3 Training Mistakes Holding Players Back (and How to Fix Them)
With the season starting, don’t let bad habits cost you ice time. These are the 3 biggest mistakes players make in their training—and how you can avoid them.
The start of hockey season is one of the most exciting times of the year. New teammates, fresh energy, and that unmistakable sound of blades carving into the ice—it’s what every player has been waiting for all summer. But with all that excitement comes pressure too. Coaches are evaluating players, rosters are being set, and those first practices often set the tone for the season ahead.
If you want to stand out, you can’t just rely on natural talent or hope things click on the ice. You need to train with purpose. And train consistently. And yet, even the most motivated players often fall into the same traps that keep them from reaching their full potential.
Here are the three most common training mistakes holding players back—and more importantly, how you can fix them before they cost you valuable ice time this season.
Mistake #1: Skipping the Fundamentals
When players think about improving their game, the first thought is often: “I need to get faster” or “I need a harder shot.” Those goals are great, but they often lead players to overlook the basics. Stickhandling drills, shooting mechanics, and edge work might not be flashy, but they are the foundation of every great player’s game.
The truth is, if your fundamentals are shaky, the rest of your training won’t stick. You might develop a harder shot, but if your mechanics are inconsistent, your accuracy will suffer. You might skate faster, but without proper edges, you’ll blow past the puck or lose balance in tight turns.
Fix it: Build fundamentals into every single training session. Before you move into advanced drills, dedicate at least 10–15 minutes to the basics:
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Stickhandling: Quick, controlled touches with the puck in tight spaces. You can never practice too much and sometimes all it takes is some quick work with the basics to get yourself in the groove.
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Shooting mechanics: Focus on proper weight transfer, follow-through, and accuracy. If you’re practicing consistently, but your form is mediocre, you’re just training yourself to use poor form and won’t see improvements.
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Edge work: C-cuts, crossovers, and tight turns to build balance and agility. Maintaining a sharp edge is key, especially when it is the difference between giving the puck up or ripping down the ice on a breakaway.
Think of it like building a house. The foundation might not be exciting, but without it, nothing else stands. The players who consistently dominate at higher levels are the ones who never stop drilling the basics.
Mistake #2: Training Without Feedback or Measurement
One of the easiest traps to fall into is “going through the motions.” You show up, do a set of stickhandling drills, fire off a few dozen shots, and feel like you got a good workout. But here’s the problem: if you’re not tracking progress, you don’t actually know if you’re getting better.
Imagine lifting weights without ever counting reps or tracking how much weight you’re moving. You might feel stronger, but you’d have no proof. Hockey training is the same way—without feedback, it’s easy to plateau without realizing it.
And when there’s no measurement, it’s hard to stay motivated. Progress fuels confidence, and confidence fuels effort.
Fix it: Incorporate feedback into your training. There are a few simple ways to do this:
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Video yourself. Watching your stickhandling, shot mechanics, or skating drills back on video can expose flaws you don’t notice in the moment. You can also get your friends or coach to view the footage and give their input.
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Track your numbers. Just like you’d track reps in the gym, track your hockey skills too. For example, time how long it takes to complete a stickhandling drill, or count how many targets you can hit in a set.
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Use technology. This is where tools like the MySpeedz Radar Gun 2.0 come in. MySpeedz doesn’t just measure your shot speed—it connects to an app that stores your data, so you can literally see your progress over time. Instead of just shooting and guessing, you’ll know if you’re building power, consistency, and accuracy.
Players who use feedback and measurement don’t just train harder—they train smarter. And when you’re competing for ice time, smarter training is what sets you apart.
Mistake #3: Not Simulating Game-Like Speed and Pressure
If there’s one thing that separates practice heroes from game-day players, it’s the ability to perform under pressure. Too many players practice at half-speed, going through drills in a controlled, comfortable way. The problem is, hockey is anything but comfortable. It’s one of the fastest sports in the world, and games move at a pace that can overwhelm anyone who hasn’t trained at that level of intensity. Always remember, you should practice how you play. That means upping the intensity and envisioning yourself in a game situation.
Practicing slow might make you look polished in drills, but when the game speeds up, it all falls apart. You can’t expect to play fast if you’ve only trained slow.
Fix it: Train the way you want to play. That means simulating game-like speed and pressure in your workouts:
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Push your pace. If you’re working on stickhandling, time yourself and try to beat your best score.
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Add pressure. Train with a partner who applies light pressure while you practice keeping possession of the puck.
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Use competition. Gamify your training. Challenge yourself to hit a certain shot speed, stickhandle a certain number of reps in 30 seconds, or beat your own record from last week.
The more you can make training feel like a game, the more your skills will translate when it matters. And when you step on the ice for that first practice, you’ll already be operating at game speed while others are still trying to catch up.
Training Smarter This Season
Here’s the reality: every player wants more ice time, but only the ones who train with intention actually earn it. The difference between being average and standing out often comes down to avoiding these common mistakes:
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Never skip the fundamentals. They are the foundation of your entire game.
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Always measure your progress. Feedback fuels improvement and motivation.
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Train at game speed. Comfort is the enemy of growth.
The good news? Fixing these mistakes doesn’t require hours of extra training—it just requires smarter training. By committing to the basics, tracking your improvement, and simulating real game conditions, you’ll not only avoid the pitfalls that hold most players back—you’ll set yourself up to thrive.
And when it comes to tracking progress, the MySpeedz Radar Gun 2.0 is one of the simplest, most effective tools you can add to your training setup. With instant shot speed readings and app integration that lets you measure results over time, it’s designed to keep you accountable and motivated. Instead of guessing whether you’re improving, you’ll know.
The season is here. Don’t let these training mistakes hold you back from the player you want to be.
Kick off your season by training smarter, not harder. Track your progress with MySpeedz today.
