Question: Mark writes, "dear Jonathan,
i am in 8th grade and am playing JV goalie for my high school, i am an okay goalie and stop shots that are either slow or right at me, how do i get better at stopping rally good players who can rocket the ball? cause when an attack man is about to shoot close up it's like i lose sight of the ball, and i am bad at stepping up town the ball, any tips would be TERRIFIC. thanks
Answer: Mark this is a great question. Stopping the lacrosse ball comes down to three things:
1) Seeing the ball leave the stick.
2) Knowing where the ball is going.
3) Moving fast enough to stop the ball.
When you break it down into those three steps it's easy. If you can't see the ball on those upclose shots you need to work on having an attackman shoot on you like that in practice. Have him come in close but have him fake and shoot slowly so you can follow his stick. Of course, as he moves slowly you'll make some saves. As you get better you can have him speed things up a bit.
You have to remember: You can't do fast what you can't do slowly. If you can't follow the shooter and the ball at slow speeds you won't be able to at high speeds and that is what you are running into.
Knowing where the ball is going comes with practice. It comes with having thousands of shots taken at you so you know where the shooter is going. And Mark that is waaay too much info for me to type here. You'll have to check out more on my blog for more insights there. But knowing where the ball is going comes with practice. And it comes with a type of practice that I call "Deliberate Practice" What that means is that you have the shooter shoot to a space. He can do whatever he wants prior to shooting the ball but he has to shoot to that space. This way you can tune out the fakes and stay honest to where the ball is going. It helps you to be patient and to also know that once the ball leaves the stick you can focus on moving properly to the ball.
Don't worry about being bad at stepping up to the ball. To be honest this is a real buzz word with coaches and I think it is pretty overhyped. The reason you aren't good at stepping to the ball is because you've got so many other things on your mind. You're trying to see the ball. You're trying to move to it properly. And you're up against guys who can shoot the thing harder than you've seen it! No wonder you're not stepping all that great! Don't worry about it. It will come.
You are just like me. I was in 8th grade and on the JV at my school. Actually it was our VArsity and it was the first year our school had lacrosse. We played against some awesome teams and the bals came hard and fast. But I managed. My goal every game was to be better than the other goalie on the field. If you do that enough you'll be the best goalie on the planet some day. It helped me become an all-american and I know it will you too. Just stay with it.
Last thing. #3 on my list up there. Moving to the ball. This goes with your stepping issue as well. WHen it comes time to move to the ball that has everything to do with you as an athlete. Are you strong. Quick. You can always improve your strength and by being stronger you will be able to move to the ball faster. It's simple physics really. Get stronger physically and you will move better to the ball.
Kick butt Mark. You email me if you've got any more questions. You can find my email on my blog at www.LacrosseGoaltending.blogspot.com
If you send me your email I'll add you to our goalie newsletter. Let me know where you're from too. I love to know what states and towns my goalies are from.
Good luck.
Jonathan -
www.LacrosseGoaltending.blogspot.com
Monday, February 18, 2008
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Lacrosse Goalie Needs Tips On How To See The Ball Out Of The Shooters Stick Better and How To Reduce Reaction Time
Question: Zach writes: ive been playin goalie for a little over a year but ive never had any coaching at teh postiotion i was a d player. but i was wondering if you had and tips on how to see the ball out of an offensive players stick any better and also any private drills i could do to work on reaction time
Answer: Zach to see the ball out of an offensive stick requires a ton of concentration first of all. You really need to be zoning in on the ball at all times. This takes a ton of practice and you really need to be aware of what you are focusing on. Here are a couple tips.
1) When the ball is in the other end of the field practice focusing on the ball at all times. Watch it go from player to player. Don' take your eyes off it at all. If you catch yourself seeing more than just the ball just try an refocus until you can stay on the ball for a length of time. At first you will notice all sorts of other things and that's ok. Just work on trying to see only the ball moving from stick to stick. When the ball comes in your end of the field this drill will help you a ton.
The first step of making any save is seeing the ball. And you must be extremely aware if you are getting a little lazy and not following it perfectly.
2) Now another thing that you might be having problems with is how the ball is coming out of the players stick. This can be completely different for all players and your ability to read it only comes with practice.
I've been living in Canada for the last seven years and I've played against a lot of great shooters. In my opinion Canadians have some of the best shots on the planet. Many of them have this deceptive little dip in the head of their stick as they follow through on a shot and it is tough to read. There was one guy in particular who I was having trouble with reading his stick. So I asked him, "what the hell are you doing when you shoot like that?" After he explained it to me I had no problems.
It's important to understand what a shooter is doing. But what will help you the most is repetition. Just get the best shooters who give you the most trouble and have them shoot on you. But don't just have them shoot anywhere. Have them shoot to a spot. Make it easy so you can focus on what their stick is doing and you can read the ball. Try to get one different guy on your team to take shots on you daily. Tell him, "Hey, can you give me twenty shots." Have him do those twenty and you'll learn a ton. Ask each one where they like to shoot andwhy. Become an expert in shooting the ball and you will become and expert in stopping the ball. I wish all lacrosse goalies did this but few ever do.
So as far as private drills go for reaction time? Hmmm. Let's talk real quick about what makes up reaction time.
First it's seeing the ball. I gave you some tips above so that should shorten things up a bit aready.
Second, you need to recognize where it's going. Again, that second tip should help there as well.
Third, you need to be able to move to the ball. Once your brain knows where the ball is going it sends a signals to all the muscles in the body responsible for moving there. If those muscles are super slow then you aren't going to move that fast. But if those muscles are conditioned to be quick and explosive you're going to stop more shots. Now talking about training is pretty complex and is too much to talk about here. In a nut shell you need to train explosively. If you have a good strength coach at your school talk to him. If not, go find one who can help you. Goalies need to train explosively. High repetitions will just make you slow. If you need more advice on that just email me at jon94@shaw.ca and I can give you some more resources.
Zach I hope that helps buddy. Make sure you check out my blog and sign up for my goalie newsletter. There are a ton more tips there. And of course please pass this on to any other goalies who would find this info useful.
Good luck. If you need anything else just email me. I'm going to post this answer on my blog as well.
Jonathan Edwards -
www.LacrosseGoaltending.blogspot.com
Answer: Zach to see the ball out of an offensive stick requires a ton of concentration first of all. You really need to be zoning in on the ball at all times. This takes a ton of practice and you really need to be aware of what you are focusing on. Here are a couple tips.
1) When the ball is in the other end of the field practice focusing on the ball at all times. Watch it go from player to player. Don' take your eyes off it at all. If you catch yourself seeing more than just the ball just try an refocus until you can stay on the ball for a length of time. At first you will notice all sorts of other things and that's ok. Just work on trying to see only the ball moving from stick to stick. When the ball comes in your end of the field this drill will help you a ton.
The first step of making any save is seeing the ball. And you must be extremely aware if you are getting a little lazy and not following it perfectly.
2) Now another thing that you might be having problems with is how the ball is coming out of the players stick. This can be completely different for all players and your ability to read it only comes with practice.
I've been living in Canada for the last seven years and I've played against a lot of great shooters. In my opinion Canadians have some of the best shots on the planet. Many of them have this deceptive little dip in the head of their stick as they follow through on a shot and it is tough to read. There was one guy in particular who I was having trouble with reading his stick. So I asked him, "what the hell are you doing when you shoot like that?" After he explained it to me I had no problems.
It's important to understand what a shooter is doing. But what will help you the most is repetition. Just get the best shooters who give you the most trouble and have them shoot on you. But don't just have them shoot anywhere. Have them shoot to a spot. Make it easy so you can focus on what their stick is doing and you can read the ball. Try to get one different guy on your team to take shots on you daily. Tell him, "Hey, can you give me twenty shots." Have him do those twenty and you'll learn a ton. Ask each one where they like to shoot andwhy. Become an expert in shooting the ball and you will become and expert in stopping the ball. I wish all lacrosse goalies did this but few ever do.
So as far as private drills go for reaction time? Hmmm. Let's talk real quick about what makes up reaction time.
First it's seeing the ball. I gave you some tips above so that should shorten things up a bit aready.
Second, you need to recognize where it's going. Again, that second tip should help there as well.
Third, you need to be able to move to the ball. Once your brain knows where the ball is going it sends a signals to all the muscles in the body responsible for moving there. If those muscles are super slow then you aren't going to move that fast. But if those muscles are conditioned to be quick and explosive you're going to stop more shots. Now talking about training is pretty complex and is too much to talk about here. In a nut shell you need to train explosively. If you have a good strength coach at your school talk to him. If not, go find one who can help you. Goalies need to train explosively. High repetitions will just make you slow. If you need more advice on that just email me at jon94@shaw.ca and I can give you some more resources.
Zach I hope that helps buddy. Make sure you check out my blog and sign up for my goalie newsletter. There are a ton more tips there. And of course please pass this on to any other goalies who would find this info useful.
Good luck. If you need anything else just email me. I'm going to post this answer on my blog as well.
Jonathan Edwards -
www.LacrosseGoaltending.blogspot.com
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Lacrosse Goalie Hurts Hand, Now Ducks When Shots Are Taken, Help!
Tom writes in that his son hurt his hand badly playing box and he now ducks when shots are taken. He didn't do that before his hand got hurt and he wants to know how to fix the problem.
Answer: Hey there Tom. Great question. Injuries are tough and tougher still is the relationship between parent and young lacrosse goalie. I have two ideas in my head right now, you pick which one works for you...
1) Let him be. It may be better to leave him alone and let him figure it out.
2) I'm not a big fan of #1 so here's a better recommndation...try to get some video of him and try to catch his eyes/head so he can see what he is doing.
I once saw video of a college lacrosse goalie and was able to see that as the shot came the goalie jumped. It was a little jump but just enough to delay his ability to move to the ball effectively. Now, your son, once he sees that he is ducking or closing his eyes may raise his awareness and realize that he's having a problem. As they say, awareness is the first step to recovery. Getting back from an injury is no different. I'll let you deal with how to help him get more aware but video may be your best option.
When a lacrosse goalie ducks it means he's afraid of the ball. To solve that you need to either have the shooter back up so that he's at a distance where the goalie feels safe, have the goalie wear more equipment, or change the ball from a lacrosse ball to a tennis ball that is softer and won't hurt him. Even college goalies that develop fear for the ball will go the tennis ball route to get their confidence back.
If he is wearing the same gloves that he wore when he got injured guess what he's thinking about? Getting hit that exact same way. If you haven't gotten him tougher glove for indoor do it now. Also, goalie gloves for indoor are like hockey gloves. You can't throw nearly as well with them but then again this is box, it's not field. In box the goalies demands are much different, and the equipment is much different. In box the goalie takes more shot to the body. If he's wearing his field stuff he's going to get hurt and that's not good for his long term development.
Thomas that should help a bit. If you need some more info don't hesitate to email me back. If you want to talk about equipment more just let me know.
Answer: Hey there Tom. Great question. Injuries are tough and tougher still is the relationship between parent and young lacrosse goalie. I have two ideas in my head right now, you pick which one works for you...
1) Let him be. It may be better to leave him alone and let him figure it out.
2) I'm not a big fan of #1 so here's a better recommndation...try to get some video of him and try to catch his eyes/head so he can see what he is doing.
I once saw video of a college lacrosse goalie and was able to see that as the shot came the goalie jumped. It was a little jump but just enough to delay his ability to move to the ball effectively. Now, your son, once he sees that he is ducking or closing his eyes may raise his awareness and realize that he's having a problem. As they say, awareness is the first step to recovery. Getting back from an injury is no different. I'll let you deal with how to help him get more aware but video may be your best option.
When a lacrosse goalie ducks it means he's afraid of the ball. To solve that you need to either have the shooter back up so that he's at a distance where the goalie feels safe, have the goalie wear more equipment, or change the ball from a lacrosse ball to a tennis ball that is softer and won't hurt him. Even college goalies that develop fear for the ball will go the tennis ball route to get their confidence back.
If he is wearing the same gloves that he wore when he got injured guess what he's thinking about? Getting hit that exact same way. If you haven't gotten him tougher glove for indoor do it now. Also, goalie gloves for indoor are like hockey gloves. You can't throw nearly as well with them but then again this is box, it's not field. In box the goalies demands are much different, and the equipment is much different. In box the goalie takes more shot to the body. If he's wearing his field stuff he's going to get hurt and that's not good for his long term development.
Thomas that should help a bit. If you need some more info don't hesitate to email me back. If you want to talk about equipment more just let me know.
Coaches Guide To Coaching New Lacrosse Goalies
Here's a quick article I wrote to help coaches with new goalies. How you handle a young goalie will set them up for the rest of their career. And contrary to popular belief a goalie who is "nuts" does not necessarily make a good goalie. Let me know if this article helped you out.
A Fast Start Guide For Coaches With New Goalies
1) Help him/her understand that in lacrosse goals go in. And sometimes a lot too. It's not like hockey. Or soccer. Some games are 20-18 and some are 20-0.
2) Focus on building his/her confidence. This is vital in practice. Make sure that your shooters are shooting from far enough away that he feels safe and is able to react to the ball. For new goalies, they are focusing on so many things that it's important to keep it simple. For example: a new goalie is trying to figure out where the ball is going. Then they are trying to remember how to move to the ball. And with all of that they are doing it while trying to NOT think about how much the ball can hurt if it hits her. If your goalie is thinking about pain first then nothing will work right. Which leads me to...
3) Make sure she has enough of the right equipment. There is nothing wrong with a new goalie wearing enough equipment. When I started it was a school rule that goalies had to wear hockey pants, shin quards, elbow pads, shoulder pads, a cup, a chest protector, gloves, a helmet and a throat guard. I couldn't move very well but that ball didn't hurt one bit! Although it was hot, and uncomfortable, I was able to focus on the things that matter and that is seeing where the ball is going and then moving to the ball. It's the simple force equation. In order to move the stick fast enough to the ball a certain amount of force needs to be applied to the stick. If the goalie isn't strong enough to do that then playing goal is going to be very very frustrating. So make sure that she is strong enough to even play the position. Sometime the best coaching move is finding a different goalie. You may have a great athlet on your team who plays well elsewhere but she may be a tremendous asset to the team if she plays goal. And if your goalie is the slowest girl on the team my heart goes out to you. That goalie is a trooper but it's going to be a long haul for you and your team.
4) Spend a lot of time with your goalie. The twenty minutes you spend with her one on one at the beginning of practice is gold. All goalies need this time. As coaches there is so much to do at the start of practice I understand, but try to get some uninterrupted time when you and she can work alone on the basics.
5) The basics: I don't have enough room to write here but you may have seen some posts of mine on a proper warm up. This is where the coach shoots about ten balls to each of the critical spots of the goalie working on form and technique. This is vital. The goalie needs to know where the ball is going so 1) she feels safe and 2) her body can focus on how to move. The key is that you are "wiring" the goalie like a computer. Your are programming her body to move correctly to the ball. That way, in a game, her eyes recognize where the ball is going and her mind is able to shut down so the body can do what it knows to do. Hopefully that makes sense, if not just email me and I'll clarify.
6) A great drill with new goalies is to have them get in the cage, throw their stick behind the cage, and throw a soccer ball instead of the lacrosse ball. This reinforces how to move the feet and move the hands to the ball. I find when new goalies get a stick in their hand they tend to forget about their feet and the rest of their body. By using the soccer ball it, again, eases their mind so they can focus on moving properly.
7) Progression. Progression. Progression. I'm a strength coach and I have a saying that is, "There is no such thing as a bad exercise. just an athlete who isn't ready for that exercise. If you shoot on your goalie from five yards as hard as you can she's going to be afraid, and she's not going to stop much. But if you back up to 20 yards she'll probably do ok. She'll feel safer knowing she has plenty of time to get her hands onto the ball and not just her body. Do a hundred shots from there and then the next day move in a bit. There will be a point when they are too fast and you're too close. Back off a bit if that happens.
8) Help her be a better athlete. Many female goalies I see are simply not physically strong enough to move effectively to the ball. I'm not trying to be sexist or derogatory in any way but it is just something as coaches we have to deal with. If you can help her get stronger physically then she will be a better goalie.
9) Pain with a purpose. Many goalies are horrible in practice but in games the are great. IT's one thing to take a painful shot in practice and another in games. Keep your goalie safe in practice and then let her loose in games. If she's self concious about wearing equipment just make her do it in practice. Then in a game she can take stuff off if she wants to. But if you see her ducking or cringing at shots make her put the equipment back on again.
10) Don't over work her. Don't force her to take shots that are too close because that is what she will see in games. Trust me, it doesn't work like that. You aren't making her tougher by standing in front of shots like that you're just making her fearful and stunting her development. Be patient and think long term. She'll be better off in the long run.
A Fast Start Guide For Coaches With New Goalies
1) Help him/her understand that in lacrosse goals go in. And sometimes a lot too. It's not like hockey. Or soccer. Some games are 20-18 and some are 20-0.
2) Focus on building his/her confidence. This is vital in practice. Make sure that your shooters are shooting from far enough away that he feels safe and is able to react to the ball. For new goalies, they are focusing on so many things that it's important to keep it simple. For example: a new goalie is trying to figure out where the ball is going. Then they are trying to remember how to move to the ball. And with all of that they are doing it while trying to NOT think about how much the ball can hurt if it hits her. If your goalie is thinking about pain first then nothing will work right. Which leads me to...
3) Make sure she has enough of the right equipment. There is nothing wrong with a new goalie wearing enough equipment. When I started it was a school rule that goalies had to wear hockey pants, shin quards, elbow pads, shoulder pads, a cup, a chest protector, gloves, a helmet and a throat guard. I couldn't move very well but that ball didn't hurt one bit! Although it was hot, and uncomfortable, I was able to focus on the things that matter and that is seeing where the ball is going and then moving to the ball. It's the simple force equation. In order to move the stick fast enough to the ball a certain amount of force needs to be applied to the stick. If the goalie isn't strong enough to do that then playing goal is going to be very very frustrating. So make sure that she is strong enough to even play the position. Sometime the best coaching move is finding a different goalie. You may have a great athlet on your team who plays well elsewhere but she may be a tremendous asset to the team if she plays goal. And if your goalie is the slowest girl on the team my heart goes out to you. That goalie is a trooper but it's going to be a long haul for you and your team.
4) Spend a lot of time with your goalie. The twenty minutes you spend with her one on one at the beginning of practice is gold. All goalies need this time. As coaches there is so much to do at the start of practice I understand, but try to get some uninterrupted time when you and she can work alone on the basics.
5) The basics: I don't have enough room to write here but you may have seen some posts of mine on a proper warm up. This is where the coach shoots about ten balls to each of the critical spots of the goalie working on form and technique. This is vital. The goalie needs to know where the ball is going so 1) she feels safe and 2) her body can focus on how to move. The key is that you are "wiring" the goalie like a computer. Your are programming her body to move correctly to the ball. That way, in a game, her eyes recognize where the ball is going and her mind is able to shut down so the body can do what it knows to do. Hopefully that makes sense, if not just email me and I'll clarify.
6) A great drill with new goalies is to have them get in the cage, throw their stick behind the cage, and throw a soccer ball instead of the lacrosse ball. This reinforces how to move the feet and move the hands to the ball. I find when new goalies get a stick in their hand they tend to forget about their feet and the rest of their body. By using the soccer ball it, again, eases their mind so they can focus on moving properly.
7) Progression. Progression. Progression. I'm a strength coach and I have a saying that is, "There is no such thing as a bad exercise. just an athlete who isn't ready for that exercise. If you shoot on your goalie from five yards as hard as you can she's going to be afraid, and she's not going to stop much. But if you back up to 20 yards she'll probably do ok. She'll feel safer knowing she has plenty of time to get her hands onto the ball and not just her body. Do a hundred shots from there and then the next day move in a bit. There will be a point when they are too fast and you're too close. Back off a bit if that happens.
8) Help her be a better athlete. Many female goalies I see are simply not physically strong enough to move effectively to the ball. I'm not trying to be sexist or derogatory in any way but it is just something as coaches we have to deal with. If you can help her get stronger physically then she will be a better goalie.
9) Pain with a purpose. Many goalies are horrible in practice but in games the are great. IT's one thing to take a painful shot in practice and another in games. Keep your goalie safe in practice and then let her loose in games. If she's self concious about wearing equipment just make her do it in practice. Then in a game she can take stuff off if she wants to. But if you see her ducking or cringing at shots make her put the equipment back on again.
10) Don't over work her. Don't force her to take shots that are too close because that is what she will see in games. Trust me, it doesn't work like that. You aren't making her tougher by standing in front of shots like that you're just making her fearful and stunting her development. Be patient and think long term. She'll be better off in the long run.
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