Hockey drill

Skating – Inside Edge Progression

Five inside-edge progressions: pushes, slalom, one-leg crossover and glide, all the way to a deke on one leg. For every age, from U9 to U17+.

Category: Skills and tactics
Levels: U9 · U11/U12 · U13 · U15 · U17+

Hockey drill diagram: Skating – Inside Edge Progression

skating

How it runs

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

1Inside Edge Pushes: Skate with flat feet while pushing off the inside edges. Mimic puck handling and look from side to side. 2. Inside Edge Weaving: Weave from side to side down the ice while gliding on the inside edges. 3. Leg Crossovers: Skate with flat feet, then cross one leg in front of the other. 4. One-Leg Inside Edge Glide: Glide on one leg while maintaining balance on the inside edge. 5. One-Leg Fake: Glide on one leg, then execute a strong fake to move around a defender.

Key Points:

- Focus on slow, precise execution rather than speed.

- Maintain good balance and inside edge control.

- Mimic carrying the puck throughout the exercises.

- Keep your head up and stay aware of your surroundings.

- Emphasize perfect technique on every repetition before increasing speed.

Coach Steve's take

Inside edges are what you see behind the players who seem to glide across the ice. Nobody thinks about them because they look slow and unspectacular. But that is where balance is built. Ask for slowness and precision: if a player goes too fast, he cheats his balance. Do it early in the season, then come back to it regularly. Even U17+ players benefit.