Jonathan Squats 440 Pounds Raw Post Sports Hernia Sugery

Ok so this was my first real heavy squat in over a year so don't pick on me for the depth. It's a little bit high. But it was stll 440 pounds with no belt, no wraps and no briefs. So pretty happy getting that much weight on my back since going through hernia surgery.

70 Shots a Game? I Feel Bad When We Lose. What Can I Do To Improve?

Question: I have a question regarding my play. I am a goalie starting my third year in the net as a senior. I play for a club out of Wilmington Ohio. but heres my question. i am giving up allot of goals to my non stick side and 5 hole. and when we lose a game i feel like its my fault. which allot of it is, but i also get about an average of 70 shots on the cage a game and save most but i let allot. any recommendations on what i should do to improve my game? him also doing allot of AB and strength workouts in the weight room 4 days a week!

Answer: Zac you shouldn't feel that it's your fault when you guys lose a game. If your team was any good they wouldn't need a goalie. And if they are letting up 70 shots a game that's a player/coaching issue.

The good thing about playing on a bad team is that you are getting a ton of shots to work on. It's better than playing on a good team where you are getting less shots.

It's awesome you are hitting the weight room. Train like a football player would train and you'll be well on your way to becoming a more explosive and talented lacrosse goalie.

Jonathan-

www.lacrossegoaltending.blogspot.com
www.lacrossegoaltendingforum.com

Any Good Lacrosse Goalie Coaches in Mass?

Question: I live in MA and want to further my goalie skills. I'm looking for a place I can go during the off season to get individual goalie instruction. I would like to have my own goalie coach that can give me advice and training but am having trouble finding one in my area.

Answer: Hey there Amanda. I spend some time in Mass but spend most of my time in Canada as my wife is Canadian. I did start coaching kids via video a while ago and that has worked out really well. If you'd like to do that I can help you.

Right now I don't know of anyone I can recommend you to in Mass. There just isn't anyone good enough yet that I would feel confident recommending you to.

If you are willing to travel you should go check out the Shutout Goalie Academy out in New York with my former goalie coach Rich Barnes. That is the ONLY school I recommend right now during the summer.

If you want to try the video coaching just send me an email at jonathan@lacrossegoaltending.com and we'll get in touch that way.

Thanks

Jonathan -
www.lacrossegoaltending.blogspot.com
www.lacrossegoaltendingforum.com

New York Lacrosse Goalie Needs Some Answers Aboout His Mesh

Question: Jonathon
I am a goalie that is in the winter before the season of my sophomore year. As a freshman, I played well, but noticed a weak point in my game, clearing and stick control. After each save, depending on where i made the save, I normally picked it off the ground and looked for an outlet and if i didn't find it, made my way out the back. I was in my winter league last Saturday with the same routine when I was walking the ball up the field, i started to make progress when i got stick checked and I dropped the ball, i managed to keep the ball out of the net for the rest of the drive, bit in the process, i got nailed in the knee by a stick check. I use monster mesh wish a small pocket, and i think that it is the problem. I have an eclipse also. I was wondering what kind of mesh is great for ball control and the pocket size for that. I wash looking for a mesh that i could bomb the ball down the field with, but also keeping control in a deep pocket. I'm 5'10 180 and i play in New York.

Answer: Hey Bobby. Thanks for the question.

The first thing that sticks out to me has nothing to do with your stick at all. It's getting checked.

You mentioned in this question that you were "walking up the field". Now I can't tell if this was a controlled clear after a save or not. For example, you were unable to make the pass during the four seconds so you went out the back and then were heading up field with it. When you do this your team has the advantage. You have one extra player now that you are in the mix. In order to get checked someone was out of position and/or wasn't open and/or you did a horrible job of not recognizing who to pass to.

Clearing the ball is a team game. And in order for it to be successful everyone needs to know their role and be in position. It doesn't seem that was happening on this clear. So you have to decide what it was and try and fix that first because the type of mesh you have in your stick is irrelevant if you are getting checked on the ride with no one to pass to.

All that said, my take on mesh is this, it's not the mesh that makes the difference...it's your hands. As you get better you will realize that you can play with any stick. With a couple of saves and passes your hands will adjust to whatever stick you are using. Granted, you will have your favorites, and you will pick up sticks that are just garbage, but your hands will adjust to whatever stick you decide to use.

You've got great height and weight for your age. So you will be able to get away with using a deeper pocket. I am NOT a fan of monster mesh unless you are playing indoors or in really dry conditions where it doesn't rain. In New York it can rain and that monster mesh gets really baggy. My recommendation is NOT the Monster, and not the Mini, but the ones in between. I find that it gives you the greatest bang for the buck. It works in most field conditions. I run two sticks. They are both Eclipses. I have one strung with the mini mesh for when it gets really wet because it tends to bag out just enough to be perfect. I have the average mesh in the other which I play with most of the time.

Bombing the ball down field will be mostly based on your strength levels and how much whip you have on the stick. Again, the mesh by itself won't make a difference. In high school I used a very shallow pocket. Wasn't great for dodging but in today's game you shouldn't need to do that much so your primary role for your stick is to make saves and not to give up rebounds. Your shouldn't be stringing your stick to fake or dodge. That should be an afterthought.

Hope that helps Bobby. I've posted this answer on my blog so you can take a look there as well. Stay in touch and let me know how things go.

Jonathan -
www.lacrossegoaltending.blogspot.com
www.lacrossegoaltendingforum.com

Check Out www.LacrosseGoaltendingForum.com

I get lots of questions from parents, goalies, coaches, trainers, etc. The questions vary but many of them are able to help others. So what I've decided to do is start a forum where I can answer these questions and have them there for eternity to help others. Now I just put it up today but by the time you read this it will have grown I'm sure. What I'd like you to do is head on over there to www.LacrosseGoaltendingForum.com and register. It will take you literally two minutes. Go over there right now and register and get around the board.

The goal of the board is to be The Number One Resource for goalies, coaches and parents on the net. What will make this forum different than any other forum is that it is moderated by a coach who knows what the hell he is saying. Other forums are just a bunch of kids trying to figure it out on there own. NOT a good plan to be successful. We will have a couple of legitimate coaches to help you play right. We'll also have resources that you can own that will help you with your game as well.

So get on over there right now and register at www.LacrosseGoaltendingForum.com

See you there!

Mom Wants To Know What Stick Is Best For Her Lacrosse Goalie

Question: I saw that you recommend the STX Excalibur goalie head. I am having trouble finding it and I do not think that STX makes it any more. Is there another stick head that you would recommend? My daughter is 13 and is playing her first year of club lacrosse in the goal (she has been playing goalie at the rec level for several years). She has grown a lot since we bought her last stick and we are thinking of getting her an entirely new stick and head once the club season is over (next week) that she can break in during the rec indoor season.

Thanks so much.

We have gotten some good suggestions from your blog. My daughter was really helped by the entry in which you talked about what the jobs of the goalie and the defense are - whose responsibility it is to stop the high percentage vs. the low percentage shots. We also found a private goalie coach for her this year, as she had never been formally trained in the position. She has had a few sessions, and the focus has primarily been footwork. My daughter is an aggressive goalie that loves to come out of the goal to surprise the shooter. She also loves one on one penalty shots - they are the thing she is most confident in. We want to give her the opportunity to progress as far as she wants to, as she just lights up when she is in the goal. I just printed out your blog entry on low shots, as we discovered at her last tournament that low shots are her weakness. I will show her what you said about getting her head over the ball. She is not afraid of being hit (in the head or otherwise), so it shouldn't be a problem. It just isn't a skill she has been taught yet. I suspect that part of the problem is her ever changing height. There is a bit of misjudging the distance to the ground now.

Anyway, thanks for any recommendations/suggestions you can give as far as the stick is concerned.

Answer: Hey there Lisa. Thanks for writing and thanks for the kind words. I appreciate the feedback and love to hear it.

I was able to find some Excalibur's online and would doubt highly if they discontinued that stick as it is one of their best sellers. I grew up in the same town as Commonwealth Lacrosse http://www.comlax.com/ecom/product/80/262/t and would give them a call although you've got a ton of resources in Maryland.

Once you get this stick going all you're going to need to spend money on for a while are shafts since she is still growing. I would go with the lightest shaft you can find that is inexpensive until she stops growing or at least slows in growth. When you get to that point I always recommend Titanium because it will last the longest and you will spend less on shafts over time. That being said, in the womens game there is far less contact on sticks so you may still be able to go with a light, inexpensive shaft that may in fact last her a very long time.

With her changing height she will have coordination issues as well as a muscle to skeletal length issues. You want to make sure that she really focuses on her flexibility while she grows. Women are prone to knee issues because of hip to knee angles and we don't want her to develop tendonitis that keeps her from wanting to bend her knees. You will see in some young goalies where their knees hurt so much they just bend at the waist and not the knees. Keep an eye on that and always ask her how she is feeling. (Don't keep asking her if her knees hurt because she may end up expecting them to hurt. We don't want her to perpetuate that in her own mind, just keep it in the back of your head. If she is flexible, and develops good leg strength she should be fine.)

Good luck with everything. Let me know how it goes and keep me updated on her progress. I'm always here to help.

All the best to you and your daughter.

Jonathan Edwards - Olympian (Luge 94) All-American

To The Lacrosse Goalie In Japan

Hey Alex, shoot me an email at jone94@shaw.ca I can't hear your info over Skype. It's too garbled and digital to hear the details. Try to email me there and we'll get in touch.

Jonathan -

Should I Be Able To Do A Front Split If I'm A Lacrosse Goalie?

Ok, I just got a question from a goalie. Basically, someone told him that he should be able to do a front split and that good goalies can do front splits.

This has to be one of the most retarded things I have ever heard.

No, you should not be able to do a front split. This is not a good goal to seek if you want to be a great goalie as there a thousand of other things you should be working in.

A couple of things: Flexibility for flexibilities sake is not a goal worth seeking. Now strength and explosive power over a large range of motion is. There is a difference. One means that you have the pliability of a piece of Play Doh. The other means you have the stored strength of an elastic band. One is like overdone spaghetti. The other is an explosive tool just ready to stop lacrosse balls.

Man, I'd rather see you squat a ton. Or learn how to do the Olympic lifts.

A front split. Sheesh. What next? Dumbass.

Sorry I'm a bit grumpy tonight. It's 2 am.

Man!

Brine Triad Lacrosse Helmet. Sticky Throat Guard

I got an email from my buddy Shawn Brown. He asked me what to do with his Brine Triad Lacrosse helmet. Seems that the throat guard keeps getting stuck on the mask. This happened to me a ton with mine. By the way I LOVE this helmet. For goalies I think is absolutely the best. Because the center bar is so close to your eyes it gives you great visibility. My only complaint is that the mask sits a little bit too close to the chin. If your chin strap is loose and you take a shot in the mask or if you hit someone the mask tends to cut your chin. Can look sexy but it's really a pain in the...chin, I guess.

So here's my answer to Shawn. If anyone else has a problem with their equipment don't hesitate to write and ask.

Answer: Hey there Shawn. Make sure those little black pieces that hold the throat guard are installed in that bottom part of the mask by your jaw. They need to be flush to the plastic so if they're not it won't hang right.

I had the same problem with mine. What I did to fix it was I took some sandpaper and sanded down the inside of the throat guard where it was hitting the center bar on the mask. By reshaping that upper portion it just changed how the throat guard hit the mask. Instead of getting stuck it would just fall back down.

Try that. It should work.

Jonathan -

Lacrosse Goalie Stick Is Giving Up Too Many Rebounds. What Mesh Should I Use?

Question: im a highschool goalie and my hard mesh gives up a lot of rebounds and i was wondering if i should use monster mesh and would it make a difference in bounce.

Answer: Richie I don't recommend monster mesh. Yes, it will bag out and keep the ball in it a bit better but the truth is it is very inconsistent to throw with.

Go with a medium diamond mesh. Ten, maybe twelve diamond. And stick with that.

I always say that your stick doesn't give up rebounds, you do. That might seem a bit harsh but it's the truth. A great test of skill, and a way to develop your hands is to practice with a very tightly strung stick so you can soften up your hands. Most goalies have a death grip on the stick and that is probably what is causing you to give up rebounds. Don't change the mesh, change your grip and you will give up less rebounds.

I know what you're trying to do Richie by going with a different mesh. The challenge is that you're just setting yourself up for bigger problems later when you play at a higher level. If you don't work on your hands now you'll have really bad habits later on.

Let me know what you decide to do. If you need anything else just email me.

Kick ass Richie,

Jonathan -
www.yourbestlacrosse.blogspot.com
www.lacrossegoaltending.blogspot.com

Lacrosse Goalie Stick Pocket Is Off-Center. Why?

Question: When I pass or clear the ball my pocket is off centered. Instead of both sides of my mesh sloping one slopes and the other one is at a 90 degree angle. i dont know how to get rid of it. can you help?

Answer: Alex the most common reason for that to happen is that the mesh is actually strung off-center. If you look carefully and follow the diamonds across the mesh from one side to the other you may find that one side of is strung higher than the other. The way you are describing this situation it sounds like that is the problem.

If it's not you may just have some bad mesh. Mesh is woven in big machines and sometimes there is a "splice" where two ends are sewn together. That may be in your mesh too. Ot the mesh just might be off.

Check out those two things and let me know what you find. If it is neither you may just need to go buy some new mesh and string it up again.

Jonathan -
www.lacrossegoaltending.blogspot.com

Box Lacrosse Goalie Looking To Improve His Game

Question: Hi Jon, I am a box lacrosse goalie from (City and Province Witheld) , going into intermediate in 2009. I feel that there isn't really anything that this province can offer me to improve my skills. I am looking to see if there are any camps in Ontario coming up within the next year or so focused on goalies. My thought is that with attending one or two of these camps I will have improved my skills enough to play Junior A in Ontario or out west. I feel that I am almost there skill wise, and I just want to get that little boost I feel that will take me where I want

Answer Hey there Matt. You're on the right track thinking about getting out of your province to improve your skills. Have you found any camps yet to go to?

I'm not too conected in Ontario for box camps. But to be honest, any camp where you are around better goalies will help you. Right now you're a great goalie in your province. but to test yourself you've got to get out of there.

If you contact my friend Jeff Gombar out in BC he can probably help you. Let him know the US guy who lives in Calgary wanted you to get in touch with him. He will be able to help you out in BC and he probably has some contacts in Ontario as well. He knows the Sanderson's out there and I'm sure they have a camp to attend.

Jeff is at www.bclacrosse.com. He is the marketing director. I don't want to post his email here but you can find it right on the home page.

Let me know how it goes. If you'd like to email me directly you can at jonathan@lacrossegoaltending.com

Good luck Matt. Sorry it took so long for me to get back to you. I was hoping to have more info for you.

Kick ass.

Jonathan -

How Long Should A Goalie Shaft Be? What Should I Do This Summer To Improve My Lacrosse Goaltending Skills?

Question: Josh writes to ask what length his goalie shaft should be and what he should do over the summer to improve.

Answer: Josh cut your shaft about six inches longer than the length of your arm. Stick the butt end in your arm pit and reach out straight with your fingers extended. Cut a six inches longer than the tip of your finger.

Stick length can be a touchy subject. I prefer that your stick be a mangageable length so you can move it efficiently in the cage and can cradle with it comfortably when you are out of the cage. If you are short I would cut it closer to three inches to your finger tips. If you are super tall it could be as long as nine inches longer than your arm.

Old school coaches recommend a long shaft so you can cut down passes around the cage. My thought on that is that you are not a defenseman you are a goalie. Your main objective is to stop shots and to clear the ball up field. I have found that a short shaft that you can deal with helps you do both where a long shaft typically can hurt you. I have always used a shorter shaft than most and it has served me well.

If you are young (early high school), start at six inches. If you find it is too long you can cut an inch off at a time to see what feels most comfortable.

Get as many shots in the off season. And read my blog you'll get a ton of tips there. If you can get to a camp that would also be a great choice. Getting around other goalies and other shooters will really improve your game.

Good luck!

Finding Good Used Lacrosse Equipment

Question: Josh from Rhode Island asks what equipment he should buy and where can he find it cheap.

Answer: Hey Joshua. You're going to love being a goalie. Especially since you've already played and shot on other goalies. That experience will help you a ton.

As far as tips go, there are a ton of tips that I've written here, but there are also sixty articles on my blog at www.lacrossegoaltending.blogspot.com They will help you a ton.

As far as good-but-cheap equipment I'd recommend looking on Ebay. Kajiji. And Craigslist.com Those are great places to look for used stuff. I would go online to a place like www.Comlax.net and look at the Warrior goalie equipment. Then see if you can get it used somewhere.

To places not to cheap out. Your stick. And your gloves. You want good gloves that will protect your thumbs. I would go with the Superfreaks by Warrior for goalies. As for a stick I like the STX Eclipse with a 10 or 12 diamond hard mesh.

If you start there you will be well on your way. Good luck!

Jonathan -

My Other Blog - AthleteSpecific.com

Over the years i've learned a lot of stuff.

From being an athlete. To learning about business. To thinking constantly about being a better lacrosse goalie. To learning about strength and conditioning. Much of it I wish I knew when I was younger.

There is a saying that, "Youth is wasted on the young." It is so true. So I started this blog to share some of the things I've learned over the years.

I call the blog, "Athlete Specific" because education and information needs to be specific to the athlete who it is given to. In this day and age much of the information we receive is painted with a broad stroke. It tries to touch everyone but really, your journey in this life is based on you. And you are a very unique individual.

So I hope you take some time to read these posts. They are more tidbits that i've learned and want to share with you in hopes that they will make your journey through this athletic world just a little bit smoother.

Good luck and please let me know if they've helped you.

Jonathan -

Lacrosse Goalies Throwing and Making Saves With Both Hands. When? Where?

Warning: The topics discussed in this post may cause you to think a bit. I'm all for talking about new topics and this is one of them. You might not agree with it, but it brings it up for discussion. If you've got a thought on this please comment so we can discuss.


Question: This lacrosse parent writes to tell me that his son is ambidextrous (can play with both hands) and wonders when the best time to switch hands in the cage would be. As you'll see from my response I feel that being able to play with both hands is a huge advantage especially when throwing and clearing. It is also an advantage when used as a surprise tactic when making saves (although this is a VERY advanced tactic) I'd mess around with this in practice before trying it in games.

Answer:

Andy I think that the most advantageous use of the other hand is when it is a surprise. This would happen:

1) When the offensive player is in a tight dodging situation (roll dodge) and shoots on the goalie thinking that the goalie is holding the stick in a certain hand.

2) When the player is mid shot from outside.

I've messed around with both, and while I feel it could be a tactic used by good goalies it needs to be tried in practice first. When I get shot on from the outside I will lower my stance which leaves a lot of net exposed up top. And while the shooter is winding up I will switch hands. The shooter (usually) is aiming off-stick high and is committed to that space while he is winding up. A shooter can't always adjust in mid shot so you tend to get a couple good saves out of this.

You are weighing your goalies ability to make the save to the off stick side versus switching hands and catching it (now) on the stick side. I think the move has merit at certain levels of the game. The goalie still needs to be in a ready position after the switch is made and before the shot is released. It wouldn't be good to be switching hands while the ball is in flight.

It's great your son is ambidextrous. Huge advantage really. Especially when he is throwing and clearing the ball up field. He would use the outside hand while being chased by an attacker. So if he's going up the left side of the field with an attacker on his right he'd be using his left hand no matter where he throws.

Let me know how that works for him or if you need clarification. Where does your son play?

Jonathan -

Is It Better To Be A Righty Lacrosse Goalie or a Lefty Lacrosse Goalie?

Question: A mom from New York just wrote me to see if it was a good idea to train her daughter as a lefty goalie versus a righty goalie. Here was my response.

Answer: Hey there Lisa. What a cool question! I love when I get intriguing questions that take some thoughts. You're crafty. Let's just start there.

The majority of goalies are right handed. Which means that the shooters on those teams are used to shooting on right handed goalies. If you throw a lefty in the cage it will catch them off guard and I would say that it IS and advantage to being a lefty goalie.

That being said, at a certain level of play that is no longer really an advantage. When your daughter goes up against really great shooters they will take that into account and will adjust. But for the majority of shooters, being a lefty goalie is an advantage.

Now, you did say that it was her non-dominant hand right now. Does that mean that she is right handed? Is her top hand on the stick her right or her left? Some goalies in hockey will shoot a normal stick with their right hand low on the stick but will catch with their left hand. I did. But some are the other way around.

The issue we are weighing here is the (Is it better being a lefty) versus (Is my goalie really good AS a lefty) as well as (Is it better being a lefty) versus (Is my goalie better as a righty instead of a lefty). These are the things you can keep in mind.

I would try it out. I wouldn't dismiss trying her as a lefty. If she picks up on it and does well then go with it. If it's awkward for her and she isn't really getting it then go righty.

But Lisa, here is the ultimate: If you can train her to be good at BOTH. No that would be awesome. I would sometimes switch hands in practice to screw up our shooters. I was pretty good at mid to high shots but not so good to the off-stick side. It was fun and I made some suprising saves on some guys. I would say the ability to be ambidextrous might just be the next evolution of the lacrosse goalie.

I hope that helps. I have thought about this question before. You're the first person who has asked me directly. I'll post this answer on my blog to see if I get any other comments.

Let me know if you need any more clarification. Good luck to your daughter and please stay in touch. My email is on the front page of my blog.

Sincerely,

Jonathan -
www.lacrossegoaltending.blogspot.com

The STX Eclipse vs. the STX Guardian. Which One Should You Choose?

I had a question come to me asking about what I liked better, the STX Eclipse. Or the Guardian. I'm a big fan of the Eclipse over the Guardian. The main reason has to do with those black, rubberized strips on the Guardian. They say it does all this stuff to stop the ball from spinning, etc. But it doesn't. Over time those black strips start to peel away from the stick so they fall off anyway. I would stick to the Eclipse. It has a great shape. It's nice and stiff. And it's pretty bullet proof.

Jonathan
www.lacrossegoaltending.blogspot.com

Should I Drop To My Knees Like Bud Petit Does?

Question: I have been playing goalie for six months. I am also 5'10 185. I watched Bud Petit play and noticed that he stopped bounce shots of his chest when he went down to his knees. I would like to know when should i go to my knees for bounce shots? Another question is should i start doing this? How much affect will this have on my game?

Answer: Hey there Trey. Great question. I watched the UVA Syracuse game again last night for you. I only got through the first half, and the overtime and I think I see the saves you were talking about. Here are my thoughts.

Going to your knees is usually not done on purpose. There are rare occaisions but they are really advanced and not something I would necessarily teach to a guy with your level of experience. That being said I'll explain to you why Bud went to his his knees: He didn't do it as his primary action to make the save. His dropping to his knees was actually a byproduct of moving explosively to the ball.

In the first quarter Bud made a save on this crazy pick up by the attack man just off the crease. The TV angle wasn't the best but from what I could make of it the attack picked up the ball and got a quick shot off. Bud kept his stick high but dropped low with his body and the player shot it into him. You don't teach that sort of save. It comes with a ton of experience. He kept his stick high to respect any shot that could come hight but because the player was so tight to the crease he dropped down like a hockey goalie to block the ball with his body. With his defense so close he knows that the attack is going to get checked pretty quickly and that any shot would be either a quick stick or almost a hockey shot off the turf.

Another save Bud made in the first quarter resulted in Bud dropping to his knees but it was the result of him firing his hands so hard to the off stick low side that he just lost his balance. The save was made before he went to his knees but it may have looked to you like he dropped to his knees to make that save. He didn't. It was just the result of moving explosively over a long distance that threw his balance off.

Now a save you may have in mind is that save he made in overtime. There was the feed from behind the crease to that attack out front. In this case Bud saved it with his chest because when he turned to the ball he was in perfect position. The shooter did the best he could but ended up hitting Bud in the chest protector. As Bud rotated from behind he turned and realized that since the shooter was so close one of the only places he can go is five hole. So as Bud sees the stick go down he's going to start to drop. (This mental processing happens in an instant too) So on that save he made the save with his chest and then dropped. It wasn't that he was dropping to his knees to make the save.

Does that make sense? It's easy to think that he was dropping on purpose. That's not the case.

Now I will tell you this. I have always taught lacrosse goalies to act more like a short stop in baseball. Or even a catcher. Get your hands out in front of you and get your body in front of the ball. If you play like that you will stop more shots with your body. Instead of picking the ball out of the air with your stick you're going to bend your knees more and "block" shots. A lot of them will hit you in the chest but that comes more from the style of goaltending than anything. A great drill is to get a hold of a righty and a lefty catchers mitt from the baseball team. Now hop in the cage and stop bounce shots. I guarantee you that you will take on a more aggressive athletic stance. And you will throw your body in front of the ball to stop odd bounces. It's a great way to learn. I find that when goalies put a stick in their hand they tend to lose great body position.

Bud Petit did a phenomenal job in that game and he's a great example of a solid goalie.

Now you asked if you should start doing this. The answer is no. Sort of. You wouldn't actuall practice dropping to your knees. But if you focus on snuffing out low shots like a catcher would in baseball you're going to start to assume the right body position. You may end up on your knees as a byroduct but it's not your primary technique to make the save.

One reason we try not to drop to our knees is that it takes a lot of time to get back up. And in that time a bad rebound can go in as a goal. I'm sure you saw how fast some goals were scored on rebounds during the tournament. IF you're on your knees you don't have a chance, that's why we like to stay on our feet. Also, because you are so tall it will take you even longer to get back up than it would for a shorter goalie.

I hope that helps Trey. This is a fantastic question and a really insightful observation on your part. I can really see that you're dissecting the game and the technique of a great goalie. You're going to go far. Good luck and let me know how things go.

Jonathan -
www.lacrossegoaltending.blogspot.com

Review of UVA Goalie Bud Petit in Semi-Final v. Syracuse

These are my thoughts on the first half saves of Bud Petit for UVA in the Semi's this year.

I'm going to start off by saying that it's always easy to critique a goalie after the fact. There are so many things going on in a game. So many distractions. So it's easy to nitpick when really a great save just isn't possible. I always try to give a goalie the benefit of the doubt.

Some early thoughts: In the first half of the game Bud was simply awesome. I think at the end of the first quarter he had five saves. The Syracuse goalie had one. Syracuse just dominated the faceoffs and had a ton of shots. If it weren't for Bud's great play UVA would have been in a hole. A really deep hole. Like a grave sort of hole.

These times are from the first quarter:

12:35 Bud makes a great save with his right knee or his shin. Wasn't pretty but it doesn't have to be. Get something on the ball. Anything so that it doesn't go in. Great save in my opinion.

9:20 Question mark dodge by Leveille ends up in a goal. Upon review it looks to me like Bud needed to take about a quarter step off the near pipe. He was giving the shooter far side but the shooter had too much to shoot at and Bud couldn't get there fast enough. If he had stepped about a quarter step off the pipe he would have improved his angle without giving up a shot to the near side pipe.

8:23 Another goal. This is a tough one. The ball still went to the far side and Bud just couldn't get there in time. When a shot is coming from so close you need to respect that the ball can go anywhere but you need to know where the percentages are. The odds are the shooter is going to go far side because that is what he sees more of. So you have to play the odds and explode far side. Bud just didn't get there in time but the shot is coming from so close that's hard to do.

5:26 TV angle is tough to tell what really happened here. But it looks to me like Bud made a great body save just trying to get something on the ball. Nice job staying with it.

5:14 Beautiful one on one save. Just stayed patient. Didn't over commit to any fakes and followed the shooter. Got his hands and stick to the ball once the shot was taken. Fantastic save.

4:34 Syracuse hits the pipe. This is always a sign to me that the offensive side is a little snake bit. They are trying to be too perfect and they ring one off the pipe. Bud has made some great saves and now Syracuse is trying to sneak them in just inside the pipe and now they are missing. Shots that hit the pipe are not luck for the goalie, they are a sign that the goalie is good enough to scare the shooters into trying to pick corners. Nice job Bud.

:56 Save. Bud gets down to his knees to make this save but he hits his knees AFTER he gets his hands to the ball. Dropping to his knees is result of moving explosively to the ball with his hands. He does not drop to his knees to make the save, it is the after effects of moving so explosively too the ball.

All in all a fantastic Quarter for Bud Petit. He really kept UVA in the game at this point. One hell of a lacrosse goalie.

Should I Lotion My Pocket? How Do I Keep My Mesh From Breaking?

Question: Ryan from Virginia writes: Hey I play for a high school in northern Va and I am planning on restringing my eclipse and was wondering what mesh you think is best. I have 12d on now but it broke on the sidewall in my last game. I was thinking about trying hard mesh this time. I've heard putting lotion on hard mesh to soften it and get a large pocket works but i dont want to mess up the mesh, any ideas?



Answer: Hey Ryan. Sorry about UVA this weekend. I used to go to Dom Starsia's camp when he was at Brown so I'm a bit of a closet UVA fan now.

I'd stay with that 12D. You will have much better luck with the hard mesh. No need to soften it with any lotion. Just let it break in and you'll be all set. You'll like the mesh better once it breaks in without the lotion than with the lotion.

As for the sidewall. You probably won't have it wear again with the hard mesh like it did with the soft. You can string it right down the side with one lace OR a more advanced string job goes like this...cut a piece of sidewall lace that is three times the length of the sidewall. Then, take the sidewall lace and weave it up the side of the mesh starting at the bottom and then going all the way to the top. At the top of the mesh bring it over and tie it off on the plastic. Now you should have about a half to two/thirds of the sidewall lace left. String that lace between the plastic and the sidewall lace that you have woven through the mesh. Make sure you are looping it around the lace and NOT the mesh. This will give you an extra bit of give in the pocket and you won't ever bust out the mesh again. In twenty years of playing goal I've never blown out a mesh with this type of string job. It also gives you the ability to get more depth in the pocket but I doubt you'll need it with the 12D hard mesh.

Good luck with that and let me know how it goes. Make sure you check out my goalie blog and sign up for the newsletter. My email is on the front page of the blog.

All the best Ryan. Hey, what school do you play at?

Jonathan-
www.lacrossegoaltending.blogspot.com

My Thoughts on the 2008 NCAA Lacrosse Championships

Well, it's over. Syracuse. Again.

Growing up it was Syracuse and Hopkins. It gets boring to watch after a while but they are still fun games and I always learn a lot by watching. Here's what I took away from this year.

1) High Percentage vs. Low Percentage Shots: I saw Duke take a lot of low percentage shots that Gvozden from Hopkins ate up. And then I watched Syracuse take a lot of high percentage shots that eventually went it. It comes down to this...your defense needs to usher the shooter out of high percentage areas so that the goalie has a chance to make the save. When I watched Leveille setting up in overtime I knew, if he hit the cage, that the game was over. As soon as he got position in the slot at around 8-10 yards I just knew that the second he got a shot off that it was going in. Bud Petit had no chance on that ball. It was perfectly placed off-stick low. At that distance poor Bud needed his feet to grow fast to make that save.

2) The best shooters, if given time and room, will pick their spots. Great shooters know where the goalie's weaknesses are. Off-stick hip, off stick high, off stick low. I watched Paul Rabil (I think) pretty much beat the entire Syracuse defense and then rip it into the top corner. In traffic! But I saw a lot of goals this year that were just awesome. We're talking inside the pipe. Off-stick. Great placement. The goalie has little chance of making those saves.

3) I didn't see one goalie with an overly long stick. They all pretty much were running in the 50-55 inch range. Nothing crazy long which is cool. I've believed in short sticks for goalies since high school.

4) Goalies need to work on their one on one defense: I saw Trevor Tierney get schooled at the Worlds when he went out to double the ball. I think it was Loftus from Duke who also did a poor job. Goalies need to work on their one on one defending. It's as easy as jumping into the defensive drills when you're a back up. I think if most of the goalies had worked a bit in practice instead of having a water break they would have had a chance to take the body and get those balls back for their teams. Goaltending is not just about stopping the ball. There are game scenarios where you need to get out there and play some defense. Be ready for that opportunity and take the body.

5) Nice to see both goalies in the finals wearing the sweats. Not sure if they are hiding any protective gear like football pads but they both know that a ball stings less when you're covered. And it was HOT in Foxboro. Gvozden even had long sleeves. So much for trying to look cool. Both those goalies are kind of skinny and the pants give the goalie some extra "meat" in the legs. If a shooter looks and sees two scrawny ankles guess where he's shooting? If he sees some beefy legs he'll think again.

That's it for now. I'm going to try and watch the game over the next day or so and write some more after that. Let me know what you thought of the games. Wish I could see the girls game to. Congrats to my old school-mate Kelly Amonte who coached her way to her fourth National Title in a row!

Nice job Kelly.

Jonathan -

ESPN's Top 10 Goals of the Year. Alex Hewit!

Check out these Top 10 Goals of the year. Alex Hewit from Princeton is on there at number 6 I believe.

http://broadband.espn.go.com/ivp/splash2?ceid=3406586

Just watching the Virginia Syracuse game right now. Awesome. Will post my critique of the goals later.

Jonathan -

Cool Article on Virginia Lacrosse Goalie Bud Petit

Cool article on starting goalie Bud Petit of Virginia at this years final four. He gets a lot of crap about being 24 and finally in his fifth year of college. Personally I don't mind at all and wish more athletes took advantage of the NCAA rules for eligibility. I would have been a 23 year old freshman at Notre Dame after having pursued my Olympic career. Go Bud!

Mom Wants To Know What Lacrosse Stick To Buy For Her New Goalie?

New Lax Mom Writes: Hi, My son is just completing his first season in lacrosse and is in love. He is a goalie and has borrowed his coach's stick this season ( we wanted to make sure he really liked the position before buying another set of lacrosse equipment) and I was hoping to get your suggestions on a shaft and head. I was hoping to spend $150 total since we're also getting him a goal and sending him to lacrosse camp at F&M in Pa. He is tall for his age, about 100 lbs and athletically inclined( he is captain of both his football and lacrosse teams)What should I get him without going overboard but not doing him a disservice? He really wants a custom stringing job in his teams black and red colors which I found at sportsunlimited.Thanks for the help,
A new LAX mom


Answer: Hey there Pam! Welcome to the wonderful world of the goaltending parent. In lacrosse however, the goaltending position is actually cheaper than playing anywhere else ultimately.

My suggestion on the stick is to get an Excalibur head by STX and then go with a very light shaft. I would wait on the goal for this year and buy him a titanium shaft if that is in the budget. It is one of those things where if you spend the money on the titanium now you will never need to buy him another shaft. I STILL have a shaft from high school that I still use. (I'm 36) That's eighteen years of playing with the same shaft. Anything less than titanium and you risk having it break, bend, or crack. Just my thoughts. That would be the ULTIMATE in a stick for your son but then you should never have him asking, "But mooooom (whiny voice) can I puhleeze get (another stick) this year???"

The thing about goalie sticks in general is that they don't change much. Not nearly as much as an attack stick. So if you invest in this stick now you will have to invest less later. The only thing I will warn you about in advance is that he should have two sticks eventually that are identical. That way if he breaks a head or a string in a game he has a back up that is ready to go. I almost feel you would be doing him a disservice with anything else. If you don't want to do the titanium you can buy him a good, inexpensive alloy shaft that will be light but not nearly as durable. The good thing about goalie sticks is that they don't take the abuse as often as other players sticks but if he does get caught out of the cage and gets stick checked then he's fair game for a breakage. I'm trying to save you money in the long run.

So if it's the goal or a cheaper shaft versus a better shaft now and a goal let's say next year then I'd go with the shaft. I would also save on the custom string job and go all white. He'll be bummed but if you have him look at the majority of the best goalies in the country they all have white sticks with white mesh and lacings. I had a custom string job back in high school for about a week untill I broke a lace. Guess what went in the stick? A white lace. Yeah, that looked REALLY cool with my black and orange string job that I spent extra money on. I looked like welfare goalie with the funky string job. If he wants to be a great goalie it starts right now and it starts with a very professional stick. Go all white with the Excalibur head, white hard mesh (10-12diamond) and a titanium shaft. You can do no better now it's up to him to play like a champ. He doesn't need the goal anyway, he's not shooting.

I know what it's like buying equipment for your kids. Will he like it? Will he stick with it? Sounds like your guy is fine and will stick with it. But don't be surprised if your $150 budget is a little low. In the long run you will save a ton of money by spending a little bit more now.

Oh wait. I just read that your son is 11. Skip the titanium for now because he is surely going to grow. Go with an inexpensive alloy that is light. You will be replacing that as he gets taller. Please, please, please don't make the mistake of giving him a long shaft that he can "grow into." That would be a major disservice. You want him to always have a shaft that fits his body. Not seeing him I would recommend a 30-35" shaft on that excalibur head. If he shaft is too long it will affect his play tremendously for the worse. If it's the right length it will help with his throwing mechanics and his movement when making saves.

Hope that helps Pam. Let me know if you need any clarification. My email address is on my blog so please keep me up to date on how your son does. Great job on sending him to a camp. That is one of the best things you can do for him. The more coaching he has at a young age the better he will be. You can always pass my email on to him if he has any question. He can email me directly.

Talk to you soon Pam. And remember, "Goals go in. And if his team was good enough they wouldn't need a goalie." Just some words I like to pass on to the parents.

Best of luck and stay in touch.

Jonathan -
www.lacrossegoaltending.blogspot.com

Goalie Gets Smoked for 10 Goals. By One Girl! Goalie Is Now In A Funk. Help!

Question: Jonathan,

Since you’ve been a good source of knowledge so far, I’d thought I’d send along another message.

Ok so here’s a quick update:

The short of it is, she’s played a few ok games, and then today (or should I say yesterday since the game was Wednesday) she got shell shocked. Tomorrow or I should today (since the game is Thursday), we have an easy game against a weak team. Yes I can confidently say that. My goalie will let in a few goals in this coming game, but I’m more worried about her confidence. We let one player score 10 goals on us, 6 of which were in the last 2:17 in our game on Wednesday. In addition, the shots were well placed in the near post upper corner.

My goalie complains that she is having trouble seeing the ball. We’ve worked on having her face a wall and I shoot over the top of her and she makes the save. However, right now I think its mostly a confidence issue. She’s a good goalie when she’s on, but when she’s off, she’s definitely way off. I guess I’m writing to see if you have any suggestions on getting her confidence level back up before tomorrow’s game. She’s a hard work, a good kid, and man can she play ball, but she’s definitely struggling right now, and I don’t have answers for her. I’ve never been in the situation she’s in. We’re headed into post season play next week and I need to get her back on her A-game. She’s getting better about “lighting up the shooter” so thanks for that tip it’s really helped! Also she’s doing a much better job of trying to get her body to the space to save the ball. She wants to perform well all the time, she understands she’ll have her bad games, but she’s still in a funk.


Any suggestions?


Thanks,

(Name held to protect the innocent)


Answer: Thanks for writing again. I always love to hear how things are going so I don't mind it at all.

First thing...what the heck is your team doing letting one girl score ten times? That's a coaching error. If this girl is running uncontested down the field and scoring once every 15 seconds that's a defense problem primarily. It has very little to do with the capability of your goalie.

From a confidence perspective you need to tell your goalie that the team let her down. Map out on a sheet of paper where all those goals came from. If they are coming from high percentage areas your goalie is only expected to save ones from a range that she is capable. If that's ten yards then anything inside ten yards is unreasonable for her to save at this point. I would always tell my teams, "Listen, this is a team sport. We have defenders and we have goalies. The defenders job is to give up shots from low percentage areas so that our goalie can save the ball."

Notice that I didn't say that a defenders job is to not give up any shots. That's impossible. What is possible is for the defense to usher the offensive player to a spot on the field where his or her shot is harmless. Or, the shot is from an angle that has a low percentage of going in. Too many times we expect the goalie to save everything from everywhere, and for the defense not to give up shots. That's an unrealistic expectation. What we need to be able to find is that range where your goalies save percentage is really high and get the shots from there.

If your goalie is "on" and then "off" that is a confidence issue. You are correct about that. You need to have her do the following: This is the most important thing that anyone can ever do in anything let a lone being a lacrosse goalie. Here it is: When she gets scored on I want you to have her forget about the goal that just went in and have her focus on the same shot in her mind. But this time she needs to see herself saving the ball. What we are doing is replacing a negative with a positive. We are wiping out the negative image that will ruin confidence and have her focus on seeing herself saving the same shot.

I used to do this, and I still do. It was taught to me while I was training for the Olympics in a completely different sport. The goal of the drill is to not let the mind focus on the negative. Right now she is basically reliving that bad goal over and over as the ref picks the ball out of the cage and walks it to midfield. Here's how it should work:

After ANY goal have your goalie say in her mind or out loud, "Reset" Just like the reset button on the back of a modem. She can use other words like, "Cancel" or "Power". Something that signals her brain to wipe out what she just saw and to replace it. Now she's going to visualize the same shot and she's going to move to it just as she would have but this time she saves it. It is THE most powerful thing she can do right now. Your job as the coach is to watch her immediately after the goal to see what she does. If she drops her stick and sulks a bit you need to get her attention and have her do the drill. Pretty soon, she will immediately go into the reset drill after the ball goes in. I got to the point where I didn't even bother picking the ball out of the cage. I had better things to work on. No where in any of my articles will you see me talk about the goalies technique for fishing the ball out of the cage! That's a worthless drill in my mind.

Ok, your over the shoulder drill is a fun drill but it's not going to solve her vision issue. You need to ask her a couple of question: Can she see your shots when you warm her up? Does she lose site of the ball among other players? Is it dodging and cradling where she loses it?

I'm going to guess it's the last one. If that's the case get another coach, or a back up goalie involved in the warm up. You want to shoot around that player similar to the shots she's seeing in games. Warm her up first, then do a bunch of those shots at the end of the warm up. You really need her to articulate what she means when she says she can't see the ball. Once you find out why you can work on that in practice.

Lastly, let's just touch on the confidence issue again. Now the guy in me tends to analyze the heck out of this and girls are well...a bit...different shall we say. (Think Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus Different) My thoughts would be to first, get her to realize that this is a team sport and she's not alone. If you can get the D involved by saying things like, "Ladies, we really left our goalie out to dry last week." They need to understand that it's a team thing as well. I'm always amazed at how well some girls really bond as a team. They are an emotional crew and can really stick up for each other if you have a good group.

Secondly, talk to her. Get her to share what she's feeling. If you can get her to articulate it she will just plain feel better about the whole thing. You may not be her confidant but if you can get her to open up you can start to uncover what she needs. She may feel like she's letting you down because you work so much with her every day. She may be bummed about school, or boys, or other things NOT involving lacrosse. She may be having her period. In the end she may not be in a funk about lacrosse at all.

Finally, break it all down to the basics. When in doubt, break it down to the basics. You may be getting to a point where she is becoming a good practice goalie but her game isn't quite there yet. That's ok, that's just a phase to work through. Tell her that too. "Hey, you're doing great on these drills! It's all going to start coming together in one of these games. Just be patient." If you've ever golfed there is a saying that you need to be able to take your swing on the range out to the actual course. There are a lot of great ball strikers on the range. But when you get out onto the course it's a different deal.

By the way...if that girl smoked you guys for 10 goals she must be pretty good, right? As a goalie I always tried to do my best against the best players. If that girl was a stud (studette) tell her so! Reinforce things like,"Hey you're kicking butt against these other girls but this girl was one of the best in the league! You're time will come! It's all about progression. Sure we'd like you to stop all those shots but we don't expect that of you right now. Maybe in a couple of years. As long as you're improving you're going to be better than her someday and probably sooner than you think!"

On my blog there is an article on progression. Read that over and it should give you some more ideas.

Peter thanks for the update. I hope this helps. Keep firing off the questions and I'll be happy to help. Good luck and let me know how it goes.

Jonathan-

Stick Has Too Much Whip. Where Do I Put The Shooting Strings? How Do I String The Bottom Lace So The Ball Doesn't Fall Out?

Got this question from Alex today. More stick issues. Just a quick thought, I find a lot of goalies want an absolutely monster pocket so that they don't give up big rebounds but they can't throw the ball very far. If you want to have a big pocket you really need to have strong arms and shoulders to get the ball out of it with a good pass. But, as you get better you don't need that big of a pocket because your ability catch balls improves and because of the shallower pocket you can now throw the ball further. With a lot of young goalies I can usually solve a lot of problems just by tightening up the pocket. So keep that in mind prior to making this huge bag in your stick.

Here's Alex's Question: Im in 8th grade and i just started playing goalie. My head has alot of whip and when I go to clear the ball, it goes a few feet then drops. I need to know how and where to place the shooting strings, and how to string the bottom string so the ball won't fall out.

Answer: Hey there Alex. I recommend a couple of things:

1) Make sure the mesh of the stick is strung from sidewall to sidewall tight from the scoop to about a third of the way towards the throat. This is a general guideline but it's usually the first thing that helps. After you do that you'll need to...

2) Have at least three shooting strings. You can get by with two but for a guy your age and your strength level three will do you good. I recommend that the first shooting string be at least a row or two down from the plastic. (This will assume you are using at least a ten or twelve diamond mesh. I don't recommend anything larger than that.) I will use a sidewall lace as my top shooting string and make it very tight. This will set the tone for the top of the head and should make your releases a little bit better.

The next string should be another two rows down from the plastic. And the third row is two rows after that. The goal of the shooting strings is to create a ramp for the ball to come out of. If you have a whip a couple of things are happening. Either the shooting strings are too loose all together, or the mesh is too loose in relation to the lowest shooting string. It needs to be a transition, not a lip. Make sense?

As for the ball falling out it sounds to me like the lace down there is too loose. This is an easy fix but you're going to need more string. You can use a hockey lace if necessary. There should be four holes at the throat of the stick for this string. What I recommend is weaving the string through the mesh twice, once per hole. This is tough to explain via email but I'll try: Looking at the back of the stick, start on your left, bring the string from your left, through the plastic, up through the mesh, and then back out through the second hole in the plastic towards you. Now go back through the plastic through the second hole and back through the mesh and back through the fourth hole.

Now here's the trick. Tie the excess string on your left with the string you've pulled through on the right. You should use a square knot because it is the type of knot that won't pull apart. You can also use a slip knot for easy changing if you need to but that's not necessary if you string it up right. You just need to make sure that none of the holes are too big for the ball to go through and you should be all set.

Hope that helps Alex. Check out my blog if you need any more info. I'll post this answer on there as well so you can refer back to it.

Kick butt.

Jonathan -
www.lacrossegoaltending.blogspot.com

Problems Clearing The Ball for this Lacrosse Goalie. Stick Help

I got a great question the other day from Al. If you're having problems with your clearing this article will help you.

Question: I am a moderately experienced goalie and my recent season has just ended. the entire season i played on jv and felt as if i was a liability because i have serious clearing issues. I can pass well for moderate distance passes but i just cant clear right. Whenever i try to wind up and launch one i cant it either goes straight up or falls out of my stick or i cant get enough distance. can you help me with my clearing mechanics. I have tried man different styles of clearing but i just cant get the distance i want( my clears only go 35-40 yds) and i think it is holding me back from being a goalie that is reliable enough for varsity play.



Answer: Al it sounds to me like you need a completely different string job in your stick. Or your hands are very inconsistent. Let me explain.

Your comment, "Whenever i try to wind up and launch one i cant it either goes straight up or falls out of my stick" That describes two polar extremes. One happens when you get the ball stuck on the shooting strings as you go to throw, the other happens when you bring the stick too far back in your windup and it rolls off the lip of the stick completely.

Also,"or i cant get enough distance" this usually happens because the mesh in your stick is too sloppy and the ball gets stuck on the lowest shooting string. As it gets hung up there the ball has nowhere to go and it will only come out late in your follow through which sends the ball low.

Let's address the inconsitency issue first. This can happen because of two things. First, you're hands are inconsistent. During the act of throwing your hands aren't picking up the feedback from where the ball sits in the stick as you come through with your throw. In this case you're just throwing but each time the ball is in a different place in the pocket so it comes out differently. The only way to fix this issue is with tons of practice. Tons of wall ball. If this is indeed your problem I would recommend wall ball drills with tennis balls. The lighter ball is harder to feel in the pocket and it should make your hands more sensitive to where the ball is in the pocket prior to throwing.

The other main issue you may be having is the stick itself. The whole stick may be too long for you, or not long enough. (Confused yet?) But more of an issue than that is the pocket itself. It may just not be strung correctly. Without seeing the stick that is tough to answer. You can email me some photos if you'd like. Here are a couple things that may help right away.

1) Make the pocket shallower. That will help with the whip problem.

2) Use the sidewall laces to bring the mesh tighter to the plastic. But just on the top half of the pocket. Where the shooting strings are I like to have the mesh pulled tight from sidewall to sidewall. Then you can loosen the sidewalls for the bottom half of the pocket but not too much.

3) Your top shooting string should be very tight. The next one a little looser and a third one looser still. The ball needs to transition from the mesh over the shooting strings rather easily. If it's getting hung up either the mesh is too loose, or the shooting strings are too loose, or both.

Also, the ball needs to move a little bit as you go to throw. What I mean by that is when you bring the ball back in your wind up it needs to be sitting in the center of the mesh and not resting up against the first shooting string. If it's resting there you are just going to throw it in the ground. The ball needs a little momentum to travel from the mesh and over that first shooting string.

The only remedy to all of these problems is strength. The stronger you are physically the easier it is to throw with a bad stick.

Al I'm proud of your for even asking this question. Most guys wouldn't critique their own game like this and call themselves a "liability." But kudos to you for identifying a weak spot in your game that will hold you back if you don't fix it.

If you want to email me some photos, or if you have video of yourself just email me. My email is on my blog.

Let me know how it goes and let me know if you want me to clarify any of this. I guess that once you read this you'll be able to figure out that certain things make sense and certain things just aren't happening. Stay in touch.

Jonathan -
www.lacrossegoalending.blogspot.com

Do You Listen To Podcasts?

Yo goalies and coaches. I'm messing around with some audio podcasts on Mypodcast.com. What I need to know is if you listen to podcasts. Can you shoot me an email at jone94@shaw.ca and let me know if you do? And if so, what topics would you like me to cover. I just did three quick ones covering stance, fear, and progression of shots. They are about ten minutes each and I just whipped them up as a test. So let me know if this is a format you would like and I'll do some more of them.

Cheers.

Jonathan - The Goalie Guru

Correct Stance? Good drills? What's a Good Save Percentage for the Lacrosse Goalie?

Got this question today from Jenna: I just began playing lacrosse this year. I got to (School Witheld) and play on the varsity team as a freshmen. Our team didn't have a goalie and because I play goalie for hockey I decided I'll give it a shot. And I ended up just sticking with it.

My coach keeps telling me to use the vertical stick feet togethet stance. But I tend to use more of a hockey goalie stance. I tend to get beat up high at times, but I am pretty confident with bounce shots, as I tend to do more of a "butterfly" style hockey save. I am about 5'4. What would you suggest for a stance and stick position??

I have read some things that a goalie is supposed to stop the ball with their stick, but also that it really doesn't matter unless you stop the ball.

My teammates tell me that I am one of the best lacrosse goalies that they have had at my school. But I get really frustrated during games and stuff, because I have the mind set of a hockey goalie. We lost our last game 10-4, but I had 39 saves out of 49 shots. I usually have a 70% to 80% save percentage.

What are tips that you can give to a rookie goalie, regarding stance, stick postition, save type, etc??

Do you have any drills that I can work on myself, with a teammate, or even during practice that can help the whole team??

I've read a lot of things from this site and it has all been a great help!!

Keep up the great work with the site.

Jenna


Here's my answer: Hey there Jenna. Thanks for writing. I was a hockey goalie too at one time and I've watched goalies in hockey evolve over the years since I've played. Lacrosse goalies haven't evolved though so hopefully I can share with you some insight that will help.

Ok...as a hockey goalie with a wide butterfly stance you're not going to be making very "pretty" saves. Your coach has an old style stance in mind for you. The answer is to find a happy medium.

When you're in a wide stance you tend not to step to the ball as much as you should. It's just more difficult to do that. So while you're able to drop and get a lot of those low shots you're probably pretty set on your feet and just rotating your stick down to get them.

You're exactly right though...if you're making a save it's a save. You' just don't want to be giving up any rebounds.

I find that when I play my feet get a bit wide and that lowers me in the cage. I'm 5'8" and you're 5'4". But that's if we are standing straight up with our feet together. So for you, you have 8 inches above your head to the cross bar. If you get into a butterfly stance that drops you even lower so there is a lot of net upstairs to cover. To see just how much you need to move your stick to cover the top of the cage do this little exercise:

Stand on the goal line and turn and face the cage. Now get in your stance. Slowly look up without moving your stick. You can even have your coach take a tape measure and measure how far the top of your stick is to the cross bar. Now, without moving your body, reach your stick to the cross bar. Can you reach it? If the answer is no, you now know that no matter what you do a well placed shot is going to beat you. Try to reach to the off-stick high corner with your stick. So reach across your body. You'll have even more net exposed.

Now stand up a little. Move your feet together and see how far your stick is away from the crossbar. Can you make the save if a ball goes that high?

With all that being said, you never want to get too far from your natural stance. As a hockey goalie you have a stance that you work on daily so you're naturally going to want to get back to that stance. What you need to find is a happy medium between the two. What you want to find is your "athletic stance." Head up, chest up, hips bent, hands out, knees bent, ankles bent, ready to move in any direction. Think short stop in baseball. Think defensive ready position in basketball, or the ready position of a defensive linebacker in football. It's a more upright, more ready to move in any direction type stance. Then you add the stick and bring your top hand up towards your ear without bringing the stick closer to your body. Does that make sense?

If you ever watch Mikka Kiprusoff play for the flames he has two stances almost. He has a wide stance when the puck is in close, but when the puck is out at the point he stands up a bit. His feet come together and he gets nice and tall. That is the stance you want to adopt in the lacrosse goal. If you want to clarify any of this just email me. My email is on the front page of my goalie blog.

Your Coach: Whether or not your coach is a goalie doesn't matter. What he is trying to do is get you to look like all of the other lacrose goalies he has ever seen without truly understanding your height, your hockey background etc. He means well but he's probably just confusing you. I do think you need to stand up a little bit. Just from my experience being a hockey goalie and knowing what the tendencies are I think that's a safe bet. If you have some photos of you in the cage just email them to me and I'll give you a quick critique.

Save Percentage Mentality: Oh Jenna, Jenna, Jenna. I hear your pain on the save percentage thing. Please oh please don't get hung up on it though. The great thing about being a goalie is that we have a stat that no other player on the field has and that is the save percentage. At the end of the day when the scoreboard reads 10-4 and the team thinks they are really bad, we can smile and know that we just played our tail off. Stopping 70-80% of your shots is phenomenal. That's fantastic! 60% average. 65% stellar. 70% you're a stud (studette) 75% take off the princess cape. 80% tiara please. 85% fuggedaboutit. Seriously. From a lacrosse perspective you're doing great. Your team shouldn't be giving up that many shots to begin with. So you're homework is to focus on your save percentage and not the score. You're not going to be pulling down 90% and up like in hockey. The net is too big. The ball comes from all angles. It's just not the same. Got it?

Save Type: Ideally you'd like to catch everything but I think that is over rated. I've posted this on a couple of blogs and I'll repeat it hear: In every sport that has a goalie the goalie never reaches across their body to make a save. Sure, in hockey if someone dumps a puck in from the blue line you may reach across with your glove and pick it out of the air. But for some reason, in lacrosse, we think that should happen all the time and I think that is wrong. The game of lacrosse has gotten so fast that it's just impractical to catch everything with the stick. Over the last couple of years I've experimented with punching my bottom hand at the ball like a blocker in hockey on shots to my off stick hip. It makes no sense to me to try to catch the ball with my stick when I have a perfectly good piece of equipment there (glove) to deflect the ball.

Hockey goalie equipment has evolved over the years. First, pads got wider and were constructed to shut down the five hole. So goalies baited players to shoot there and they dropped to cover the ice. The pads do a lot of the work now. When I was taught to play hockey it was a strictly stand up, kick save style. Which seems really silly now. In fact, you would see goalies get "sloppy" and slip into a butterfly. Intuitively we knew better but coaching habits die hard. A hockey goalie is designed to really block, and deflect the puck. We are taught not to give up rebounds so we try to catch a ton whether that's with our glove or in our shirt. In lacrosse the goalie is basically...well...naked. It seems silly to put a goalie in a bigger goal, with a more active shooter and have him wear less equipment don't you think?

For you as a hockey goalie (and for those reading this who aren't) I think a great exercise would be for you to bring a lacrosse net onto the ice. Get in your hockey equipment and have a shooter with a lacrosse stick. Now get in the cage. Would you get in your butterfly stance? Probably not. Would you stand up with your feet together and your stick straight up and down in front of you? Probably not. Somewhere between the two you find a stance that makes sense for you and the cage that you are now in front of.

Drills: The best drill I can give you is more of a concept to use with you and your team. Here it is: When your shooters shoot in practice have them shoot to a specific spot. If they are working on one on ones have them come off their dodge and shoot stick side high. Or far pipe hip. Pick a place and make every one shoot there. They have to work on their accuracy and you can work on your technique. That's the biggest bang for the buck time saver I can give you. You become a better goalie. And they become better shooters. Also, have them shoot from a distance that you are comfortable with in practice. You don't want to be fearful of the ball at any point in practice. I have a couple blog posts on that topic.

So Jenna I hope this helps you. Please let me know if you have any questions. Shoot me an email and let me know what state you're in and keep me posted on your progress.

Kick butt and have fun. If you'd like your coach to get in touch with me you can pass on my email address to them as well.

Jonathan -
www.lacrossegoaltending.blogspot.com

This Lacrosse Goalie Needs To Get Their Stick Down On Low Shots. Here's My Advice

Got a question from an Assistant Varsity lacrosse coach at a school outside of Albany , New York today. He wanted to know if I had any tips for his goalie who wasn't getting their stick down to the ball. It's a great question and one that I don't think gets addressed too often. I think you'll find my answer a little enlightening. Let me know what you think and if you've had a similar problem let me know how this helped you. Also, got an email from a goalie in Minnessota! The list keeps growing. I think that puts us at thirty-five states or so and counting. I'm loving all the letters you guys are sending. Keep it up. If this blog helps you shoot me a note and let me know what you learned and how it changed your game. Send those mails to jone94@shaw.ca. Here's that answer.



Answer: Hey there Pete. Thanks for writing. Here are some thoughts for you.

The number one reason goalies don't get their stick down to the ball is usually based on a fear of getting hit with the ball. They try to pick at it with their stick anticipating a bounce that doesn't come, but underlying that is a fear of getting hit with a bad bounce. Low shots are tough especially if you're playing on a wonky grass field. Bounces are hard to read and young goalies try to catch it perfectly with the stick just like the college goalies do. Unfortunately, what is forgotten is that it took many years for those goalies to look that pretty at picking up the low shots.

As a coach here are some things to look for. Depending on what you see you will be able to figure out what is the main problem:

Can you see the top of her helmet when she attempts to make the save? If you can see her face mask she isn't getting her head over the ball which is mistake number one. If you can see her face, and her arms are fully extended, and she's not reaching the ball then she's not "following with her head." The hands attack the ball, the head follows, and the body is behind it.

Now if see her face mask and she has her eyes closed that can tell you that she's afraid of getting stung with a bad bounce. A video camera can be really helpful here to identify what she is doing. As a coach you have to make sure that she's got enough equipment on. If she doesn't feel protected then you need to help her with that.

I teach goalies to "save the space and not the ball." What I mean by that is, don't have them try to pick the ball out of mid air on low shots or bounce shots. I teach goalies to see the ball leave the stick, recognize where it's going, and then throw everything you can to the space where the ball is going to. With young goalies they end up blocking a lot of shots. As they get better those blocks become clean picks. But until they have a lot of experience under their belt I find it's a good visual for them to have, "Throw everything you can at the space and see what comes of it."

A cue a use with goalies to help with the head over the ball issue is to have them imagine that out of the top of their helmet was a huge flashlight. There goal is to light up the shooter as the ball comes to them. They don't want to light up the sky. If their head is up then the sky is lit. If the head is over the ball they are shining it up the field at the shooter. It's just a little visual that can help them.

The other main issue with young goalies is just their strength level. They are too weak to move fast enough. Sometimes a stick that "doesn't get down to the ball" is connected to a goalie who can't get down to the ball. If her head is over the ball and she's lighting up the shooter and her stick isn't down then she's just slow. And slow comes from not being strong enough. Strength will also improve her footwork but to be honest I think that footwork is a bit of a buzz word and no one really understands what gives you fast feet.

A couple of closing points:
1) Identify what she's doing with her head when the shot comes.
2) Identify if it's fear that is keeping her from getting over and in front of the ball.
3) Get her in a weight room. You may be familiar with the Force Equation where force equals mass times velocity. In a goalies case the Mass is the stick and her body. To get it to the ball faster she needs to be able to apply more force to that stick and that can only come with increased strength. Get her training and get her strong and she'll be more explosive to the ball.

Hope that sets you in the right direction Pete. Please email me if you need any clarification. Also you can check out my goalie blog where I've got about fifty articles on goalies so you should find some great resources there as well. Let me know how it goes and keep me updated on her progress.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Edwards -
www.lacrossegoaltending.blogspot.com

How To Stay Focused On The Lacrosse Ball Plus How To Stop Those Pesky Low Shots

Jonathan Writes:

Micah keeping your eye on the ball really comes down to concentration and interest. Also, a little bit of fear.

If you are afraid of the ball at all, and are blinking, you will have trouble keeping your eye on the ball. So you need to identify if that is a problem and do what you need to do to fix that. You may need some more equipment to feel protected etc.

If you are just getting distracted then you need to buckle down and really focus on the ball. I recommend you follow the ball no matter where it is on the field. I mean really zone in on it. Don't worry about peripheral players just zone in on it where ever it is. If the coach has it in her hand and drops it on the ground just stare at it. When the play stops and it's in a players stick just stare at the ball in the stick.

When I mention interest I mean that it's easy to get distracted especially if you're uninterested. Let me explain: Guy in bad jeans and crappy shirt with beer belly walks by you on the street. Not interested. Well dressed guy in nice suit with model good looks walks by you on the street. Interested! Right? If practice is boring to you, and the game is a little dull you're not going to be as focused on the ball as you need to be. But if it's interesting to you it's no problem.

Most of us need to really focus on the ball. When I was playing a lot it was easy. It took me a bit to train myself to stay focused. I would give myself little cues to stay focused like, "Every time my bottom hand touches my stick I am glued to the ball." Or, "When the whistle blows my eyes don't come off the ball." It might take you a few weeks to dial this in but you'll notice a bid difference once it does.

When I stopped playing I had to conciously remind myself to stay focused. But once I get back playing again it gets easier.

To be honest, if you get your focus on the ball back you'll probably do better on those low shots. That will be step one. But most goalies I find are either standing on their heels a bit, or are just plain worried about getting hit with the ball on the low shots. Make sure you're well protected on your lower half. If need be, go get some football pants with some thigh pads and maybe even some shin guards. That will help. Also, think of yourself more like a baseball catcher. If you get the chance to watch a game or two on tv watch how a catcher saves pitches in the dirt. They really focus on moving in front of the ball, getting their head and chest over the ball and getting their hands out and body in front of it. That is what you need to do. When you see the ball go low you want to almost think , "Hands first, body second, stick third." Now your stick is in your hands obviously but by focusing on your hands and your body you'll block more shots. It's pretty cool.

Let me know how it goes Micah.

Jonathan-
www.lacrossegoaltending.blogspot.com

The Best Lacrosse Goalie Camp For Girls?

Rande Writes: My daughter as a freshman in high school and is the JV goalie, she has been the starting goalie since she played in middle school, to date her and her team have had 1 loss since middle school, she is great and loves the position. I would like to get her in a goalie camp to make her even better. What is the best women goalie camp?

Jonathan Writes:

Rande the best "womens" camp is a "mens" one. Seriously.

I'm not sure of the best womens camp at this point as I tend not to be affiated with. But I can tell you that Rich Barnes runs a camp in upstate New York. He was my coach back in the day and is a fantastic coach. Now my recommendation would be to make it a bit of a family vacation and go up there with your daughter and stay in a hotel.

Your daughter will be challenged by all the shots from the boys and when she goes back to her girls team she'll think it's easy. From a technical perspective there is no difference. If I were to send my daughter to a camp that is what I would do. I haven't yet because she's only nine weeks old but I do have her on a wait list. :)

You may want to search on the NCAA.org site and look at the most recent collegiate all americans and find out what schools they went to. Look for the goalies and see what schools they went to and then search to see if those schools are putting on any camps. Now I don' always feel that a good goalie can be a great coach but your daughter will learn a ton and will be pretty inspired being around such a high quality goalie that a lot of good things are bound to rub off. That would be my recommendation.

Let me know what you decide. I'm curious to what route you take.

Jonathan -
www.lacrossegoaltending.blogspot.com

Goalie Stick Length

Pablo writes: Hey, I got a question about my goalie stick & the rules. I am having trouble with the control on my stick, when i pull back I lose control and i throw strange, but when i use an attack shaft i just can't get the distance. I talked to someone and they said to cut off about three inches but I don't know if that is legal or not. Please give me your advice and if that is legal or not, thanks.

Jonathan Writes: Pablo there is an inverse relationship between stick length and pocket depth. Usually, but not always, the deeper your pocket the longer it needs to be. The shorter the stick, the shallower it needs to be.

But that is all dependent on how strong you are physically. I'm a pretty strong guy and I have a shorter stick that I have a monster pocket in. With a deeper pocket you need more stick action to get the ball out. You need a bigger wind up where you pull the stick back behind you to get the ball out of there.

Not seeing you throw I can't recommend chopping off three inches or even adding three inches. By what you are saying, "when I pull back I lose control and I throw strange" sounds like your pocket is too shallow. But when you say, "when I use and attack shaft I just can't get the distance" sounds like your pocket is too deep and at this point you just aren't strong enough to throw with a short shaft yet. So it's really tough for me to give you a solid answer.

You may just need to spend some time improving your stick skills. Becoming a better stick handler will help you in all aspects of your game and that's just a matter of spending time catching, throwing and cradling.

Just FYI there is no length limit on a goalie stick. By I wouldn't go any shorter than a stick that goes from your belly button to the floor. That's pretty short. Unless you are really short yourself I find that an attack shaft is the shortest I would go. I am 5'8" and use an attack shaft.

Hope that helps Pablo. Let me know if you need any clarification.

Jonathan -
www.lacrossegoaltending.blogspot.com

Bad Game?

Ryan wants to know: am a team captain for a highschool freshman team and i played a horrible game. and now it is spring break. i really want a way to redeem myself. plus do you know of any things i could do to work on to wok on by myself to become a better player?


Jonathan writes: Ryan there is no such thing as a bad game. Every game is just a learning experience.

Years ago I was working with a sports psychologist to help me with my athletic career. He told me that the only time you can have a "bad game" is when you don't learn from what you did. Basically a bad game is you discovering that there is some flaw in your game or your preparation for that game that you need to fix.

So, what was it that was bad about that game? Did guys blow by you because they were faster than you? Then you need to work on your strength and conditioning?

Did you make a bunch of bad outlet passes? Then you need to work on your stick skills.

Were you double teamed by attackmen on the clear? Then you need to be able to find the open man faster and that might not just be your fault your team might be to blame if everyone is out of position.

Were you tired from studying for a test? Or did you eat some bad food before the game? Then you need to work on your game prep so you can perform at your best.

See where this is going? No matter what you tell me about your "bad game" I'm going to help you find something that you can work on.

If you never told me you were having a bad game I'd know one of two things: Either you are playing against guys who suck. Or you are an MLL All-Star destined for the Hall of Fame. Either you aren't pushing yourself or you are the best in the World. But even those guys have off days and need to work on things.

As far as redeeming yourself, people usually know how good you can play. But also, people don't always care as much as you think you might. They are worried about their own lives. But I understand, as captain, you are a leader and you do need to set an example. My recommendation would be to get out there, learn from your mistakes, and improve them. If you don't improve then you are wasting your time.

To become better in any position you can do three things:

1) Work on your stick skills. You can always improve this aspect of your game. I find the better a players stick skills are the more confident that player is. No matter what the position.

2) Work on your strength and conditioning. The stronger you are physically the easier it is to try new skills and to perform them with ease. So hit the gym. Drag a sled. Do some extra sprints. Start squatting in the weight room. Etc.

3) Work on the mental aspect of your game. Go get some books on sports psychology. There is a great book out there called Mind Gym that you might like. It is a great intro to sports psychology, but it will help you in other aspects of your life too.

Good luck Ryan. Remember, there is no such thing as a bad game.

Jonathan -
www.lacrossegoaltending.blogspot.com

How Should Young Female Lacrosse Goalies String Their Sticks? (Boys should read this too!)

Question: Micaela from Minnesota writes:

Hello...
I'm a high school girls goalie coach and was wondering what stringing style my girls should be using?? I recommended soft mesh because they are both beginners - I used soft mesh myself in high school and college at UWEC and it worked fine for me (I was an All American as well). We're in Minnesota so there aren't many lax places we can go to for stringing - both girls currently have hard mesh which is really hard for them to control at all - don't get me started on clearing! There are two guys in the metro that can restring sticks so that we don't have to send them out east -- one of them won't restring to soft mesh for them - the other wants to know what kind of stringing style they want - what should I tell him? Our season starts in a couple weeks and it only lasts about a month so I'd like to get it done soon. Thanks!

Answer:

Micaela sorry for the delay in the response of this email. We just had a baby and things have been really nuts so I'm a bit backlogged.

You're in a tough situation. I've noticed with girls that one of the limiting factors for stickhandling ability is hand and wrist strength. If you give them a shallow pocket they will be able to throw further but any sort of cradling is iffy at best. Give them a really deep pocket and they can't move the stick well enough to get any distance on the ball.

My experience with soft mesh is that it creates a lot of rebounds because it can be really springy. And once it gets wet it shrinks up like a teaspoon. Being in Minnesota you're going to have some wet days due to late snow unless you're playing inside all the time. But even then, one wet day and you're hooped.

When he asks for stringing "style" I'm not sure what he means by that. He may just mean deep or shallow. Just ask what he means and don't be embarassed. Communication is key in just about everything.

I'm a big believer in having a stick that allows girls to throw a decent distance over being able to cradle with it. My experience has shown me that most girls aren't strong enough to handle a stick with a really deep pocket. If you work with your team on clearing then she should have plenty of time to find the open teammate on the clear with a nice, well thought out pass. If your team is shaky on clearing then you aren't giving them much of a chance to clear anyway.

My suggestion would be to sting up those sticks with hard mesh and slightly shallow. When I say shallow I mean put a deep pocket in it and then tighten up the sidewalls. Leave the string at the throat of the stick as loose as possible without leaving a hole for the ball to go through.

Then have the girls work on upper body strength. I've had great results teaching girls a simple proper push up with great form. If you email me I can tell you more about that. My email is on my blog.

By increasing their upper body strength you are now helping them in a number of areas, not just throwing the ball and handling the stick.

Hopefully that helps Micaela. Email me if you need anything else.

Jonathan -
www.lacrossegoaltending.blogspot.com

Why Trick Shots are So Tricky For The Lacrosse Goalie

So I got an email from a goalie who was complaining about trick shots that were going in. Now there are "trick" shots and there are also "fake shots." Either way it helps to know what the shooter is doing. I wrote an article that will go into our newbie goalie packet and I think you'll like it. Always take some time every day to work on trick shots and fakes with a shooter. But remember to know where the shot is ultimately going. That way you can focus on the movement of the stick so that you can honor the fake but not sacrifice body position. Let me know if this helps.

Also, thanks for Kevin from Ireland and Rob from North Carolina who told me I missed their states on my list. Also, South Carolina too! Here's the article.


Why Trick Shots are so…Tricky.

You remember when dad, or maybe Grandpa, did the old hidden coin behind your ear trick. Or maybe the pull-your-thumb-apart trick? Remember how WOW! you were? They were tricking you. Inside you were both awed and frustrated. You were awed at how he did it, and you were frustrated because you didn’t know what the heck was going on?

But do you remember what happened when you figured out the trick? Grandpa wasn’t cool anymore. You were thinking, “Dude. Grandpa. Give that trick a rest. Or come at me with something new. That trick is so yesterday.”

The deal with any sort of trick or fake you have to know how it’s done. Once you know what the pattern is, or the move. You now how it ends. Let me give you an example:

A couple of years ago I was getting warmed up by Lewis Ratcliffe of the Calgary Roughnecks. Now this guy is a stud. He now plays for the Toronto Rock, but he’s an all-star in the NLL and he played college ball at Ohio State.

He’s got a cannon for a shot. But he was schooling me on this dinky little overhand shot. Basically what he was doing was this: He’s right handed, and he was shooting overhand bringing the head of his stick over the left side of his head. Follow? The stick is way over his head but it’s almost like it is now a lefty shot. But as he followed through the ball would come back across his body to my left side. He’d bounce it and I was totally fooled. The way the stick was coming I expected the ball to go to my right. But instead it came back left and my weight was totally out of position.

So, I stopped the warm up. Because I wasn’t learning anything at this point. I went up to him and asked, “What the hell are you doing! Because I think I saw my jock over there on the side of the cage you faked me so hard.”

Once he explained it to me. I now knew what to expect. I had him take ten shots on me and stopped every one. I even had him do it left handed. Once I saw that stick come up over his head I knew what was coming. No more tricks Grandpa!

As you play more and more you know what to expect. You learn more and more things that offensive players try and you can move accordingly. The key for you the lacrosse goalie is to identify what shots give you trouble and which ones you are good at. Then you want to work on those shots.

If you have a kid on your team how is a great shooter and can work with you on following fakes or trick shots, grab him for a couple of minutes before or after practice. If he’s schooling you every time ask him what he is doing. That way, when you see the shooter go into that sort of shot then you know what to expect.

Because of the way sticks are strung in lacrosse the opportunity for fakes on the goalie are pretty frequent. Unlike a hockey stick, a lacrosse player can pretty much look like he is going to take a full side arm shot at the cage only to turn the stick over at the last minute and keep the ball in the stick. Meanwhile you’re expecting a cannon.

What makes fakes so difficult is that you need to respect certain periods of time within the fake when the ball can be shot by you. So you need to be in position for the first fake while not sacrificing yourself for the shot that might come after that first fake.

Lacrosse Goalies From All Over The World Are Checking Out Our Blog!

As a field lacrosse goalie growing up in New England it's really tough that I spend a lot of time in Alberta, Canada. Field just isn't what it is back home. When I started this blog as a way to coach goalies it was a way for me to vent almost. I really miss coaching goalies and I feel that I'm pretty good at it. This blog and the ebook that is forthcoming was my way to help out goalies mostly here in Calgary. But now it's going nuts!

Check this out. We've helped goalies (parents and coaches) in:

Finland
England
Australia
Calgary, Alberta Canada
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Edmonton, Alberta Canada

And a ton of states in the US:
Massachusetts
Vermont
New Hampshire
Maryland
New York
Pennsylvania
Florida
Ohio
Wyoming
California
Texas
Utah
Colorado
Rhode Island
Connecticut
Washington
Arizona
New Mexico (Are there really teams in New Mexico?!)
Oregon
Nevada

That's twenty states! And I'm pretty sure I'm missing some. If you're from a state not on this list email me at jone94@shaw.ca and let me know where you're from.

Thanks to everyone who keeps writing. I love to hear about all the success too. I just got a couple great emails from parents whose kids are freshman and are now playing varsity because of what they've learned here. It makes me feel great and I'm proud of everyone.

Stay focused. The spring is going fast and pretty soon it's going to be the off season.

Kick butt.

Jonathan -