Hockey drill

Four-Circle Skating Relay

A four-team relay around the center circle, with crossovers and explosive starts. A fun, competitive skating drill for U9, U11/U12 and U13 players.

Category: Skills and tactics
Levels: U9 · U11/U12 · U13

Hockey drill diagram: Four-Circle Skating Relay

skating
competition

How it runs

This is what your players need to understand before the puck moves.

Divide players into four teams, each positioned in a faceoff circle at the ends of the rink.

1. On the whistle, the first player from each team accelerates toward the center-ice circle.

2. Players complete one full lap around the center circle in the same direction using crossovers.

3. After completing the lap, they skate quickly back to their starting circle.

4. Once a player returns to their circle, the next teammate can start.

5. Each player finishes their turn by dropping to one knee.

6. The first team to have all players complete the relay wins.

Repeat the drill in the opposite direction to practice crossovers on both sides.

Key Points

- Focus on explosive starts and quick acceleration.

- Keep knees bent throughout the crossovers.

- Maintain head-up awareness to anticipate other players' movements.

- Encourage quick, efficient crossovers.

- Promote intensity, teamwork, and friendly competition.

Variations: Complete two or three laps around the center circle before returning. Alternate the skating direction between rounds.

Coach Steve's take

Competition is a tool. Use it to work on skating without the kids feeling like it is work. But watch the quality: a team that wins by rushing its crossovers hasn’t won anything. Tell them up front that clean crossovers count. Balance the teams so nobody always finishes last. It is a good drill to wake up a tired group.