's commitment.
Defensive team enters the zone with a puck and sets up a controlled breakout.
Two forecheckers sprint at full speed from the red line to pressure the puck carrier.
The first forechecker must physically arrive and make a legal high-effort challenge within 3 seconds of the puck entering the zone.
Drill succeeds when the forechecker creates a turnover or forces a bad clear; rotate units every 2 minutes.
Goal
Success is finishing every forecheck at full speed for the whole drill, still sprinting on rep 8 the same as rep 1.
Helpful cues
- First forechecker, arrive with your legs, not just your stick
- Sprint the whole way, the extra step you take might make the difference
- Pressure means presence: the defender must feel you there
Adjust the challenge
Make it easier
Strip it back
Reduce to a 1-player forecheck against a stationary defender to build arrival speed.
UpLVL it
Add the next challenge
Add a time clock: turnover must be created within 4 seconds or the breakout team gets an automatic zone exit.No 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.