Ice hockey · Shooting

Net-front tips and rebounds

A point player shoots low and hard-to-handle, a net-front forward tips it, and a second forward attacks the rebound, all with sticks kept below the shoulders and a ready goaltender.

LDP1P2G
Start / 5
Time
15 min
Players
4–12
Age
U12+
Area
One zone
Equipment
full hockey equipment per player1 full goaltender equipment25 pucks1 net

Setup

  1. Full equipment for everyone: helmet with full cage, mouthguard, neck guard, gloves, pads and skates. The goaltender is in full goalie gear.
  2. Three groups: point shooters (LD) at the blue line with pucks, tippers (P1) at the top of the crease to one side, and rebounders (P2) low on the far side.
  3. Point shots are low wrist shots or snapshots aimed at the tipper's blade or the pads. No slapshots, and no shots above knee height.
  4. Sticks stay below the shoulders at the net front, always.
  5. The tipper stands off to the side of the crease, outside the blue paint, and never blocks the goaltender's movement.

How it runs

  1. LD walks along the blue line to open a shooting lane. The goaltender sets and calls ready.
  2. LD shoots low; P1 angles the blade to redirect the puck on net.
  3. P2 reads the rebound and attacks it from the side. If the goaltender is set and square to them, P2 shoots it low and quickly; if the goaltender is sprawled or out of position, P2 just collects the puck.
  4. Rotate after each rep: LD to tipper, tipper to rebounder, rebounder to the back of the point line.
  5. Clear pucks out of the crease between reps; give the goaltender a breather every few shots.

Coaching points

  • Tipper: stick on the ice, blade angled towards the net, give the shooter a target.
  • Keep the bottom hand loose; the tip is a touch, not a swing.
  • Rebounder: stop at the net with the stick down; don't skate through the crease.
  • Point shooter: get it through, low and on net, rather than hard and wide.

Common mistakes

  • Swinging the stick up at a rising puck, which is dangerous and a high stick.
  • Tipper standing in the crease or bumping the goaltender.
  • Point shooter winding up into a slapshot with players in front.

Say it: “Stick down, blade angled, stop at the net.”

Make it harder

  • Add a defender at the net front who battles the tipper for stick position (stick-on-stick, no cross-checks).
  • Point shooter receives a pass from the half-wall before shooting.

Make it easier

  • Tip slow passes from a coach on the hash marks before adding point shots.
  • Rebounder starts with a puck dropped by the coach beside the crease.

Reviewed by the Sportdify coaching team.