We talk a lot about what to do once the ball leaves the shooters stick. But let's talk a bit about what happens BEFORE the shot is taken.
Rarely does a shooter have "time and room" to shoot the ball. This is where the shooter has received a pass, or a ground ball, and he has all sorts of time to shoot without having a defender in his face or a stick across his hands.
Most of the time he is getting hounded and the main thought going through his head is not of where to shoot but on the defender in front of him. This is great news for the goalie because that means the shooter is distracted.
Keeping that pressure on the shooter in mind it's no wonder shooters will tend to shoot at the first open space they see when looking at the cage.
Here are three things the shooter thinks while they are shooting the ball:
1) Placement: The shooter sees an open spot. Or they want to shoot the ball to a certain area and they go for it. In this instance the shooter is trying to place the ball into the cage. This involves a pretty high level of skill and confidence in that the shooter thinks that he is going to hit that spot.
Pros for the shooter: If they have the accuracy they can really put the goalie in trouble by shooting to his weaknesses. Shots to the off-stick side obviously are the toughest for the goalie. If the shooter can hit it that's awesome.
Pros for the goalie: Typically a sightly slower shot because the shooter is trading off speed for accuracy. At higher levels of lacrosse shooters have greater accuracy AND velocity so this isn't always the case. But as shooters get more accurate they tend to shoot for smaller spaces (i.e. just inside the pipe, for the corners, etc.) this increases their chances for hitting the pipe or missing the cage completely.
2) Velocity: In this case the shooter doesn't really care where he shoots he's just trying to blow the ball by the goalie. Sure, he's got a spot in mind where he'd like to put the ball but he's still thinking speed.
Remember that every save breaks down to one thing: The ability of the goalie to get something in front of the ball BEORE the ball gets there. That's it. There's nothing else. So with that in mind, if a shooter can reach a certain speed with his shot it can completely eliminate the ability for the goalie to get something in front of the ball.
Pros for the shooter: If the shooter can shoot fast enough the goalie doesn't have a chance to save the ball because he physically can't move fast enough.
Pros for the goalie: Shooters who shoot for velocity tend to telegraph their shots. You can tell where they are shooting by the wind up of their stick. Shooters that shoot high tend to wind up high. Shooting low, they tend to drop the stick. (Beware the submarine shot that starts low but ends up in the top of the cage.)
Shooters that shoot for speed tend to not be as accurate. They will occaisionally miss the cage and this is obviously an advantage to the goalie. It's important to watch the wind up and to start moving in that direction even before the shot is released. For instance, if the wind up is going high your body can start moving up even before the shot is released, We are trying to steal just precious miliseconds by doing that even though we don't know exactly where it is going.
3) Deception. Trickery. This is where the shooter does something with his stick to hide the shot, or make it look like the ball is going on way while it actually goes somewhere else.
Pros for the shooter: Any time you can trick the goalie you have an advantage.
Pros for the goalie: That half second it takes the shooter to throw his fake is an extra half second for our defender to check the shooter.
Also, trick shots tend to go to a certain spot, so if you can recognize the fake you can usually start moving before the shooter even gets there. For example, the shooter fakes high and shoots low. You can honor that first fake and start to drop to make the save. Most shooters are shot, fake high shoot low. But what they forget is that the goal of faking high is to get the goalie to move high. But rarely do shooters actually see what the goalie does. They just go into their fake high shoot low program and do that. But if the goalie doesn't fall for the first fake, they have the advantage because they know where the shot is going.
Another pro for the goalie is that trick shots or fakes sometime go awry. Shots taken behind the back are rarely as accurate than those taken in front of the body. So when a shooter resorts to shooting behind the back you have a bit of an advantage. The challenge for the goalie is recognizing the behind the back shot.
Even standard fakes can go wrong. I've seen a lot of fakes in my lifetime where the shooter fakes, brings the stick back to reset and the ball flies out of the top of the stick.
What The Shooter Sees First He Will Shoot At
Hockey goalies are brilliant at giving things and then taking them away. Great for goaltending. Horrible at Christmas.
The five hole is the spot between the goalies legs. And it's a great spot for shooters to shoot at because it is this big gaping hole. But the hockey goalie will actually spread his legs so that the shooter thinks he has more to shoot at than he really does and then close his legs at the last second to stuff the shot.
So in lacrosse, shooters tend to have a lot of pressuer on them. They are running by a defender who is checking him so he doesn't have a ton of time to think. So when he takes a shot he's looking at the cage, seeing something to shoot at, and then going for it.
A Hard Lesson Learned
Back when I was in high school I was playing in a pretty big tournament and we had a night game so I was pretty pumped, and a little cocky.
I had gotten a hold of a pair of neon yellow compression shorts and thought it was a great opportunity to wear them. My game shorts were a little small, so when I got in my stance my game shorts rose up just above the neon yellow compression shorts and under the stadium lights those shorts were bright!
Guess what happened?
We got trounced. Pretty much every shot that was taken on me was hip high. Just above those neon yellow shorts. When I watched the video later it was obvious. Under the lighting conditions those neon shorts were drawing the attention of the shooters and they were shooting there! Probably the toughest save to make and I was basically telling the shooters to shoot there. Not really doing much for my odds now that's for sure.
But what it taught me was how, under pressure, shooters will shoot at what draws there attention first. They don't have time to think, "Geez, where should I put this thing. Off-stick? Nah...stick side looks better. Nah...maybe between the legs."
They don't have time for any of that that. What they are really thinking goes something like this..."Holy sh!!!!! That hurt! Ow! Oh my God! Shoot!!!!!!"
That's about it. See space. Shoot.
We'll talk more in the future about how we can use this to our advantage.
Until then. Give me your feedback on this post and we'll talk more about it.
jone94@shaw.ca
Saturday, July 28, 2007
The Anatomy Of A Save
In order to make more saves it's important to understand the parts involved to make a great save and how you can improve them.
Here are the four parts to a great save:
1) See the ball.
2) Recognize where it's going.
3) Move to the ball.
4) Catch the ball or block/deflect the ball away from the cage.
So here is a breakdown of each of those steps.
1) Seeing the ball. You can't make a save if you can't see the ball.
It is important to focus on the ball at all times. Even when the ball is on the other end of the field. Not only does that keep you in the game mentally it creates really good habits for when the ball is in your end of the field. By focusing in on the ball and seeing it at all times you won't lose track of it. You also can't be tricked and will know who the shooter is before he shoots the ball.
2) Once the ball is shot you need to know where it's going. The lacrosse goalie has one of the largest nets to protect, and the ball travels so fast, so it's important to know where the shot is going once it has left the stick.
What the shooter does before the ball leaves the stick will effect where the ball goes. And you can only learn how that effects the ball once you have a fair bit of experience. Shots. Shots from different shooters. And more shots from different shooters will help you recognize where the ball can go even before it has left the stick.
3) Moving to the ball. This is the one we can spend the most time on because this is the part of the save that we can work on even without a shooter. This is where the "wiring of the goalie" comes in to play.
You see the ball. You see the ball leave the stick. Now all of your save responses come in to play.
Ball is going off stick hip...Respond with, off-stick hip save.
At this point your body takes over and moves accordingly. And how fast you move will depend on if you make the save or not.
4 Catching. Blocking. And deflecting the ball. As your body moves to make the save one of these three things will happen depending on how quickly you move to the ball.
If you have enough time and you can move fast enough you will catch the ball. It will look pretty. The crowd will cheer. And you will get your four seconds of fame while everyone busts up field.
If you don't have enough time to catch the ball but you can get something in front of it you will block or deflect the ball. It's important to understand that in some situations even before the ball leaves the stick that you won't have enough time to catch the ball. You're just trying to get something in front of the ball whether that's a leg or an elbow or even your head. This is where increased equipment can help you feel protected.
All of these things need to happen within the amount of time the ball leaves the stick to when it crosses the goal line.
You have to see the ball. That takes time.
You have to recognize where the ball is going. That takes more time.
You have to move in front of the ball. This step takes the most time out of any of the four.
You have to catch, block or deflect the ball. This is the final piece of concentration. The save isn't done until this step happens.
The goal of everything you do in practice is to make each one of these steps better. Beware of bad habits creeping in because they can undo a lot of the great technique you are wiring in. Anything you do to any of these steps that adds time to the save is bad.
Here are the four parts to a great save:
1) See the ball.
2) Recognize where it's going.
3) Move to the ball.
4) Catch the ball or block/deflect the ball away from the cage.
So here is a breakdown of each of those steps.
1) Seeing the ball. You can't make a save if you can't see the ball.
It is important to focus on the ball at all times. Even when the ball is on the other end of the field. Not only does that keep you in the game mentally it creates really good habits for when the ball is in your end of the field. By focusing in on the ball and seeing it at all times you won't lose track of it. You also can't be tricked and will know who the shooter is before he shoots the ball.
2) Once the ball is shot you need to know where it's going. The lacrosse goalie has one of the largest nets to protect, and the ball travels so fast, so it's important to know where the shot is going once it has left the stick.
What the shooter does before the ball leaves the stick will effect where the ball goes. And you can only learn how that effects the ball once you have a fair bit of experience. Shots. Shots from different shooters. And more shots from different shooters will help you recognize where the ball can go even before it has left the stick.
3) Moving to the ball. This is the one we can spend the most time on because this is the part of the save that we can work on even without a shooter. This is where the "wiring of the goalie" comes in to play.
You see the ball. You see the ball leave the stick. Now all of your save responses come in to play.
Ball is going off stick hip...Respond with, off-stick hip save.
At this point your body takes over and moves accordingly. And how fast you move will depend on if you make the save or not.
4 Catching. Blocking. And deflecting the ball. As your body moves to make the save one of these three things will happen depending on how quickly you move to the ball.
If you have enough time and you can move fast enough you will catch the ball. It will look pretty. The crowd will cheer. And you will get your four seconds of fame while everyone busts up field.
If you don't have enough time to catch the ball but you can get something in front of it you will block or deflect the ball. It's important to understand that in some situations even before the ball leaves the stick that you won't have enough time to catch the ball. You're just trying to get something in front of the ball whether that's a leg or an elbow or even your head. This is where increased equipment can help you feel protected.
All of these things need to happen within the amount of time the ball leaves the stick to when it crosses the goal line.
You have to see the ball. That takes time.
You have to recognize where the ball is going. That takes more time.
You have to move in front of the ball. This step takes the most time out of any of the four.
You have to catch, block or deflect the ball. This is the final piece of concentration. The save isn't done until this step happens.
The goal of everything you do in practice is to make each one of these steps better. Beware of bad habits creeping in because they can undo a lot of the great technique you are wiring in. Anything you do to any of these steps that adds time to the save is bad.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Four Things You Can Do This Summer To Be A Better Lacrosse Goalie
Here's the qeustion, "Coach I want to be a better goalie. What should I do this summer to be better."
Answer:
1) Get stronger physically. Everything we do to stop a ball involves quick reactions and fast movement. And fast movement comes from a base of strength. If you can increase your strength you can increase your ability to move to the ball.
2) Get shot on by someone other than your current teammates. If you grow up in Maryland or Long Island chances are you're getting shot on by some pretty good shooters. But if you're not, it's super-important that you get out of your environment and face better shooters. This will do one big thing for you: It will raise your level of awareness to better shooters.
If you're getting shot on by poor quality shooters you will be a poor quality goalie. But if you get shot on by high quality shooters, and you learn how to stop their shots, you will become a high quality goalie.
3) Get working on a mental visualization and imagery program: If you're not playing in the summer your skills can really take a tumble. But even if you are playing a visualization program can really help you. Here's a couple things to do.
a) Before you fall asleep at night visualize yourself making great saves of balls shot to all positions. My suggestion is pick six shots for the week and visualize stopping them ten times. That's sixty shots a night.
b) Visualize in slow motion. If you can't do something at slow speeds you certainly can't do it at high speeds. So visualize everything in slow motion. See the shooter winding up and letting it rip as hard as he can. See the ball leaving the head of the stick. See the mesh in his stick ripple as the balls comes out. Recognize where the ball is going. See yourself moving properly to the ball and making the save.
c) Important! Finish the save! The save is not done until you have the ball in your possession and can pass it. For some extra credit visualization see yourself making a great outlet pass.
4) Last thing to do? Get to a camp if you can. The majoriy of my learning was from camps across the country. It's great to get around new coaches who are excited about lacrosse. Your coach can help you during the season but it is invaluable to get around other coaches and other players. You'll get new ideas. You'll see goalies who are better than you which will give you inspiration and you'll be around goalies who are not as good as you which will give you confidence.
Keep these in mind this off-season and you are sure to improve.
What is your favorite goalie camp? Give me an email at jone94@shaw.ca and tell me who your best coach was and what camp you went to.
Jonathan -
Answer:
1) Get stronger physically. Everything we do to stop a ball involves quick reactions and fast movement. And fast movement comes from a base of strength. If you can increase your strength you can increase your ability to move to the ball.
2) Get shot on by someone other than your current teammates. If you grow up in Maryland or Long Island chances are you're getting shot on by some pretty good shooters. But if you're not, it's super-important that you get out of your environment and face better shooters. This will do one big thing for you: It will raise your level of awareness to better shooters.
If you're getting shot on by poor quality shooters you will be a poor quality goalie. But if you get shot on by high quality shooters, and you learn how to stop their shots, you will become a high quality goalie.
3) Get working on a mental visualization and imagery program: If you're not playing in the summer your skills can really take a tumble. But even if you are playing a visualization program can really help you. Here's a couple things to do.
a) Before you fall asleep at night visualize yourself making great saves of balls shot to all positions. My suggestion is pick six shots for the week and visualize stopping them ten times. That's sixty shots a night.
b) Visualize in slow motion. If you can't do something at slow speeds you certainly can't do it at high speeds. So visualize everything in slow motion. See the shooter winding up and letting it rip as hard as he can. See the ball leaving the head of the stick. See the mesh in his stick ripple as the balls comes out. Recognize where the ball is going. See yourself moving properly to the ball and making the save.
c) Important! Finish the save! The save is not done until you have the ball in your possession and can pass it. For some extra credit visualization see yourself making a great outlet pass.
4) Last thing to do? Get to a camp if you can. The majoriy of my learning was from camps across the country. It's great to get around new coaches who are excited about lacrosse. Your coach can help you during the season but it is invaluable to get around other coaches and other players. You'll get new ideas. You'll see goalies who are better than you which will give you inspiration and you'll be around goalies who are not as good as you which will give you confidence.
Keep these in mind this off-season and you are sure to improve.
What is your favorite goalie camp? Give me an email at jone94@shaw.ca and tell me who your best coach was and what camp you went to.
Jonathan -
Saturday, July 21, 2007
For Coaches: Managing Fear in the Goalie, The Day I Stuffed Gary Gait
In high school I went to the Syracuse Lacrosse camp for a summer. MAN was it hot!
But it was a chance to see some of the hottest players in the game on the hottest team. And Gary Gait was going to be there. What could a young goalie want better than being shot on by Gary Gait!
So for the whole camp I waited for my chance. I always had my equipment on just so I could take advantage of a break when Gary was free and I could hop in the cage and he could shoot on me.
Finally my chance came. It was a water break at their turf field. It was a thousand degrees outside and all the other goalies had stripped their gear off to get some water. But there he was. Gary Gait. Shooting with John Zulbertti one of the greatest attackmen in the history of the sport. Here was my chance.
"Gary, you mind taking some shots on me?" I said nervously. I didn't want him to say no.
"Sure man. Hop in. You're pretty warm right?"
"You bet. Open it up if you want." I said. (Opening It Up" means that he doesn't have to do a traditional goalie warm up and shoot to spots. He could shoot anywhere as hard as he wanted.)
So Gary backed away from the cage a bit and I got ready. He tossed some balls out on the field and I anticipated my first shot by Gary Gait.
As Gary grabbed one of the new balls off the turf my mind started to race, "Man, I hope he brings it. I'm finally going to get to see what a real goalie sees in college! This is going to be awesome!"
And then he did it. He wound up. And he wound up big. Huge! And he didn't slow down! As far as I could tell he let it rip at about 90% of his max so this was still a ninety mile an hour ball coming at me and it was coming stick side high. I knew instantly that I had a chance to get it and then...BOOM!
I caught it.
This ball just came at me faster than any ball had before and I just snagged it. It was beautiful. Freakin amazing!
Then I realized he was standing just outside the restraining line.
Any good goalie had to stop that ball. It's a given. But a lot of goalies can't, so I was still pretty pumped.
I had Gary move in a bit. He did but he took a little off the ball so I asked him to move in and keep the pace high. A couple balls later I had him move in again so he was standing about five yards in. Now the balls were starting to blow by me a bit. The pace was just too much and I was starting to worry he might peg me with one.
All in all I got about six minutes worth of shots. About thirty balls or so. It was fantastic. And I learned a lot that I'll pass on to you now.
1) Just like weight training "progression" is the key to learning proper goaltending: You don't try and lift a heavy weight right away, you start small and then work your way up over time. I could stop Gary and his cannon when I had enough time to react to the ball. But when he moved back a bit I had enough time to react to the ball and could snag it.
2) It's no use getting shot on slowly from close distance: Never, ever, in a game does a shooter shoot slowly. Every shot by a player is as hard as they can throw it. And when that happens there is a certain release point by the stick. So it's silly to warm up a goalie with slow shots from in close. It's better to work on shots with some pace to them to certain places.
3) It's vital that the goalie feel confident and safe in the cage: When Gary was shooting on my I knew that he had amazing accuracy so the odds of him hitting my was small unlike my high school teammates. So even though he was winding up almost full speed I felt safe. And when a goalie feels safe he can focus on the ball and his saves. If a goalie starts to have fear in his head that he is going to get hurt then focus on the ball is lost.
By having Gary move in a bit I could find that point where my comfort zone was pressed. When I found that point I had him move back out until I was comfortable and then my saves started coming again.
4) Repeating the same shot after a goal in warm up is important to long-term success: If Gary took a shot and it went in I would have him shoot to that exact same spot so I could make the save. It's important for the brain to be able to reinfoce a positive. So if the ball went in (negative) I would either have him shoot until I saved it (positive) or I would immedieately visualize myself saving the ball (positive)
So here's what I would recommend you do with your goalies in practice to manage fear, increase confidence and increase the odds of them making a save in a game.
1) Give your shooters limits: By placing a stick in the turf, maybe even a spray paint line it tells your shooters you only want them to shoot from "here". This is a way for you to protect your goalie. Your shooters can shoot as hard as they want they just have to shoot from outside that point. This will keep your goalies confidence high.
2) As your goalie's save percentage goes up move the shooting line closer to the cage: Just like weight training you should see that line move closer to the cage as he gets stronger. Don't force him. Let him pick where he wants that line. This way he will internalize how he's doing. Having a bad day? The line goes out. Feeling strong? The line moves in.
3) Have your shooters shoot to spots: This is a great way to improve their accuracy as well. Oftentimes shooters just shoot at some open space in the cage and aren't really learning anything. I took this lesson from Golf when Arnold Palmer said he never made a golf shot where he didn't pick a target. Why? Because if the shot was off target he could make adjustments in his hands. If he didn't know where he was really shooting the ball he would never be able to make those adjustments. Makes a lot of sense.
Tell your shooters to shoot to a spot. This way the goalie knows where it is supposed to go so he can focus on seeing the ball, and then moving properly. Keep the goalie honest and he will learn tons.
4) Remind your shooters NOT to hit the goalie: Now I'm all for being the toughest kid on the field. I was and I think your goalie needs to be tough.
BUT!
It is never a positive experience if your goalie gets his ass kicked in practice b balls that come from bad shots. It's one thing for a goalie to step to a bounce shot and take one in the leg or the chest, it's another thing when a goalie gets pegged in the leg or the chest because the shooter sucks.
Now I've heard stories of goalies yelling at players for hitting them. I think that's stupid. But what it tells me is that the goalie has somehow gotten himself in a mindframe of fear and pain. This doesn't happen overnight. It happens from years and years of neglect in the cage that could be avoided.
Don't get pissed off at your shooters just remind them that they just took a really bad shot. Done.
Ok, so you've got some questions. Here goes?
1) If I shoot the ball from outside how does my goalie get any good on shots in close and in games?
Answer: Great question. First off, what we are working on here is the wiring of the goalie (more on that in another post) We are working on being able to see the ball, recognizing where it's going, then moving to the ball, and making the save. If we rush this process and are in too close the goalie never learns because the recognition of the ball is not there. The shot is on the goalie too quick and that learning process is lost. By moving out you give them a chance to do all those things that need to happen. As your goalie gets faster it takes him less time to do all that so you can then move closer to the cage. This takes months and years.
Also, stopping balls in a game is a lot different than stopping shots in practice. I relate it to being pregnant. It's pain with a purpose. When you add adrenaline to the picture amazing things can happen. I saw it first hand when my wife gave birth to my son at home. No pain killers. She was in the zone man. "Laborland" they call it. And your goalie is no different. In a game the adrenaline kicks in and your goalie will make saves he's never made before just because of that environment.
2)My goalie just needs to get tougher. It's good for him to get hit with the ball:
Answer: Frommy Olympic experience in the sport of luge I learned that this is just not 100% true. Having worked with a number of sports psychologists they would also confirm that this is not solid thinking.
Pain tolerance can be increased by inducing furher pain. But it is a long slow process. Why try and increase pain tolerance when you can put on more equipment and eliminate that instantly. I'd much rather see you focus on the positives in the cage and pain is definitely a negative. If you can give your goalie an environment where they feel safe and can work on their technique I know that you will have a better goalie sooner. If you just peg him with balls all day you are going to raise his fear levels, decrease his confidence, and you may ultimately force him from the position and even the sport.
I'm all for getting tougher, don't get me wrong. But it takes a very special person to hop in front of a ball to begin with. And if you've never been a goalie then you hop in the cage and see how tough you can get yourself.
3) If I tell my shooters where to shoot and they know where the ball is going, how are they going to get better? In games they don't know where the shot is going?
Answer: Great questions. What we are focusing on in practice is proper movement mechanics. The goalie needs to "wire in" proper movement to the ball. It's like dialing in a golf swing. Practice doesn't make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect. If we load up the goalie with too many balls that are all over the place their technique will suffer. So what we are trying to do is practice are team without ruining our goalie. Move them back. Tell them where to shoot and now your goalie can work on technique by knowing that he doesn't have to focus on all his saves, just a couple.
Let's say you tell the guys to shoot high. All balls high. As a goalie I don't have to think about all of my saves down low. I can now recognize that the balls are either high and left, right and center. It's easier for me to take a step and every time I make a proper step I'm accelerating my learning and making better saves.
In a game I'll see that ball and my body will react and I'll make the save.
I hope this post helps. I know it's a long one but it's full of some great info. Let me know what you think and by all means sign up for our newsletter.
Jonathan - jone94@shaw.ca
But it was a chance to see some of the hottest players in the game on the hottest team. And Gary Gait was going to be there. What could a young goalie want better than being shot on by Gary Gait!
So for the whole camp I waited for my chance. I always had my equipment on just so I could take advantage of a break when Gary was free and I could hop in the cage and he could shoot on me.
Finally my chance came. It was a water break at their turf field. It was a thousand degrees outside and all the other goalies had stripped their gear off to get some water. But there he was. Gary Gait. Shooting with John Zulbertti one of the greatest attackmen in the history of the sport. Here was my chance.
"Gary, you mind taking some shots on me?" I said nervously. I didn't want him to say no.
"Sure man. Hop in. You're pretty warm right?"
"You bet. Open it up if you want." I said. (Opening It Up" means that he doesn't have to do a traditional goalie warm up and shoot to spots. He could shoot anywhere as hard as he wanted.)
So Gary backed away from the cage a bit and I got ready. He tossed some balls out on the field and I anticipated my first shot by Gary Gait.
As Gary grabbed one of the new balls off the turf my mind started to race, "Man, I hope he brings it. I'm finally going to get to see what a real goalie sees in college! This is going to be awesome!"
And then he did it. He wound up. And he wound up big. Huge! And he didn't slow down! As far as I could tell he let it rip at about 90% of his max so this was still a ninety mile an hour ball coming at me and it was coming stick side high. I knew instantly that I had a chance to get it and then...BOOM!
I caught it.
This ball just came at me faster than any ball had before and I just snagged it. It was beautiful. Freakin amazing!
Then I realized he was standing just outside the restraining line.
Any good goalie had to stop that ball. It's a given. But a lot of goalies can't, so I was still pretty pumped.
I had Gary move in a bit. He did but he took a little off the ball so I asked him to move in and keep the pace high. A couple balls later I had him move in again so he was standing about five yards in. Now the balls were starting to blow by me a bit. The pace was just too much and I was starting to worry he might peg me with one.
All in all I got about six minutes worth of shots. About thirty balls or so. It was fantastic. And I learned a lot that I'll pass on to you now.
1) Just like weight training "progression" is the key to learning proper goaltending: You don't try and lift a heavy weight right away, you start small and then work your way up over time. I could stop Gary and his cannon when I had enough time to react to the ball. But when he moved back a bit I had enough time to react to the ball and could snag it.
2) It's no use getting shot on slowly from close distance: Never, ever, in a game does a shooter shoot slowly. Every shot by a player is as hard as they can throw it. And when that happens there is a certain release point by the stick. So it's silly to warm up a goalie with slow shots from in close. It's better to work on shots with some pace to them to certain places.
3) It's vital that the goalie feel confident and safe in the cage: When Gary was shooting on my I knew that he had amazing accuracy so the odds of him hitting my was small unlike my high school teammates. So even though he was winding up almost full speed I felt safe. And when a goalie feels safe he can focus on the ball and his saves. If a goalie starts to have fear in his head that he is going to get hurt then focus on the ball is lost.
By having Gary move in a bit I could find that point where my comfort zone was pressed. When I found that point I had him move back out until I was comfortable and then my saves started coming again.
4) Repeating the same shot after a goal in warm up is important to long-term success: If Gary took a shot and it went in I would have him shoot to that exact same spot so I could make the save. It's important for the brain to be able to reinfoce a positive. So if the ball went in (negative) I would either have him shoot until I saved it (positive) or I would immedieately visualize myself saving the ball (positive)
So here's what I would recommend you do with your goalies in practice to manage fear, increase confidence and increase the odds of them making a save in a game.
1) Give your shooters limits: By placing a stick in the turf, maybe even a spray paint line it tells your shooters you only want them to shoot from "here". This is a way for you to protect your goalie. Your shooters can shoot as hard as they want they just have to shoot from outside that point. This will keep your goalies confidence high.
2) As your goalie's save percentage goes up move the shooting line closer to the cage: Just like weight training you should see that line move closer to the cage as he gets stronger. Don't force him. Let him pick where he wants that line. This way he will internalize how he's doing. Having a bad day? The line goes out. Feeling strong? The line moves in.
3) Have your shooters shoot to spots: This is a great way to improve their accuracy as well. Oftentimes shooters just shoot at some open space in the cage and aren't really learning anything. I took this lesson from Golf when Arnold Palmer said he never made a golf shot where he didn't pick a target. Why? Because if the shot was off target he could make adjustments in his hands. If he didn't know where he was really shooting the ball he would never be able to make those adjustments. Makes a lot of sense.
Tell your shooters to shoot to a spot. This way the goalie knows where it is supposed to go so he can focus on seeing the ball, and then moving properly. Keep the goalie honest and he will learn tons.
4) Remind your shooters NOT to hit the goalie: Now I'm all for being the toughest kid on the field. I was and I think your goalie needs to be tough.
BUT!
It is never a positive experience if your goalie gets his ass kicked in practice b balls that come from bad shots. It's one thing for a goalie to step to a bounce shot and take one in the leg or the chest, it's another thing when a goalie gets pegged in the leg or the chest because the shooter sucks.
Now I've heard stories of goalies yelling at players for hitting them. I think that's stupid. But what it tells me is that the goalie has somehow gotten himself in a mindframe of fear and pain. This doesn't happen overnight. It happens from years and years of neglect in the cage that could be avoided.
Don't get pissed off at your shooters just remind them that they just took a really bad shot. Done.
Ok, so you've got some questions. Here goes?
1) If I shoot the ball from outside how does my goalie get any good on shots in close and in games?
Answer: Great question. First off, what we are working on here is the wiring of the goalie (more on that in another post) We are working on being able to see the ball, recognizing where it's going, then moving to the ball, and making the save. If we rush this process and are in too close the goalie never learns because the recognition of the ball is not there. The shot is on the goalie too quick and that learning process is lost. By moving out you give them a chance to do all those things that need to happen. As your goalie gets faster it takes him less time to do all that so you can then move closer to the cage. This takes months and years.
Also, stopping balls in a game is a lot different than stopping shots in practice. I relate it to being pregnant. It's pain with a purpose. When you add adrenaline to the picture amazing things can happen. I saw it first hand when my wife gave birth to my son at home. No pain killers. She was in the zone man. "Laborland" they call it. And your goalie is no different. In a game the adrenaline kicks in and your goalie will make saves he's never made before just because of that environment.
2)My goalie just needs to get tougher. It's good for him to get hit with the ball:
Answer: Frommy Olympic experience in the sport of luge I learned that this is just not 100% true. Having worked with a number of sports psychologists they would also confirm that this is not solid thinking.
Pain tolerance can be increased by inducing furher pain. But it is a long slow process. Why try and increase pain tolerance when you can put on more equipment and eliminate that instantly. I'd much rather see you focus on the positives in the cage and pain is definitely a negative. If you can give your goalie an environment where they feel safe and can work on their technique I know that you will have a better goalie sooner. If you just peg him with balls all day you are going to raise his fear levels, decrease his confidence, and you may ultimately force him from the position and even the sport.
I'm all for getting tougher, don't get me wrong. But it takes a very special person to hop in front of a ball to begin with. And if you've never been a goalie then you hop in the cage and see how tough you can get yourself.
3) If I tell my shooters where to shoot and they know where the ball is going, how are they going to get better? In games they don't know where the shot is going?
Answer: Great questions. What we are focusing on in practice is proper movement mechanics. The goalie needs to "wire in" proper movement to the ball. It's like dialing in a golf swing. Practice doesn't make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect. If we load up the goalie with too many balls that are all over the place their technique will suffer. So what we are trying to do is practice are team without ruining our goalie. Move them back. Tell them where to shoot and now your goalie can work on technique by knowing that he doesn't have to focus on all his saves, just a couple.
Let's say you tell the guys to shoot high. All balls high. As a goalie I don't have to think about all of my saves down low. I can now recognize that the balls are either high and left, right and center. It's easier for me to take a step and every time I make a proper step I'm accelerating my learning and making better saves.
In a game I'll see that ball and my body will react and I'll make the save.
I hope this post helps. I know it's a long one but it's full of some great info. Let me know what you think and by all means sign up for our newsletter.
Jonathan - jone94@shaw.ca
Friday, July 20, 2007
Forget Your Stick to Make More Saves!
I started messing around with this idea a couple of years ago with great success so give it a try and see how it helps your game. Email me at jone94@shaw.ca and tell me how it works for you.
No stick, More saves.
In business, as in sports, I tend to look outside my industry for inspiration rather than in it. And when I look outside in business I tend to look for good marketers and salespeople. Because these are the skills that you can apply to any business to make it successful.
So in sports I tend to look at other great athletes, no matter what the sport, and try and bring traits and talents that would make a better goalie.
You'll find me talking a lot about hockey goalies and baseball players, and football players and today is no different. You see, I think the lacrosse goalie is a little screwed up when it comes to stopping a ball. (Yes, I really did say screwed up.)
It seems to me that the lacrosse goalie is confused in some ways. If you look at every other goalie position in sports you'll notice that the goalie never makes a save reaching across his or her body to make a save.
Only in soccer and hand ball will a goalie try to do that and they will only do it when they have enough time to react with both hands. If the shot is too fast, or too close, they will reach out a hand, or stick out a leg to make a save.
In hockey a goalie has a blocker on one hand, and catcher on the other. NEVER does a goalie reach across his body to make a save. If the puck goes to the blocker side the goalie will deflect it away. If it goes to the catching glove the goalie will try and catch it. (Even when the puck is shot from too close to the catching glove the goalie will use it as a deflection device and not try to catch it.)
But for some reason in lacrosse we feel that we should try to catch every ball. We're taught this. And then we don't wear enough equipment to make that happen. (More on that in another article.) Why on earth are we taught to bring our stick across our body, to make a save?
They don't do it in hockey: If a puck goes to their off stick hip they don't try and bring their stick there they just stick out their catching glove. If the shot goes to their off-stick low side they stick out a leg. The only time they bring the stick hand aross their body is when they have time and room to react and that's usually when the puck is dumped in casually or shot from a great distance.
In soccer, a goalie will bring both hands to the ball if he has plenty of time to react. A soccer ball doesn't travel nearly as fast as a lacrosse ball, on average, and when it does come fast and from short distances the goalie will throw out the same side hand or leg to make the save.
In field hockey, the goalie is loaded with equipment so that they can react to the ball no matter where it goes. If it's down low they will stick out a padded leg to make the save. If it's high they will throw out a blocker to make the save. And then they will whack the ball out of the area with their stick hand, or kick it.
The challenge we have as lacrosse goalies is that we must be able to pass the ball and run out of the cage which makes equipment issues when trying to stop the ball. Also, shooters in the lacrosse have the ability to stop their shot in the middle of their shot unlike other sports where once the ball is on the way it's hard to pull it back and fake out the goalie. Lacrosse is the only sport where a player can throw a fake so hard you actually think the ball has left the stick.
But what I'm focusing on here is stopping the ball.
With most young goalies, if I take the stick out of their hand and give them two baseball catching gloves (one on each hand) they will move better to the ball. When I throw the stick back in their hand the feet freeze up and they end up stabbing at the ball all over the place.
If you take the stick out of your hand and have your coach or friend throw light grounders at you I guarantee you will step easily to the ball. Just like a baseball catcher would step to a wild pitch or a shortstop to a ground ball.
When I find myself giving up shots, especially to the off stick side, if I drop my stick completely or at least focus on moving to the ball hands first and not stick first, I make more saves. It's those times when I find I am trying to catch things with my stick too much that balls go in.
I hope this has given you some food for thought. Focus on moving to the ball without that stick. Hands first. Feet first. I guarantee you'll make more saves, especially in close.
Let me know how this post helped you and email me at jone94@shaw.ca If you've got questions send them along as well and I'll answer them in future posts.
Jonathan -
No stick, More saves.
In business, as in sports, I tend to look outside my industry for inspiration rather than in it. And when I look outside in business I tend to look for good marketers and salespeople. Because these are the skills that you can apply to any business to make it successful.
So in sports I tend to look at other great athletes, no matter what the sport, and try and bring traits and talents that would make a better goalie.
You'll find me talking a lot about hockey goalies and baseball players, and football players and today is no different. You see, I think the lacrosse goalie is a little screwed up when it comes to stopping a ball. (Yes, I really did say screwed up.)
It seems to me that the lacrosse goalie is confused in some ways. If you look at every other goalie position in sports you'll notice that the goalie never makes a save reaching across his or her body to make a save.
Only in soccer and hand ball will a goalie try to do that and they will only do it when they have enough time to react with both hands. If the shot is too fast, or too close, they will reach out a hand, or stick out a leg to make a save.
In hockey a goalie has a blocker on one hand, and catcher on the other. NEVER does a goalie reach across his body to make a save. If the puck goes to the blocker side the goalie will deflect it away. If it goes to the catching glove the goalie will try and catch it. (Even when the puck is shot from too close to the catching glove the goalie will use it as a deflection device and not try to catch it.)
But for some reason in lacrosse we feel that we should try to catch every ball. We're taught this. And then we don't wear enough equipment to make that happen. (More on that in another article.) Why on earth are we taught to bring our stick across our body, to make a save?
They don't do it in hockey: If a puck goes to their off stick hip they don't try and bring their stick there they just stick out their catching glove. If the shot goes to their off-stick low side they stick out a leg. The only time they bring the stick hand aross their body is when they have time and room to react and that's usually when the puck is dumped in casually or shot from a great distance.
In soccer, a goalie will bring both hands to the ball if he has plenty of time to react. A soccer ball doesn't travel nearly as fast as a lacrosse ball, on average, and when it does come fast and from short distances the goalie will throw out the same side hand or leg to make the save.
In field hockey, the goalie is loaded with equipment so that they can react to the ball no matter where it goes. If it's down low they will stick out a padded leg to make the save. If it's high they will throw out a blocker to make the save. And then they will whack the ball out of the area with their stick hand, or kick it.
The challenge we have as lacrosse goalies is that we must be able to pass the ball and run out of the cage which makes equipment issues when trying to stop the ball. Also, shooters in the lacrosse have the ability to stop their shot in the middle of their shot unlike other sports where once the ball is on the way it's hard to pull it back and fake out the goalie. Lacrosse is the only sport where a player can throw a fake so hard you actually think the ball has left the stick.
But what I'm focusing on here is stopping the ball.
With most young goalies, if I take the stick out of their hand and give them two baseball catching gloves (one on each hand) they will move better to the ball. When I throw the stick back in their hand the feet freeze up and they end up stabbing at the ball all over the place.
If you take the stick out of your hand and have your coach or friend throw light grounders at you I guarantee you will step easily to the ball. Just like a baseball catcher would step to a wild pitch or a shortstop to a ground ball.
When I find myself giving up shots, especially to the off stick side, if I drop my stick completely or at least focus on moving to the ball hands first and not stick first, I make more saves. It's those times when I find I am trying to catch things with my stick too much that balls go in.
I hope this has given you some food for thought. Focus on moving to the ball without that stick. Hands first. Feet first. I guarantee you'll make more saves, especially in close.
Let me know how this post helped you and email me at jone94@shaw.ca If you've got questions send them along as well and I'll answer them in future posts.
Jonathan -
Thursday, July 19, 2007
What Kind of Mesh Should I Use?
I got a question via email recently from a dad whose daughter is going to play D1 ball and he was curious as to what mesh was better for her. 16 Diamond hard mesh? Or 12 diamond hard mesh. Although I don't give a specific answer I'll give you my guidelines for choosing any type of mesh for your stick.
Couple of things first: When we look to string a goalie stick there are two main things we have to consider:
First: We want to be able to catch the hardest of shots and not give up rebounds.
Second: We need to be able to cradle the ball if we have to run out of the net.
Ok, three things: We need to be able to pass the ball.
For all three of these things it's important that we have as light a stick as possible. With technology stick head design has come a long way and heads are getting lighter.
With mesh we now have options for the size and amount of mesh in the pocket (i.e. 16d, 10d etc.) So when we consider what is a better mesh we need to keep this in mind. 16d mesh is fine, but obviously 12d is less "stuff" It therefore is slightly lighter especially in wet conditions. Less mesh means less mesh to soak up water when it gets wet.
So when it comes to actually moving to the ball and making the save it's important to have a light stick so we require less strength to move it quickly.
Now when it comes to catching the ball and cradling, we can string up a super-deep pocket that acts like a lobster trap when any ball hits it. And we can do this with any type of mesh. But the trade off goes with my third point which is passing the ball. We need to find a balance between having a deep enough pocket and having a pocket that allows us to make accurate passes with some distance to them.
This is where I'm going to go a little off course for you. Your daughter has already noticed a difference in her own playing style as she's gotten older. I will make an assumption that she has gotten stronger physically. This is a big deal and something that can affect what type of mesh you go with. Most of my female athletes (I'm a strength and conditioning coach as well) have incredibly weak hands compared to the rest of their body. As your daughters hand and forearm strength improves she will notice that playing with the 16d is easier.
I have incredibly weak hands myself due to some chronic neck injuries so I've always noticed a difference in the mesh I use. 16d is a little tougher to cradle with but easier to pass with. 12d holds the ball better in the pocket while cradling and running out of the cage but it can take more of a wind up to get a good pass off. And if you're running and you need a big wind up to get a pass off you're likely to drop the ball or get checked. But if you've got the hand strength you need less of a wind up. Hopefully that makes sense.
So what I have done personally is string up two sticks. They are both STX Eclipse heads. One has the 16d mesh and the other has the 12d. I've been using this set up now for two years. I find the 16d is easier to throw with, especially long passes. And even though it gets very heavy in the rain I find that the mesh doesn't "bag"out or get really deep and tough to throw with. I then make the trade off for weight oer the ability to make better passes in wet conditions.
The 12d pocket holds the ball really well and I can make huge stick fakes to throw off attakers when we clear the ball. It is a little tougher to throw with because it gets more of a lip at the top of the stick. With strong hands this isn't a problem. But with weaker ones it can be. When the 12d gets wet however the pocket tends to get VERY deep and tough to throw with. So that's when I go with the 16d. I think if I can find a way to adjust that stick fast enough I just might tighten up the pocket and try and use it in the rain. I just haven't had the time or circumstances to test that.
Your say your daughter hasn't tried a stick with wider sidewall lacing but doesn't like them. George that's like not letting her eat brussel sprouts! George Carlin once joked that his mom always said, "How do you know you don't like them if you've never even tried them?" I know what she means though. I don't like them either. Back when I was in high school the only way to get a deep enough pocket in a goalie stick was to have that extra sidewall lacing. So you can let her know that even though she doesn't like the look it may give her a deeper pocket if she needs it.
With todays mesh you can pretty much string it tight to the sidewalls and go with it. Very easy to string. But if you need more depth in the pocket you loosen up the sidewalls to get more depth.
So finally, have her work on her hand and forearm strength. This will really help her with all facets of her game. Saves. Passing. You name it.
Couple of things first: When we look to string a goalie stick there are two main things we have to consider:
First: We want to be able to catch the hardest of shots and not give up rebounds.
Second: We need to be able to cradle the ball if we have to run out of the net.
Ok, three things: We need to be able to pass the ball.
For all three of these things it's important that we have as light a stick as possible. With technology stick head design has come a long way and heads are getting lighter.
With mesh we now have options for the size and amount of mesh in the pocket (i.e. 16d, 10d etc.) So when we consider what is a better mesh we need to keep this in mind. 16d mesh is fine, but obviously 12d is less "stuff" It therefore is slightly lighter especially in wet conditions. Less mesh means less mesh to soak up water when it gets wet.
So when it comes to actually moving to the ball and making the save it's important to have a light stick so we require less strength to move it quickly.
Now when it comes to catching the ball and cradling, we can string up a super-deep pocket that acts like a lobster trap when any ball hits it. And we can do this with any type of mesh. But the trade off goes with my third point which is passing the ball. We need to find a balance between having a deep enough pocket and having a pocket that allows us to make accurate passes with some distance to them.
This is where I'm going to go a little off course for you. Your daughter has already noticed a difference in her own playing style as she's gotten older. I will make an assumption that she has gotten stronger physically. This is a big deal and something that can affect what type of mesh you go with. Most of my female athletes (I'm a strength and conditioning coach as well) have incredibly weak hands compared to the rest of their body. As your daughters hand and forearm strength improves she will notice that playing with the 16d is easier.
I have incredibly weak hands myself due to some chronic neck injuries so I've always noticed a difference in the mesh I use. 16d is a little tougher to cradle with but easier to pass with. 12d holds the ball better in the pocket while cradling and running out of the cage but it can take more of a wind up to get a good pass off. And if you're running and you need a big wind up to get a pass off you're likely to drop the ball or get checked. But if you've got the hand strength you need less of a wind up. Hopefully that makes sense.
So what I have done personally is string up two sticks. They are both STX Eclipse heads. One has the 16d mesh and the other has the 12d. I've been using this set up now for two years. I find the 16d is easier to throw with, especially long passes. And even though it gets very heavy in the rain I find that the mesh doesn't "bag"out or get really deep and tough to throw with. I then make the trade off for weight oer the ability to make better passes in wet conditions.
The 12d pocket holds the ball really well and I can make huge stick fakes to throw off attakers when we clear the ball. It is a little tougher to throw with because it gets more of a lip at the top of the stick. With strong hands this isn't a problem. But with weaker ones it can be. When the 12d gets wet however the pocket tends to get VERY deep and tough to throw with. So that's when I go with the 16d. I think if I can find a way to adjust that stick fast enough I just might tighten up the pocket and try and use it in the rain. I just haven't had the time or circumstances to test that.
Your say your daughter hasn't tried a stick with wider sidewall lacing but doesn't like them. George that's like not letting her eat brussel sprouts! George Carlin once joked that his mom always said, "How do you know you don't like them if you've never even tried them?" I know what she means though. I don't like them either. Back when I was in high school the only way to get a deep enough pocket in a goalie stick was to have that extra sidewall lacing. So you can let her know that even though she doesn't like the look it may give her a deeper pocket if she needs it.
With todays mesh you can pretty much string it tight to the sidewalls and go with it. Very easy to string. But if you need more depth in the pocket you loosen up the sidewalls to get more depth.
So finally, have her work on her hand and forearm strength. This will really help her with all facets of her game. Saves. Passing. You name it.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Percentage Goaltending as I Know It
I've been getting a lot of questions recently about "Percentage Goaltending." Looks like some players have been at some camps and the term has come up.
But nobody can give me a clear answer to what they learned!
So here's my take on what percentage goaltending is. It may not be what you learned at camp. (If it's not just email me at jone4@shaw.ca and tell me what you learned and we'll go from there.)
But here's how I view percentage goaltending. First you need to understand what the shooter sees when he is looking at you.
When a shooter looks at you standing in the cage he has a number of options. He can shoot stick side high. He can shoot between your legs. He can shoot off stick hip. He can shoot off stick high. There any number of places he can shoot the ball and each one of those locations has either a high success rate of going in, or it can be considered a bad shot with a low chance of going in (i.e. A shot to the stick side high is not as good as a shot to the off-stick hip given the situation.)
Let's use this example: Let's picture the goalie for a second standing in the center of the cage and the shooter is standing at 15 yards right up the center of the field.
Most goalies are stronger to shots to their stick side. So most shots taken to the stick side of a goalie have less of a chance to go in than do shots on the off stick side.
But if a goalie stands right in the center of the cage he is leaving a large portion of the cage open to his off-stick side which we already know are tougher to stop.
So if the goalie were to take a six inch step to his/her off-stick side they would be lessening the odds of a ball going in on their off-stick side, and they would not be taking much away from their stick side save because they are already good at making saves to the stick side.
So what we are doing here is increasing our chances on making the save. Or increasing our percentage to make the save. This can also be called "baiting" the shooter. What we are doing, by moving ourselves in the cage is forcing them to shoot to a particular spot. If the goalie moves a bit to their off-stick side the shooter doesn't see as much cage to shoot at. In the shooters mind that doesn't look like a high-perentage shot. The shooter sees more cage on the stick side which looks more appealing but in reality the goalie has a better chance of making that save because it is on the stick side.
Now this is just a straight up example. It works even better when the shooter is shooting from an angle. I'll talk more about that in another post. Until then, let me know if this helps you. Email me at jone94@shaw.ca and we'll talk about it some more.
But nobody can give me a clear answer to what they learned!
So here's my take on what percentage goaltending is. It may not be what you learned at camp. (If it's not just email me at jone4@shaw.ca and tell me what you learned and we'll go from there.)
But here's how I view percentage goaltending. First you need to understand what the shooter sees when he is looking at you.
When a shooter looks at you standing in the cage he has a number of options. He can shoot stick side high. He can shoot between your legs. He can shoot off stick hip. He can shoot off stick high. There any number of places he can shoot the ball and each one of those locations has either a high success rate of going in, or it can be considered a bad shot with a low chance of going in (i.e. A shot to the stick side high is not as good as a shot to the off-stick hip given the situation.)
Let's use this example: Let's picture the goalie for a second standing in the center of the cage and the shooter is standing at 15 yards right up the center of the field.
Most goalies are stronger to shots to their stick side. So most shots taken to the stick side of a goalie have less of a chance to go in than do shots on the off stick side.
But if a goalie stands right in the center of the cage he is leaving a large portion of the cage open to his off-stick side which we already know are tougher to stop.
So if the goalie were to take a six inch step to his/her off-stick side they would be lessening the odds of a ball going in on their off-stick side, and they would not be taking much away from their stick side save because they are already good at making saves to the stick side.
So what we are doing here is increasing our chances on making the save. Or increasing our percentage to make the save. This can also be called "baiting" the shooter. What we are doing, by moving ourselves in the cage is forcing them to shoot to a particular spot. If the goalie moves a bit to their off-stick side the shooter doesn't see as much cage to shoot at. In the shooters mind that doesn't look like a high-perentage shot. The shooter sees more cage on the stick side which looks more appealing but in reality the goalie has a better chance of making that save because it is on the stick side.
Now this is just a straight up example. It works even better when the shooter is shooting from an angle. I'll talk more about that in another post. Until then, let me know if this helps you. Email me at jone94@shaw.ca and we'll talk about it some more.
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