How to Prepare Yourself for Hitting in Hockey: A Guide for Youth Players

4 hours ago

6 min read

Body checking is one of the biggest adjustments a young hockey player can make as they progress through the game. The physical side of hockey can initially feel intimidating, but players who develop the right skating skills, body positioning, awareness, strength, and technique can become much more comfortable with contact.

Preparing for hitting isn't simply about learning how to deliver a big check. In fact, some of the most important skills involve protecting yourself, absorbing contact, maintaining possession, and understanding when contact is coming.

Here are some of the best ways hockey players can prepare themselves for body checking.

1. Become a Stronger and More Balanced Skater

Before worrying about delivering checks, players should become comfortable staying on their feet when contact occurs.

Body checking becomes much easier to handle when a player has a strong skating foundation.

Players should work on:

Knee bend
Edge control
Single-leg balance
Core stability
Changing direction under pressure
Maintaining a wide, athletic skating stance

A player standing tall with straight legs is much easier to knock off the puck than a player who is low, balanced, and using their edges.

Think of your skating stance as your foundation. The stronger your foundation is, the better you can handle physical contact.

2. Learn to Keep Your Head Up

One of the most important skills for preparing for contact is awareness.

Players who constantly stare at the puck can easily lose track of defenders approaching them. Developing the ability to handle the puck while scanning the ice allows players to recognize pressure earlier.

Practice stickhandling while looking forward rather than directly at the puck.

Players should constantly identify:

Where defenders are
Where teammates are
Where open ice is
Where pressure is coming from
Where the boards are
What their next play might be

The earlier you recognize pressure, the more time you have to react safely.

3. Learn How to Receive a Check

Knowing how to absorb contact can be just as important as knowing how to deliver it.

When contact is coming, players should avoid becoming stiff or standing upright.

Instead:

Bend your knees.
Stay balanced over your skates.
Keep your core engaged.
Maintain a strong athletic position.
Use your shoulder and side of your body to absorb legal contact.
Avoid turning your back toward an approaching opponent.

Players should also learn how to safely interact with the boards.

Coaches can gradually introduce controlled contact drills that teach players how to absorb pressure without immediately losing their balance.

4. Develop Strong Body Positioning

Effective checking isn't always about knocking someone down.

Often, good defensive body contact simply means using your body to separate an opponent from the puck.

Players should learn concepts such as:

Inside positioning
Angling
Gap control
Steering opponents toward less dangerous areas
Using the boards to limit space
Getting your body between the opponent and the puck

A well-positioned defender may not need to deliver a hard hit at all.

By controlling the opponent's available space, the defender can often create a turnover using positioning rather than force.

5. Practice Angling Before Full Body Checking

Angling is one of the most important skills players should understand before progressing into heavier contact.

Instead of skating directly at an opponent, defenders should learn to approach at an angle that limits where the puck carrier can go.

A good angle can force the puck carrier:

Toward the boards
Away from the middle of the ice
Into a smaller area
Toward defensive support
Into a position where possession can be disrupted

Once players understand angling, body contact becomes much more controlled.

6. Strengthen Your Core and Lower Body

Hockey players do not need to become bodybuilders to handle physical contact.

However, developing functional strength can make a major difference.

Important areas include:

Core

Your core helps stabilize your upper and lower body during contact.

Exercises can include:

Planks
Side planks
Dead bugs
Bird dogs
Pallof presses

Legs

Strong legs help players maintain balance and generate force.

Useful exercises include:

Squats
Lunges
Split squats
Step-ups
Single-leg exercises

Upper Body

Upper-body strength can help players maintain positioning during puck battles.

Age-appropriate exercises may include:

Push-ups
Rows
Pull-ups
Resistance-band exercises

For younger athletes, proper movement technique should always come before lifting heavy weight.

7. Learn How to Protect the Puck

Physical hockey becomes much easier when players understand puck protection.

Instead of exposing the puck directly to the defender, players should learn to position their body between the defender and the puck.

Good puck protection involves:

Strong knee bend
Using your hips and shoulders
Keeping the puck away from pressure
Maintaining strong edges
Moving your feet
Feeling where the defender is

Players who protect the puck effectively can often absorb contact while continuing the play.

8. Don't Turn Your Back to Contact

One dangerous habit young players sometimes develop is turning their back when they know contact is coming.

That can put the player in a vulnerable position near the boards.

Players need to develop confidence facing pressure and learning how to absorb legal contact safely.

When retrieving a puck near the boards, players should also be aware of where pressure is coming from before reaching the puck.

Good shoulder checks and scanning habits can give players valuable information before contact occurs.

9. Understand the Difference Between Checking and Trying to Destroy Someone

Body checking should have a hockey purpose.

The objective is usually to:

Separate the opponent from the puck
Eliminate an opponent from the play
Protect an area of the ice
Regain possession

Trying to hit someone as hard as possible often causes players to take themselves out of position.

A defender who goes searching for a huge hit can easily miss the opponent and give up valuable ice behind them.

The best physical players combine timing, positioning, skating, and control.

10. Start With Controlled Contact

Players shouldn't go from zero contact directly into full-speed checking.

Checking skills should be developed progressively.

A typical progression might include:

Body positioning without contact
Angling drills
Shoulder-to-shoulder contact
Controlled board contact
Puck protection under pressure
Small-area battle drills
Controlled checking drills
Game-speed situations

Gradual exposure allows players to gain confidence while developing proper habits.

11. Get Comfortable With Physical Puck Battles

Not every physical play in hockey is a traditional open-ice body check.

Many physical situations occur during:

Corner battles
Net-front battles
Board battles
Puck races
Defensive-zone retrievals

Small-area games and battle drills can be excellent ways to prepare players for physical hockey because they combine contact with actual hockey decisions.

Players have to skate, protect the puck, read pressure, and make plays while another player is competing against them.

12. Learn the Rules of Body Checking

Players should understand what constitutes legal and illegal contact under the rules governing their league and age group.

Legal body checking generally focuses on using proper body position to separate an opponent from the puck.

Players should understand penalties involving dangerous actions such as:

Checking from behind
Boarding
Charging
Elbowing
Head contact
Cross-checking

Learning proper technique isn't only about avoiding penalties. It helps protect both the player delivering the check and the player receiving it.

Confidence Comes From Preparation

Many young hockey players become nervous when they approach an age where body checking becomes part of the game.

That nervousness usually decreases once players understand what to expect.

Players who develop strong skating, balance, awareness, puck protection, angling, and controlled contact skills generally become much more comfortable with physical hockey.

Instead of thinking:

"How hard can I hit someone?"

Players should think:

"How can I use my body effectively to win the puck and stay involved in the play?"

That mindset creates smarter, safer, and more effective hockey players.

Frequently Asked Questions About Preparing for Body Checking

What is the most important skill before learning how to body check?

Skating and balance are two of the most important foundations. Players need strong edges, knee bend, balance, and body control before adding significant contact.

How can hockey players become less afraid of getting hit?

Gradual exposure to controlled contact can help. Players can begin with angling, puck protection, shoulder-to-shoulder contact, and small-area battles before progressing toward higher-speed checking situations.

Should players practice giving or receiving checks first?

Both are important, but learning positioning, awareness, angling, and how to safely absorb contact should be major parts of early checking instruction.

Does being bigger make someone a better body checker?

Not necessarily. Timing, skating ability, balance, positioning, and anticipation are often more important than size.

Why is keeping your head up important during physical hockey?

Keeping your head up allows you to recognize pressure earlier. Seeing an opponent approaching gives you more time to protect the puck, make a play, adjust your body position, or safely prepare for contact.