W-Cone Drill
The Elite Hockey Drills app builds drills like this into your personalized off-ice program, week by week. Your first week is free.
How to Do It
Set 5 cones in a W shape: one at each outer point and one at the center top. Sprint to the first outer cone, plant hard on the outside foot, cut back toward center. Continue through all 5 cones maintaining sprint-decelerate-cut rhythm. Drive through each cut with a low center of gravity — don't stand tall. Arms drive hard opposite to the cutting direction. Time the run. Full recovery between reps.
Why It Works
The W-drill trains multi-directional cutting ability — the capacity to accelerate, plant, and redirect at angles that mirror tight-turn edge work. Unlike the T-drill which is linear and lateral, the W-drill demands diagonal cutting which maps directly to angling opponents, driving wide around a defender, and cutting back to the middle off the wing.
Hockey Transfer
Multi-directional change of direction — simulates open-ice skating patterns. Cone drills are pattern practice, not conditioning. Treat them with quality focus, not volume focus.
Coaching Cues
- "Sprint to each cone in W pattern"
- "Sharp cuts"
- "Stay low in turns"
Common Mistakes
Wide, looping turns instead of sharp cuts — the plant-and-go must be aggressive. Standing tall through the cuts — low hips = faster direction change. Consistent weak-side bias — always run it both directions equally. Too many reps before full recovery — quality over quantity for agility training.
Progression / Regression
Add a ball or puck-handling element at each cone — game-realistic dual-task demand.
Walk the pattern, then jog, then 75% before going full speed.
Primary Muscles
Energy System
Strength/neural
Put it to work
on the ice.
The Elite Hockey Drills app builds exercises like this into a personalized off-ice program — created by a sport scientist and former national-team coach. Your first week is free.
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