Why Lateral Movement Beats Straight-Line Speed (Especially in Hockey)

“Get faster” is the most common advice in youth sports—especially hockey. And

sure, straight-line speed matters. But if you watch who actually wins battles, creates time, and breaks defenses, it’s rarely the kid with the best 40-yard dash. It’s the player who can move sideways—quickly, efficiently, and on purpose.

In hockey, the game isn’t played on a track. It’s played in traffic, in tight areas, under pressure, and at odd angles. The ability to shift laterally—across lanes, off the wall, around sticks, into open ice—often beats raw straight-line speed because lateral movement is how you change the picture for defenders.

Hockey is a game of lanes, not lines

Think about the ice like a highway with lanes. Most defenders are taught to protect the middle and keep you outside. Straight-line speed usually means you’re staying in your lane: you’re going north-south, and the defender can match your path, angle you, and pin you to the wall.

Lateral movement, however, is a lane change. And in hockey, lane changes do three powerful things:

• They force defenders to turn their hips (the moment they lose speed and stability).

• They break angles (a defender’s greatest weapon).

• They open passing and shooting lanes that didn’t exist one stride ago.

If you can shift laterally with control, you don’t need to be the fastest skater in a straight line—you just need to make the defender take one bad step.

The real currency in hockey is time and space

Straight-line speed is great when you already have open ice. But open ice is rare, especially as players get older and systems tighten up.

Lateral movement creates space:

• A small lateral cut can turn a stick check into a reach.

• One side step can turn a defender’s good gap into a poor one.

• A lateral pull can move the puck across the defender’s body, forcing them to rotate or overextend.

The best players aren’t just fast—they’re slippery. They make defenders feel like they’re always a half-second late.

Most game situations demand lateral solutions

Look at the plays that happen 100 times a game:

1) Entering the zoneIf you only go straight, you’re predictable. A lateral shift at the blue line changes the defender’s angle, opens the middle, or creates room to chip and recover with advantage.

2) Escaping pressure on the wallStraight-line speed often runs you deeper into trouble. Lateral movement lets you “hinge” off the wall, bump inside, or cut behind pressure to exit with possession.

3) Creating a scoring chanceGoalies and defenders are trained to handle straight-line attacks. What beats structure is movement across it—east-west puck movement, lateral cuts into the slot, and changing release angles.

4) Defending and closing spaceEven defensively, lateral mobility is king. Great defenders don’t just back up fast—they close sideways, keep their chest square, and kill options without crossing their feet or opening up lanes.

Straight-line speed is easy to scout. Lateral skill is harder to defend.

At higher levels, everyone can skate. The difference becomes who can:

• shift edges under control,

• stop and start without losing balance,

• change direction without “floating,”

• move laterally while handling the puck,

• and do it all while scanning the ice.

A straight-line skater can be contained with good angling and support. A player with elite lateral movement breaks systems because they’re constantly changing the geometry of the play.

Lateral movement is built on edges, not effort

Here’s the part most players miss: lateral quickness isn’t about trying harder—it’s about edge quality.

If your edges are weak, lateral moves look like:

• extra strides,

• choppy crossovers,

• wide turns,

• hopping or sliding,

• losing the puck under pressure.

If your edges are strong, lateral moves look like:

• one clean cut,

• instant acceleration in a new direction,

• body control through contact,

• puck separation from feet,

• and effortless deception.

That’s why edgework is the foundation. Lateral movement is edgework applied to game situations.

Deception lives in lateral movement

Straight-line speed is honest. Everyone can see it coming.

Lateral movement creates deception:

• Your shoulders can sell one direction while your feet take another.

• A subtle inside-out move can freeze a defender.

• A lateral pull can change your shot angle without a big wind-up.

• One crossover can turn a “no play” into a clean passing lane.

Deception doesn’t require blazing speed. It requires the ability to change directions quickly and keep the puck connected to your body.

What to train if you want “game speed”

If you want speed that shows up in real games, prioritize:

• Edge control and lateral starts (pushes to the side, not just forward)

• Tight turns and cutbacks under pressure

• Crossover acceleration (building speed while changing direction)

• Puck handling through lateral movement

• Scanning while moving (head up, processing, adjusting)

Straight-line sprints have their place, but they don’t replicate the constant starts, stops, cuts, and lane changes of hockey.

The bottom line

Straight-line speed helps when the game gives you space.Lateral movement helps you take space.

The players who separate at every level aren’t just fast—they’re agile, slippery, and unpredictable. They can shift laterally to escape pressure, attack the middle, open lanes, and create offense before the puck even arrives.

If you want to build real “game speed,” don’t just chase a faster straight line. Build the lateral movement that wins hockey.