Skill Development and Progression for U11 Hockey

Which skills does an Under-11 coach teach?

U11 Skills Matrix

The Long-Term Player Development Model places U11 hockey at the Learn to Play stage, when programming is focused on fundamental skill development. The U11 skills matrix identifies the skills players must have the opportunity to develop through progressive and meaningful practice sessions.

Focus on Skill Development

• Small-area games in practice / station-based practices / skillfocused drills.
• Only 15% of practice time should be spent on team play and strategy/systems with 85% of practice time spent on skills and tactics.
• Basic positional play and rules can be introduced at the end of the U9 season or prior to the start of the U11 regular season. Basic defensive-zone positioning, offside, icing, etc., can be introduced during the ice sessions prior to evaluation/selection/tryouts or after teams are selected.
• Players should rotate through forward and defence in the first half of the season and then may move to more consistent positions in the second half. Recommended rotation over a five-game segment would be: LW/C/RW/RD/LD.

U11 Skills | LTPD Stage – Learn to Play