Breakaway Speed Drill
Speed & Acceleration
Legend
- player
- ball
- movement path
How it works
Develop breakaway acceleration and top-speed puck carry by racing to a puck and converting a speed advantage into a scoring chance.
What you need
- hockey stick
- puck
- ice
- goalie
Your focus
Breakaway speed requires not only skating fast but maintaining puck control while at maximum velocity , a combination that requires specific training. Players who can carry the puck at full speed create scoring opportunities that slower players cannot. Training breakaway acceleration with a finishing shot creates the complete skill set for exploiting speed advantages in transition play.
Coach places a puck at the red line; player starts at the goal line.
On the whistle, player sprints to the puck and converts it into a full-speed breakaway on the goalie.
Player must reach the puck, control it without slowing down, and shoot without a stop.
Run 8 breakaway reps; coach times the player from the whistle to the shot.
Goal
Success is getting to the puck ahead of the imaginary defender and converting the breakaway before momentum dies.
Helpful cues
- Pick up the puck without a stop, reach down and go
- Keep your speed through the puck pickup, that is the hard part
- The shot follows the speed, do not slow down to shoot
Adjust the challenge
Make it easier
Strip it back
Pre-place the puck at a location the player can skate directly to without needing to change direction.
UpLVL it
Add the next challenge
Have a defender start 2 seconds behind, adding competitive race pressure to the acceleration and finish.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.