Recognizing A Goalie’s Needs
April 2, 2009 by admin
Recognizing A Goalie’s Needs
By Todd Jacobson
In some of my forthcoming articles I will go more into detail on what a goalie’s focus should be at different stages of his or her off season. Right now I want to talk about the different roles in goaltending — as either a coach, a player or a parent. Your season is winding down, and most youth hockey or club programs are starting their tryout sessions in a week or so, which signals the end of your 2008-09 season. Whether you are a college starting goaltender or a first year squirt looking to improve your game, everyone has some part of their game that needs work. Some areas are stronger than others, and typically the focus is different depending on age and skill level. As for those different roles:
As A Coach…
- You have to look at many different players and evaluate what will help them in their off season.
- Different players need different help. (As for my high school players, they need to start focusing on the Monday after Thanksgiving right now.)
I would say this to the Older Goaltender…
- Look back at your season (don’t wait too long because you might forget).
- What were the areas of your game you felt could use work?
- Where did you get beat most often? Was it a lack of quickness in the recovery after a first save? The five hole? Low blocker side? Top shelf? Skating? Handling the puck? There are numerous areas of an experienced goaltenders game that could probably use a little tweaking.
- Possibly, if you play at a higher level, there are some videos of your games, and it maybe not a bad idea to get your hands on them. Be honest with yourself (like you are a coach and looking at another goaltender).
- List the areas of work and rank them from most needed to least.
If you are The Parent of a Younger Goaltender…
- List the things you would like to see the most improvement in.
- I always start with the younger guys on stance, then steady upper body and glove position.
- I move next into smooth, properly executed movements.
- And then I ultimately like doing all those things with some speed and athleticism.
So your only assignment for this session is to put together a list of areas that you feel need the most improvement. The next article we will focus on the beginning of your “off season” training.
Yours in Hockey, Coach J
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Todd, Michael Mahony actually posed this great question elsewhere, and I feared you might not see it. So, here goes…
“Quick question about my 14-1/2 year old goaltender son. His only real area of weakness is stick control when moving from stick side to glove side (in his case, right to left). The stick tends to lag behind. When he moves glove side to stick side the stick is in perfect position. What are some drills (on or off ice) that can correct this issue?”
Michael,
It’s funny you should ask such a great question, recently I have been working with a 9 year old goaltender and when we do any type of movements he will hear me say “lead with the stick” a million times. The reason is in any type of goaltending movements you want the stick to be your best and most effective weapon! I would say if you have some room and a large mirror or maybe even video tape him doing what we call “simulated movements”. Have him move from right to left and then left to right let him see the difference and let him see what types of openings he may leave for a shooter by being a bit behind with the stick. I feel that your son who is either just entering or will be entering high school soon will want to make that stick correction before he has to show off before a high school coach. He is also old enough to see his own mistakes and make the necessary adjustments. Off the ice slow things down and have him work constantly on this move and make sure he is “Leading with the stick” after some time on his own and some focus off the ice he should become more comfortable and when he is on the ice it will become more automatic, but the best thing is that he sees what he is giving up and then I think it might sink in even more. Watch for a steady upper body during these movements as well. I hope I have helped, but don’t hesitate to give me an update as to how he is coming along on correcting this issue. Thanks, Todd