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