One on One Stick Check Drill: Athletes form a single line at one end of the facility. Two athletes step forward (one athlete on offense and one on defense). On the coach's whistle, the athletes run the length of the facility. The athlete on defense tries to stick check the athlete on offense while the athlete on offense tries to protect the puck. When the athlete on defense properly stick checks the athlete on offense and gains control of the puck, that athlete switches to offense and the athlete who was stick checked switches to defense. The objective of this drill is to emphasize proper stick checking while moving on the court.
Musical Sticks Drill: Athletes run outside a circle of cones or a line on the court. On the coach's whistle, each athlete has to retrieve a puck from the center and stick handle it to a cone or outside the lined area. There are fewer pucks than there are athletes, so an athlete can stick check a puck before another athlete gets it to a cone or outside of the lined area, designated as a "safe zone." Whoever doesn't retrieve a puck and make it to the "safe zone" is out.
Gauntlet Drill: Athlete stick handles a puck in a straight line past a double line of teammates, who are staggered at 2-meter intervals on either side. The stick handling lane should be a minimum of 2 meters wide. If a teammate is successful in stick checking the athlete who is running the gauntlet, that teammate becomes the next runner of the gauntlet, from the beginning. The athlete who was stick checked takes the place of the new runner in the line. The teammates on the line should not step into the lane; they should only stick check as the runner passes through their area on the line. NOTE: The teammates will not be able to steal the puck, only dislodge it from the runner's stick.
