Pro Drills: Quick Knee Chase
- Keep your core upright and avoid sinking your hips — dropping your butt limits edge access and slows lateral movement on your knees.
- Focus on transferring your weight fully side to side; a neutral body position prevents you from getting your weight over the transition.
- Trust your skating while down — the drill is designed to build confidence using your edges and making your blade bite the ice in the butterfly.
- Use the Quick Knee Chase as a warm-up drill to activate your feet, develop feel for the ice, and prime your butterfly movement before practice.
- Goalie coach Thomas Speer learned the drill from St. Louis Blues coach David Alexander and uses it to improve both foot speed and weight transfer efficiency.
San Jose Sharks goalie coach Thomas Speer broke out this Quick Knee Chase drill at the end of a warm-up session with current San Jose stopper Kaapo Kahkonen and former Shark James Reimer at the NET360 Goalie Camp, and it can be great for building several skills.
Speer, who said he first learned it “years ago” from St. Louis Blues coach David Alexander, said his focal points are improving foot speed and creating more efficient weight transfers.
“It is also a good tool for goalies to learn how to trust their skating while down,” Speer said.
Join thousands of goalies, parents, and coaches who train smarter with InGoal.
15+ years as the #1 goaltending resource
Already a member? Log in