roadkill34 0 Report post Posted March 19, 2018 Hey all, Anyone have any ideas for good drills for a 8U roller team, players range in skill from very good to never having played. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
10013005 30 Report post Posted March 19, 2018 hockey is played on one foot, so I would start the kids out with some bodyweight single-leg squats in their gym shoes, so that they can get used to the feeling of "stacking" their entire weight on one foot/ankle/knee/hip. in ice skate terms the goal is to help them access their outer edges, so that they're able to shift their weight laterally back and forth. any drill that encourages that I'd recommend for beginners and even more advanced players. U8 kids likely won't have a lot of leg strength so make sure their knees dont cave in - here's a video which offer some tips in that regard in terms of stickhandling, you can have them work on "rolling out the back" with the puck instead of using a chopping block type motion when handling the puck. it will help the players develop a feel for where the puck is on their blade, which will accelerate their progress once you move onto shooting and passing drills. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jmiro 55 Report post Posted March 20, 2018 (edited) You can use the same drills as ice. Remember 8u is about skill development and fun. If it's not fun you'll lose most of them. Kids love scrimmages or small games too. Obstacles to skate around/over. focus on skating without making it seem that way. My boy is just finishing mites 8u ice. The challenge came in when you had a mix of skill to no skill. You will find out real quick which kids will assist the unskilled players and which will want to be Conor Mcdavid. Use that to your advantage and split them up appropriately when doing drills. You will lose the entry level player with no confidence pretty quick if you pair him up with little cocky Johnny hockey. Look at the USA hockey program for 8u. Shame that USA hockey doesn't support inline hockey anymore. It seems to be coming back in the area i am in. Just my Two Cents Edited March 20, 2018 by jmiro 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vet88 674 Report post Posted March 20, 2018 jmiro hit it on the head. You have to make it fun. Puck handling drills around, over, thru, between etc objects, courses etc. Games eg like have the coach pass the puck at them as they are skating around, the kids have to dodge the puck, if the pucks hits the skate they join the passer. Bullrush, stuck in the mud, green light / red light, 1 on 1 puck protection etc. Anything that gets them skating, puck handling and having fun. Make sure you split them up according to skills when doing drills, and there is a lot of thought out there that you don't care about team drills until U10's, just let them have fun and enjoy their time on the rink. I also ask parents to video their child at the start of the year doing a skate drill like weaving between cones with the puck, then get them to video again after 3 months or so, the look on the kids faces as they see their improvement is priceless....... 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
roadkill34 0 Report post Posted March 20, 2018 Thanks guys! I definitely want to keep the focus on having fun and improving their skills. I like the idea of videoing them at the beginning and the end of the season, Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
