Hockey warm-up at home for kids
For parents of players 7 to 17. This is the first minute or two of a short home session, not a rink warm-up.
The short answer: A hockey warm-up at home for kids is the first 1 to 2 minutes on the floor. Those minutes sit inside the session clock, not on top of it. Then your child does one skill. This is not a 10 to 15 minute pre-game rink warm-up.
The warm-up
Keep it to 1 to 2 minutes. No stick yet. No net. Nothing else to buy.
Use a non-slip floor. Never socks on a slick floor.
Have your child do only these moves:
- Easy march or light jog in place
- Arm circles
- A few bodyweight squats
Then stop the warm-up and start the skill. The warm-up is already part of the session time.
- Under 10, about 12 minutes for the whole session.
- Ages 10 to 13, about 15 minutes.
- Ages 14 and up, about 20 minutes.
More on time by age: how much dryland training by age.
The app does not run these floor moves. It runs the skill. A full app session is already about 12, 15, or 20 minutes. If you use the app, do the floor moves first and keep the whole block inside that window. Do not add them after a full session.
What it is not
This is not a rink warm-up. It does not replace a rink warm-up or ice time.
Home work cannot train skating. See can you train skating off ice.
It is not a long drill list. It is not 10 to 15 minutes before a game.
You do the floor moves, then you open one skill.
Then start the skill
Pick one skill. Do 3 to 5 drills from that skill. Stay inside the same session window.
Puckmaxxing has 90+ drills in four skills: stickhandling, shooting, edges and athleticism, and strength and core. House league is free in every category. Climbing past House needs a paid plan. Drills above House are not in the free House set.
Do not add a second skill in the same short session. Read the drill pages. Do not treat this page as the drill list.
- Stickhandling drills at home
- Shooting drills at home
- Strength training for young hockey players
- Off-ice hockey training at home
After the warm-up, stickhandling and shooting need a stick and a ball or practice puck. Most shooting drills also need a net. A tarp or a blanket is not a net. Edges and strength need floor space. Stick work needs about 8 by 8 feet.
In the app, the cues are spoken. The timer cannot be skipped.
If getting started is the hard part, read how to get your kid to practice hockey at home. The short version of the app is on the home page.
Safety
Use a non-slip floor. Never socks on a slick floor.
Stop if it hurts. Tell a grown-up.
Keep the moves easy. This warm-up is not a test, and it is not ice time.
Questions parents ask
How long is a hockey warm-up at home for kids?
1 to 2 minutes, inside the session clock. Under 10, the whole session is about 12 minutes. Ages 10 to 13, about 15. Ages 14 and up, about 20. Then 3 to 5 drills from one skill. The bands are on how much dryland training by age.
Which moves should my child do?
An easy march or light jog in place, arm circles, and a few bodyweight squats. No stick yet. No net.
Does this replace a rink warm-up?
No. It does not replace a rink warm-up or ice time. Home work cannot train skating. Can you train skating off ice is the longer answer.
What if the floor is slick, or it hurts?
Use a non-slip floor. Never socks on a slick floor. Stop if it hurts. Tell a grown-up.
Do I need the app for the warm-up?
No. These floor moves are yours. The app does not run this warm-up. It runs the skill session after. You own the account and you give consent. Your player joins with a six-character code that works for 24 hours. No email or password for the kid. No surname, photo, or location is collected. Data is stored in Canada.
Get the app
Puckmaxxing is on the App Store and Google Play.
Short guided sessions with Puckmaxxing
On the App Store and Google Play.
Suggested exercise for young athletes, not medical advice. Stop if it hurts. Tell a grown-up.