New Lacrosse Goalie Tip Blog Over At www.lacrosssegoalietips.wordpress.com

Just wanted to let you know that I have started a second blog over at www.lacrossegoalietips.wordpress.com.

Ultimately we'll be turning that one live, this one will still be here.

You'll want to sign up for the ezine to be up to date.

We will also be starting a membership only site on that blog for more in-depth articles and discussions on lacrosse. It will be an intimate coaching community of goalies and coaches who are looking to improve their game and become All-Americans. Hope you like it.

www.lacrossegoalietips.wordpress.com

Great Article on Princeton Lacrosse Goalie

Found this awesome article on the women's goalie from Princeton. There are some great take away's in this article about going to college. Playing from a state that isn't recognized for lacrosse. As well as the mental side of goaltending. Hope you like it.

http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2009/04/22/23478/

Jonathan - The Goalie Guru

Great Lacrosse Goalie Video of TJ Yost from Michigan

This is a great video of TJ Yost graduating this year from Brother Rice in Michigan.


Couple things about this goalie:

Not that big in the cage. Kinda short.

Great stick and stick handling ability.

Always looking upfield for a quick outlet pass and his whole team knows that he can hit them with a pass so they are ALL breaking on the clear hoping to get a pass.

My one complaint is that sometimes his passes to the middle of the field are ill-advised.

Secondly, when he backs out of the back of the crease he heads too far back. This will work in high school but in college he would get jumped by a speedy attackman.

Just little things but this goalie is an All-american for a reason. Great job TJ.

Jonathan -

First Year Lacrosse Goalie Needs More Equipment

Question: Hi jonathan, im a first semester goalie in high school and I have gotten down the fundamentals of being a keeper... with one major problem. After a head shot or many painful bruising shots,(especially during practice) I start flinching away from the ball badly, sometimes even exposing my sides to the ball. I don't know how to get out of this bad habit since I do it unconciously. I wear only the minimal padding for a girls goalie (chest, helmet, throat, hands, and legs) so should I get more maybe?


Answer: Yes, you need more equipment. At least until you get better at stopping the ball with your stick. It's a natural reaction of the body to shy away from a ball especially after you've been hit enough for it to really hurt. That is why I recommend that most goalies wear more than enough equipment to start while you are learning. I also tell coaches that they should ensure that their shooters in practice shoot from far enough away that the goalie can react to the ball.

If you are flinching so much that you are turning your body you aren't learning anything in the cage. Until you can face the ball and focus on moving to it to make the save you are just a target and I might add not a very happy one. I don't want to see you get hurt or worse, discouraged enough to quit. It's a fun position but you need to step into it slowly.

I would recommend some football pants to help cover your thighs. Make sure that your chest protector is protective enough and not too small. Many women I have worked with have chest protectors that shift and leave a breast exposed enough to really hurt when hit. We want to avoid that. Also, make sure you have a woman's cup (pelvic protector) Shoulderpads with shouldercaps also help.

Let me know if you need anything else. I'm here to help.

Jonathan - The Goalie Guru

Hofstra Video from Insidelacrosse.com

Some good saves on this video. Also, some really bad goals.

Olympic Weightlifter Mathias Steiner of Germany

Just something to inspire everyone. This guy, Matthias Steiner lost his wife just prior to the games in a car accident I believe. Either way, this is a really inspiring video as he wins gold at the Beijing Olympics. This clean and jerk was for 567 pounds! Hope you like it.

What Kind Of Lacrosse Cleats Should I Wear?

Question: Dear Jonathan,

Thanks for your great blog. I am a post-collegiate club lax player who just started playing goalie about a year ago. My old (football) cleats are finally dying, and I need to get new ones. I have read lots of things but can't seem to get a straight and reliable answer. What kinds of cleats can a goalie wear? Can I use baseball ones? Or just soccer and football and lacrosse cleats? Trying to save a buck here, too. Am also concerned about toe protection from shots. Have been lucky in that area so far, but have been hit in the feet a few times.

Thanks!

Mike C.


Answer: Hey Mike. Great question. You can wear anything, typically, as long as they aren't steel. Some baseball cleats fall in that category. If you've got plastic screw in's you're fine. But if they are steel they might go against your league rules. Just double check.

Personally I wear molded football cleats. I find that most fields we play on are really hard under my feet so screw ins don't work because they don't sink into the ground. The molded ones tend to give me more grip and a flatter base to stand on. Also, they tend to work in most conditions and get my by.

I also find that most football cleats have a heavier duty toe on them. You want one that has a solid leather toe. Not one where the upper turns to nylon. Mine have a leather piece that runs right from the toe, to the laces. Hopefully you can visualize that.

You can also wear those football cleats playing baseball so you can save a few bucks.

Hope that helps buddy.

Jonathan - The Goalie Guru

Box Lacrosse Coach Wonders How Much Things Have Changed?

Question: Hi Jonathon, I came across your blog and wanted to ask your opinion on coaching box goalies as I've just begun coaching a novice house team. I played in goal for 10 years as a kid but that was 20 years ago - have the fundamentals changed that much? I feel confident that I can coach based on the way I played (angles, angles, angles) but was curious about the basic set up. I was always taught to have my glove hand against my kidney so that my arm formed a sideways "V" and my elbow and upper arm would stick out. This also prepared me for making a shoulder save on the glove hand side. I also made sure my stick was on the ground as part of my set up. Is that still practical?

Any advice will help.

Answer: I'm mostly a field goalie coach but I've been doing a lot of help with box coaches lately so I'll give my two cents strictly from a technique standpoint.

I would say that no, things haven't changed much. The equipment has obviously gotten lighter, and larger. The shots still come the same but now with more velocity and more ability for fakes.

The bottom line on position in the cage is the same. You want to have a nice balanced position on the balls of your feet so you can move. Some goalies now take the stick off the floor just a bit to aid with stance. But they need to respect the low shots that can sneak underneath.

As far as that off stick glove I've got some thoughts on that. You want to have that arm in the V so that you do take up some space. The glove is turned over to protect the exposed palm. I would not tuck it as far back as the kidney as that may be a bit to far to the back. You want it to be useful and not hidden. (I'm waiting for someone to design a glove that can be turned over to act more like a catching glove but flat so you can't catch. But would allow for you to then grab the stick. This would put that arm in a much more aggressive position to stop shots to that side yet still allow you to throw.)

All in all you're going to be 90% there when you coach. Stay positive and stay relevant. You've got a chance to watch some great goalies up there in Vancouver so watch some games and see what the top guys are doing. You'll be right back on board fast.

Hope that helps. Let me know if you need anything else. I spend a ton of time in Calgary and was just out in Whistler racing bobsled nationals. Actually tried out for the Canadian National Field team a couple of years ago at that soccer complex in Burnaby. Love that area.

Jonathan - The Goalie Guru.

Girls Lacrosse Goalie Getting Thrown in the Fire. Needs Some Help

Question: Hi, I am a junior and the varsity goalie for my high school girl’s lacrosse team and I am having some problems. I was on junior varsity last year, my first time playing lacrosse ever. I didn’t really have anyone teaching me so I just winged it and had some beginners’ luck, now the original varsity goalie is ineligible so they bumped me up and it’s miserable. Everyone expects me to know everything because I’ve played for one season. I’m working hard to step up but I really need some help. My defense just lets the attack wing come running down on the field and take a shot right on the crease. We get up to three yellow cards a game so the other team gets to take repeated shots from the hash line and I am supposed to save them with only one season worth of experience. I’ve read most of your blog and that was tremendous help already, I just want a little more personal of a diagnosis. Thank you

Answer: Hey there Steph. Smile for me, k? Ok let's get this going.

First off, you're NOT supposed to know everything. You can't. I can't. We're always learning and you're being thrown in the fire a bit. Now I want you to step up a bit and get excited for the opportunity. Sure, it's probably a little early but you can handle it. You know how I can tell? You took the time to seek out some information and found me. Not only did you do that you wrote to me directly. So I know that you've got the ability to see this through and to kick ass.

OK, now. You need to remember that this is a team sport. And like I always say, "If your teammates were so damned good they wouldn't need a goalie!" The fact that you are seeing high percentage shots is your defenses fault. And to take it one step further it's your coaches fault for not helping you defense play better. Now I don't know your team. I don't know what you've got to work with as far as players on your defense. You may be on a really crappy team. But that's ok too.

Here's the deal. Your team needs to play better defense and funnel the offensive players to places where they have lower percentage shots. (i.e. further down the wing, or away from the cage.) This is the team part of the game and you can't forget that.

On the other hand you need to get excited about those high percentage shots. These are the ones where you get to really focus on the ball and make some big saves. If the game is moving a little too fast for you right now, don't worry, it will slow down. You just need some shots at the faster pace and you will step up. I know you can.

Spend some quality time visualizing yourself being successful in the cage. See yourself making those saves. The best time to do this is right before you go to bed because your subconcious mind goes to work while you're sleeping. It's a cool trick that I will try to write an article on later.

Also, here's another mental trick. Right after a goal goes in I want you to say to yourself, "Reset!" And then get back into your ready stance and actually visualize the ball coming to you as it just did. Move to the ball as if you were going to make that save. It's really important to replace the negative image in your head (the goal) with a positive image (you making the save.)

Try that kid. You're going to do great. Get to know your defense. And talk to your coach too to see if you can get a feel for why you guys are giving up such high percentage shots.

Last thing. Try to get someone to take stats for you so you can figure out your save percentage. That is the number you should be focusing on. If you lose a game 16-2 but your save percentage is 60% or higher that's a pretty good day for a goalie. Feel proud of that. NOT the score.

Alright Steph. Let me know how it goes. I expect an update in a few weeks.

Jonathan - The Goalie Guru