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Daryna Hrytsenko
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Coach standing on an empty rink at dawn holding a stick

Hockey skills coach

Hockey drills for kids and grown-ups starting late

I'm Daryna. I play rec-league hockey and coach a youth skills group in Winnipeg. I share the drills we run and sell my practice plans.

Watch my videos

The drills

Twelve drills, and the practices each one goes into. The first six start every practice.

Pick a piece to see what uses it

Starter

Forward stride Long pushes, full recovery and the knees bent the whole time in 3 practices. In the course

Edge work Inside and outside edges around the circles, one foot at a time in 2 practices.

Crossovers Crossing over around a circle, both directions, head up in 3 practices.

Stops and starts A two-foot stop on the whistle, then three quick strides in 3 practices.

Stickhandling The puck side to side in front, through a line of cones in 3 practices. Watch it

Tape-to-tape pass A pass along the ice to a partner's tape, both sides in 4 practices.

Backward skating C-cuts first, then backward crossovers once they hold in 2 practices.

Wrist shot Weight onto the front foot and the puck off the toe of the blade in 3 practices.

Give and go Pass, skate to space and take the return pass in stride in 2 practices.

Breakout The puck from behind our net up the wall to a winger in 2 practices.

Two on one Two attackers against one defender, from the red line in 1 practice.

Small-area game Three on three in one zone, everyone on the puck in 1 practice.

The practices

Each practice plan lists its drills by number.

  1. Plan booklet, puck and stopwatch on ice-blue board

    Tryout Prep Plan

    Two weeks of practices before tryouts: skating, puck control and a shot.

    • Forward stride
    • Crossovers
    • Stops and starts
    • Wrist shot
    • Breakout
  2. Four mini rink boards with counters and cones

    Small Games Plan

    Small-area games that keep every skater moving and touching the puck.

    • Small-area game
    • Stickhandling
    • Tape-to-tape pass
  3. Illustration of crossing arrows over a rink

    Rush Drills Plan

    Two on ones and give and goes, set up so a team of ten can run them.

    • Two on one
    • Give and go
    • Wrist shot
  4. Stick blade, pucks and whistle in side light

    Breakout Practice Plan

    Getting the puck out of our end: a practice built around one breakout.

    • Breakout
    • Tape-to-tape pass
    • Backward skating
  5. Puck against a taped blade with frost, macro

    Shooting Practice Plan

    A wrist shot practice with stations, for skaters who can already stop.

    • Wrist shot
    • Stickhandling
    • Stops and starts
  6. Two distant skaters passing on an outdoor rink

    Passing Practice Plan

    Passing on the move, from standing passes to a give and go.

    • Tape-to-tape pass
    • Give and go
    • Crossovers
  7. Gloved hands stickhandling a puck around a cone

    Starter

    Puck Control Plan

    Stickhandling while skating, with cones and then with a partner.

    • Stickhandling
    • Forward stride
    • Tape-to-tape pass
  8. Single hockey skate on an orange backdrop

    Edges Practice Plan

    Inside edges, outside edges and the crossovers that come from them.

    • Edge work
    • Crossovers
    • Backward skating
  9. New white skates beside a teal plan booklet

    Starter

    First Skates Plan

    A first practice for brand new skaters: standing up, striding and stopping.

    • Forward stride
    • Edge work
    • Stops and starts

YouTube

Latest videos

Short drills for kids and grown-ups, filmed at our rink.

Downloads, a course and merch

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Woman carrying a stick bag across a snowy rink car park at sunrise

About

About me

I'm Daryna. I started playing hockey in my forties, in a Winnipeg rec league, and now I also coach a youth skills group on Saturday mornings.

I film the drills we run and write each practice up on one page. I sell those practice plans and two video courses: one for adults learning to skate, one for parents coaching their first team.

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