Lacrosse Goale Wants To Know How To Stop Flinching

Marshall from Laramie, Wyoming writes:Hey my name is Marshall and I live in Laramie WY. We started our season about a month ago. Our team needs two goalies so I volunteered, but I have a hard time following the ball and not flinching. I was wondered if you had any tips that would dramatically help me.

This was my response: Marshall buddy. Flinching is just a natural response to anything that you are unsure about. The reason you flinch when the ball comes at you is because your brain knows that if it hits you hard enough in the right spot you could die. So here's the deal...

1) Make sure you are wearing enough equipment so that when you do get hit with the ball you won't get injured. As you get better at stopping the ball you can shed some of the extra gear. But while you are getting started wear more than enough so you feel confident you won't get hurt.

2) Get shot on in practice from a distance you feel comfortable. If that means the best guy on the team shoots from twenty yards and the worst guy on your team shoots from ten yards that's ok. Just make sure that in practice you feel safe, that way you can work on your technique and can focus on moving to the ball properly.

3) Game pain is "pain with a purpose." Many goalies find that they don't mind getting hit a couple times when they make a save in a game. It's getting hit with a ball in practice that sucks. So minimize the chances of getting hit in practice or wear more equipment so you don't worry about getting hit.

As I mentioned above you don't have to be like this forever. Just wear enough equipment so your confident. Big confidence is the best thing you can have that will dramatically help you.

When your brain isn't fearful of getting hit it will focus on the ball better. Right now it doesn't want to focus on the ball because it knows naturally that it's going to hurt like hell when it hits you.

Good luck and let me know how it goes.

Jonathan Edwards-
www.LacrosseGoaltending.blogspot.com