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
Saturday, February 16, 2008
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.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Tom Brady Is My Hero
In the same interview, Brady said, "I think it's a feeling like I've got it all figured out. There's nothing that can shock me anymore. There's nothing I haven't anticipated; so at that point, there is a calmness."
This was a quote taken from an ESPN.com article on Tom Brady, Quarterback of the New England Patriots. As I write this the Patriots are four days from becoming the best team in football history. And Tom Brady is the leader.
The story of Tom Brady is pretty cool. A good athlete through high school he was barely noticed by college coaches. Somehow he landed at one of the top football schools in the country. After college he was drafted almost as an afterthought by the Patriots in the sixth round. That year, seven other quarterbacks were drafted before him. And now he is considered one of the best quarterbacks of all time with four super bowl rings and now an MVP of the league in 2007.
But that quote above pretty much tells you why he's there at this point in his career.
He is prepared.
And he works harder than anyone else to be prepared so that he isn't surprised. Ever.
Parents. Coaches. And goalies all ask me "What can we do so that our goalie has more confidence?"
Help them prepare. Spend the time. Get the shots. Get a variety of shots. Help them feel safe. Give them the tools. Watch game film. Do it all.
And then do it again.
And again.
And again.
Fear only comes from a lack of information. And a lack of information comes from a lack of preparation.
There is no excuse for that. Laziness is an excuse.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs07/columns/story?id=3219092&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab2pos1
Go check out the article and get inspired.
Goalies read it to see what preparation can do for you. That dot drill is amazing by the way.
Parents read it so that you can help your kids believe that they can, and will, be good. Someday. If they work hard enough.
Coaches read it and learn not to ever give up on a kid. Think past that athletes success on your team if they aren't getting good fast enough. Think about their long term athletic development and help them succeed long term.
Shoot me some comments or emails at jone94@shaw.ca
This was a quote taken from an ESPN.com article on Tom Brady, Quarterback of the New England Patriots. As I write this the Patriots are four days from becoming the best team in football history. And Tom Brady is the leader.
The story of Tom Brady is pretty cool. A good athlete through high school he was barely noticed by college coaches. Somehow he landed at one of the top football schools in the country. After college he was drafted almost as an afterthought by the Patriots in the sixth round. That year, seven other quarterbacks were drafted before him. And now he is considered one of the best quarterbacks of all time with four super bowl rings and now an MVP of the league in 2007.
But that quote above pretty much tells you why he's there at this point in his career.
He is prepared.
And he works harder than anyone else to be prepared so that he isn't surprised. Ever.
Parents. Coaches. And goalies all ask me "What can we do so that our goalie has more confidence?"
Help them prepare. Spend the time. Get the shots. Get a variety of shots. Help them feel safe. Give them the tools. Watch game film. Do it all.
And then do it again.
And again.
And again.
Fear only comes from a lack of information. And a lack of information comes from a lack of preparation.
There is no excuse for that. Laziness is an excuse.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs07/columns/story?id=3219092&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab2pos1
Go check out the article and get inspired.
Goalies read it to see what preparation can do for you. That dot drill is amazing by the way.
Parents read it so that you can help your kids believe that they can, and will, be good. Someday. If they work hard enough.
Coaches read it and learn not to ever give up on a kid. Think past that athletes success on your team if they aren't getting good fast enough. Think about their long term athletic development and help them succeed long term.
Shoot me some comments or emails at jone94@shaw.ca
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
I Can't Sleep. Can You?
It's four in the morning where I am. My wife and I just had our second baby. A girl named Makena (Because we were married on Makena Beach in Maui, Hawaii) And I can't get to sleep. My mind is just going. What about? Stuff. All sorts of stuff. It reminded me of a couple of goalie specific things that I'd thought I'd write about seeing that I can't get to sleep anyway.
Why You Must Fall Asleep At Night
Goalies tend to be worriers. They worry about letting in a goal. They worry about what their coaches/parents/teammates will think about them. They worry about making a bad pass that leads to a goal. They worry about getting hit in the balls (seriously). They worry about getting shelled. They worry about losing so bad that they will never want to play the game again. Ever.
All in all most goalies worry.
Now let me have you exchange the word "worry" and replace it with the phrase "plan to prevent"
Goalies tend to plan to prevent about everything. They plan to prevent letting in a goal. They plan to prevent a situation where their coaches/parents/teammates will think badly about them. They plan to prevent making a bad pass that leads to a goal. They plan to prevent getting hit in the balls. (Seriously!) They plan to prevent getting shelled. They plan to prevent so they never lose a game so bad that they will never want to play the game again.
When you read those to paragraphs do you see how some of the stress is taken out of the second one?
When you rephrase your worry it becomes much more productive. "Worry" is not a productive feeling. Worry is just a negative thought pattern where you tend to focus on bad situations. And what you focus on you bring on.
If I ask you to worry about a pink polar bear, what do you see? A pink polar bear.
Maybe that pink polar bear is doing something bad in your thoughts. Maybe the pink polar bear is showing it's teeth. Or running at you.
Now let me ask you to think about planning to prevent that white polar bear from doing anything bad.
First off, you are now seeing a white polar bear instead of a pink one. This shows you that you can instantly change any mental situation. From bad to good. From pink to white.
You may also have thought of that white polar bear in a cage. Or somehow in a way that prevents him from doing anything bad to you.
By planning to prevent instead of worrying you have changed a negative mental image to a positive mental image. Instead of worrying about letting in a bad goal why not plan to prevent one. By thinking in a positive way you are actually coming up with a positive game plan. You may now visualize yourself making a great play. Or maybe making a great call that gets your defense to slide to neutralize the ball carrier.
When you worry you tend to lose sleep at night. (just like I am as I write this.) But by focusing on "planning to prevent" you can fill your brain with positive images that will actually build your confidence and make you a player.
Just a quick thought. I think I'll catch some sleep now.
Jonathan -
www.LacrosseGoaltending.blogspot.com
Why You Must Fall Asleep At Night
Goalies tend to be worriers. They worry about letting in a goal. They worry about what their coaches/parents/teammates will think about them. They worry about making a bad pass that leads to a goal. They worry about getting hit in the balls (seriously). They worry about getting shelled. They worry about losing so bad that they will never want to play the game again. Ever.
All in all most goalies worry.
Now let me have you exchange the word "worry" and replace it with the phrase "plan to prevent"
Goalies tend to plan to prevent about everything. They plan to prevent letting in a goal. They plan to prevent a situation where their coaches/parents/teammates will think badly about them. They plan to prevent making a bad pass that leads to a goal. They plan to prevent getting hit in the balls. (Seriously!) They plan to prevent getting shelled. They plan to prevent so they never lose a game so bad that they will never want to play the game again.
When you read those to paragraphs do you see how some of the stress is taken out of the second one?
When you rephrase your worry it becomes much more productive. "Worry" is not a productive feeling. Worry is just a negative thought pattern where you tend to focus on bad situations. And what you focus on you bring on.
If I ask you to worry about a pink polar bear, what do you see? A pink polar bear.
Maybe that pink polar bear is doing something bad in your thoughts. Maybe the pink polar bear is showing it's teeth. Or running at you.
Now let me ask you to think about planning to prevent that white polar bear from doing anything bad.
First off, you are now seeing a white polar bear instead of a pink one. This shows you that you can instantly change any mental situation. From bad to good. From pink to white.
You may also have thought of that white polar bear in a cage. Or somehow in a way that prevents him from doing anything bad to you.
By planning to prevent instead of worrying you have changed a negative mental image to a positive mental image. Instead of worrying about letting in a bad goal why not plan to prevent one. By thinking in a positive way you are actually coming up with a positive game plan. You may now visualize yourself making a great play. Or maybe making a great call that gets your defense to slide to neutralize the ball carrier.
When you worry you tend to lose sleep at night. (just like I am as I write this.) But by focusing on "planning to prevent" you can fill your brain with positive images that will actually build your confidence and make you a player.
Just a quick thought. I think I'll catch some sleep now.
Jonathan -
www.LacrosseGoaltending.blogspot.com
Monday, January 28, 2008
Question: Molly writes: All the shots that are taken at me are at my knees. Are there any goalie knee pads? Also, how far out of the cage can a goalie go? And should I stand crouched down? Or standing straight up? I've got a ton of questions, is there just a book I can buy that can help me out? Thanks!
Answer: Hey there Molly. Congrats on playing the best position in lacrosse!!
Here are some answers to your questions.
They don't make a goalie knee pad for lacrosse. But what you can do while your learning is to where some baseball catcher shin quards under a pair of sweatpants. This will protect you from the top of the knees down to your feet.
You can also wear football pants under some sweats as well. They have a thigh pad, and a knee pad, but no shin protection.
You can go out as far as you want from the goal. There is no restriction. However, I recommend that you stay roughly a big step off the goal line when the shooter is away from the cage. And then on the goal line when the shooter is in very tight to the goal.
You should take a stance that we call an "athletic" stance. Goalies also call this a "ready" stance. Your ankles knees and hips are all bent. Your shoulders are just infront of your hips and your hands are in front of you. Similar to a basketball player on defense. A baseball player waiting for the hitter to hit the ball to them. Or a tennis player waiting to hit the ball back across the net. (Just to give you a few examples.) This will give you the best chance to move to the ball.
You're going to stop a lot of shots right now with your body. That is why it is very important to have enough padding so that you feel protected and safe if you take one off the body. As you improve you'll catch more balls with your stick.
For more questions answered you can check out my blog at www.LacrosseGoaltending.Blogspot.com. I am also working on an ebook specifically for goalies. If you send me your email address I can send you a couple of early chapters that should help.
Also, when you send me your email address just send me a list of all of your questions too. I probably have most of them answered already and I can send them on to you. Otherwise I'll make sure I cover those questions in my ebook.
Thanks for writing Molly. My email address is jone94@shaw.ca. Talk to you soon!
Jonathan -
www.LacrosseGoaltending.blogspot.com
Answer: Hey there Molly. Congrats on playing the best position in lacrosse!!
Here are some answers to your questions.
They don't make a goalie knee pad for lacrosse. But what you can do while your learning is to where some baseball catcher shin quards under a pair of sweatpants. This will protect you from the top of the knees down to your feet.
You can also wear football pants under some sweats as well. They have a thigh pad, and a knee pad, but no shin protection.
You can go out as far as you want from the goal. There is no restriction. However, I recommend that you stay roughly a big step off the goal line when the shooter is away from the cage. And then on the goal line when the shooter is in very tight to the goal.
You should take a stance that we call an "athletic" stance. Goalies also call this a "ready" stance. Your ankles knees and hips are all bent. Your shoulders are just infront of your hips and your hands are in front of you. Similar to a basketball player on defense. A baseball player waiting for the hitter to hit the ball to them. Or a tennis player waiting to hit the ball back across the net. (Just to give you a few examples.) This will give you the best chance to move to the ball.
You're going to stop a lot of shots right now with your body. That is why it is very important to have enough padding so that you feel protected and safe if you take one off the body. As you improve you'll catch more balls with your stick.
For more questions answered you can check out my blog at www.LacrosseGoaltending.Blogspot.com. I am also working on an ebook specifically for goalies. If you send me your email address I can send you a couple of early chapters that should help.
Also, when you send me your email address just send me a list of all of your questions too. I probably have most of them answered already and I can send them on to you. Otherwise I'll make sure I cover those questions in my ebook.
Thanks for writing Molly. My email address is jone94@shaw.ca. Talk to you soon!
Jonathan -
www.LacrosseGoaltending.blogspot.com
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Tennis anyone? Or lacrosse?
I got an email recently from a freshman who was inspired by an email I wrote a while ago. That email was also written to a tennis player thinking about switching to lacrosse. This time the tennis player is thinking about becoming a goalie. The following is an answer that I gave him on why I think he should switch from tennis (that is boring him, and the coach is a disaster) to lacrosse. Enjoy.
Answer:There is one major rule that I live by that I wish I knew back in high school and that is to seek out experiences that I know I would enjoy regardless of the outcome. Seriously, when we die the only thing we are going to be able to take with us is our experiences so why not load up on as many good ones as we can.
With that being said I would highly recommend you go out for lacrosse and play a little goal for a couple of reasons:
1) It's a new experience. If you feel you've had your run of tennis then why play something you are bored with when you can go play something new and exciting with your friends.
2) Yes, your tennis skills will carry over (especially if you were good playing up at the net). Your lateral agility makes you a natural to attack the ball. Just make sure you are outfitted with enough equipment that you feel safe to start. Eventually, as you get better you can shed excess equipment. But for now, pad up and stay safe. You'll get better faster if you do.
I would like to change your attitude about one thing you said, "I would personally enjoy lacrosse a lot more than tennis, I just don't want to join and be horrible since I'm not as experienced."
Prepare to be horrible. That's what new experiences are all about! If everyone could be good at everything there wouldn't be much fun in anything right? I just took up the sport of bobsled after having done the sport of luge for years. Just like your tennis carrying over to lacrosse my luge experience helped me but it was still new. And you know what I wished the most??? That I had tried bobsled much sooner and didn't wait so long! You don't want to be saying that about lacrosse.
You shouldn't worry about playing lacrosse and being bad, you should worry about playing lacrosse and being fantastic! Seriously, how pissed would you be if you realized you were a phenomenal goalie and you waited all this time to play! Get out there and play some goal and show everyone how good you are. Then write me back and tell me how much time you wasted playing tennis!:)
Kick butt Derek. I'm going to add you to my goaltending ezine. I've got a ton of articles for you on my blog to so be sure to check that out. Have a blast. And feel free to write me and tell me how it's going.
All the best,
Jonathan -
www.lacrossegoaltending.blogspot.com
Answer:There is one major rule that I live by that I wish I knew back in high school and that is to seek out experiences that I know I would enjoy regardless of the outcome. Seriously, when we die the only thing we are going to be able to take with us is our experiences so why not load up on as many good ones as we can.
With that being said I would highly recommend you go out for lacrosse and play a little goal for a couple of reasons:
1) It's a new experience. If you feel you've had your run of tennis then why play something you are bored with when you can go play something new and exciting with your friends.
2) Yes, your tennis skills will carry over (especially if you were good playing up at the net). Your lateral agility makes you a natural to attack the ball. Just make sure you are outfitted with enough equipment that you feel safe to start. Eventually, as you get better you can shed excess equipment. But for now, pad up and stay safe. You'll get better faster if you do.
I would like to change your attitude about one thing you said, "I would personally enjoy lacrosse a lot more than tennis, I just don't want to join and be horrible since I'm not as experienced."
Prepare to be horrible. That's what new experiences are all about! If everyone could be good at everything there wouldn't be much fun in anything right? I just took up the sport of bobsled after having done the sport of luge for years. Just like your tennis carrying over to lacrosse my luge experience helped me but it was still new. And you know what I wished the most??? That I had tried bobsled much sooner and didn't wait so long! You don't want to be saying that about lacrosse.
You shouldn't worry about playing lacrosse and being bad, you should worry about playing lacrosse and being fantastic! Seriously, how pissed would you be if you realized you were a phenomenal goalie and you waited all this time to play! Get out there and play some goal and show everyone how good you are. Then write me back and tell me how much time you wasted playing tennis!:)
Kick butt Derek. I'm going to add you to my goaltending ezine. I've got a ton of articles for you on my blog to so be sure to check that out. Have a blast. And feel free to write me and tell me how it's going.
All the best,
Jonathan -
www.lacrossegoaltending.blogspot.com
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Mom's In Trouble With This Question
This isn't really a goalie specific post but it does touch on long term athlete development which I feel is super important. Have a read. This mom has never written back to me so I hope everything is ok! Haven't heard from the kid either so hopefully he's not grounded!
Question: Hey Jonathan Edwards ! my name is Jordan St. John i live in Cornwall Ontario. I'am a big hockey player and i would really love to play lacrosse but my mom said to bring her 5 facts about how lacrosse makes you a better hockey player can you help me out please and thank you ! Bye
Answer: Oh Jordan. Your mom is going to regret having you write to me! (Sorry Mrs. St. John)
Here goes.
Jordan as an Olympic athlete, a strength and conditioning coach, a lacrosse player, and a hockey player I can tell you that by playing multiple sports you can actually become much better at your favorite sport. So if you love hockey, and that's your main sport, by playing lacrosse you will actually become a better hockey player. In countries other than the US and Canada this is a well known fact. But here in Canada we tend to focus on just one sport and play it all the time. This doesn't work out well. You may be a good hockey player sooner by playing only hockey, but at a certain point your development will go flat and you won't improve physically. Your mom can go to www.LTAD.ca to learn more about long term athlete development.
To be honest, by playing any sport you will help your hockey skills. However, by playing lacrosse specifically here are a bunch of ways it will help you.
1) Hockey is a multi-directional sport on blades and ice. These work certain muscles and movement patterns. Lacrosse is also a multi-directional sport on a hard surface. The body develops additional movement patterns that make you strongerand less prone to injury once on the ice. This is critical and creates a well rounded athlete physically. You will be stronger on the ice by actually playing lacrosse off ice.
2) The hand-eye coordination in lacrosse improves your stick handling abilities in hockey. In hockey the puck rarely leaves the ice. So the puck is always on one surface and your hands get used to that. In lacrosse the ball is all over the place. It's up and down. In front of you and behind you. By mastering a lacrosse stick a hockey stick feels so easy to use. There is an incredible transfer in eye-hand skills from lacrosse to hockey.
3) Contact: There is contact in hockey. There is also contact on a different surface. The demads on your body are different and they can increase your physical ability to avoid, and give hits.
Avoidance of hits can be just as beneficial as learning to give hits. If you think about it and you're about to be lined up by a larger, more physical player you can be seriously injured. By learning additional movement skills in lacrosse you can actually avoid getting hit by that player and therefore avoid injury.
4) Offensive and Defensive playing situations in lacrosse can help you with your hockey skills tremendously. You will learn how to dodge around players and those skills will help you to dodge around players on the ice. You will be learning skills that your hockey teammates don't know about. You will have fresh moves to pull from and your hockey development will actually be faster than your teammates who do not play another sport.
5) By playing another sport you will actually rest your body, and your mind from hockey. Many people in North America don't see this as an advantage but the best coaches in the world understand that it is extremely important. By playing lacrosse your mind will be able to rest from hockey, and when you return to hockey you will be extremely fresh mentally and physically. That freshness will allow you to learn more hockey skills faster so you can outplay your peers.
6) Wayne Gretzky played lacrosse.
Jordan I hope that helps you out. Please let your mom know that she can email me directly if she'd like to know more. I think hockey and lacrosse are two of the best sports to be played together. They compliment each other very well. There are also tons of opportunities for students in the states who play both hockey and lacrosse.
All the best buddy.
Jonathan Edwards -
Question: Hey Jonathan Edwards ! my name is Jordan St. John i live in Cornwall Ontario. I'am a big hockey player and i would really love to play lacrosse but my mom said to bring her 5 facts about how lacrosse makes you a better hockey player can you help me out please and thank you ! Bye
Answer: Oh Jordan. Your mom is going to regret having you write to me! (Sorry Mrs. St. John)
Here goes.
Jordan as an Olympic athlete, a strength and conditioning coach, a lacrosse player, and a hockey player I can tell you that by playing multiple sports you can actually become much better at your favorite sport. So if you love hockey, and that's your main sport, by playing lacrosse you will actually become a better hockey player. In countries other than the US and Canada this is a well known fact. But here in Canada we tend to focus on just one sport and play it all the time. This doesn't work out well. You may be a good hockey player sooner by playing only hockey, but at a certain point your development will go flat and you won't improve physically. Your mom can go to www.LTAD.ca to learn more about long term athlete development.
To be honest, by playing any sport you will help your hockey skills. However, by playing lacrosse specifically here are a bunch of ways it will help you.
1) Hockey is a multi-directional sport on blades and ice. These work certain muscles and movement patterns. Lacrosse is also a multi-directional sport on a hard surface. The body develops additional movement patterns that make you strongerand less prone to injury once on the ice. This is critical and creates a well rounded athlete physically. You will be stronger on the ice by actually playing lacrosse off ice.
2) The hand-eye coordination in lacrosse improves your stick handling abilities in hockey. In hockey the puck rarely leaves the ice. So the puck is always on one surface and your hands get used to that. In lacrosse the ball is all over the place. It's up and down. In front of you and behind you. By mastering a lacrosse stick a hockey stick feels so easy to use. There is an incredible transfer in eye-hand skills from lacrosse to hockey.
3) Contact: There is contact in hockey. There is also contact on a different surface. The demads on your body are different and they can increase your physical ability to avoid, and give hits.
Avoidance of hits can be just as beneficial as learning to give hits. If you think about it and you're about to be lined up by a larger, more physical player you can be seriously injured. By learning additional movement skills in lacrosse you can actually avoid getting hit by that player and therefore avoid injury.
4) Offensive and Defensive playing situations in lacrosse can help you with your hockey skills tremendously. You will learn how to dodge around players and those skills will help you to dodge around players on the ice. You will be learning skills that your hockey teammates don't know about. You will have fresh moves to pull from and your hockey development will actually be faster than your teammates who do not play another sport.
5) By playing another sport you will actually rest your body, and your mind from hockey. Many people in North America don't see this as an advantage but the best coaches in the world understand that it is extremely important. By playing lacrosse your mind will be able to rest from hockey, and when you return to hockey you will be extremely fresh mentally and physically. That freshness will allow you to learn more hockey skills faster so you can outplay your peers.
6) Wayne Gretzky played lacrosse.
Jordan I hope that helps you out. Please let your mom know that she can email me directly if she'd like to know more. I think hockey and lacrosse are two of the best sports to be played together. They compliment each other very well. There are also tons of opportunities for students in the states who play both hockey and lacrosse.
All the best buddy.
Jonathan Edwards -
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Practice Doesn't Make Perfect
Perfect Practice Makes Perfect
You may have heard the old saying “practice makes perfect.” Well, I’m here to tell you something….
It’s not true.
You see, practice doesn’t make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect. Let me explain.
Let’s say I taught you how to sing Jingle Bells. We spent some time together and I made sure you got all the words down and the music and then I sent you home. And along the way as you were practicing the song you ended up switching some of the words. Maybe you weren’t paying attention or maybe you just made a mistake but along the way instead of Jingle Bells you started singing Tinkle Balls.
Stay with me here.
So off you go practicing. Every day. Twice a day. You even think about it before you go to sleep at night in your head. But instead of Jingle Bells it’s Tinkle Balls.
A couple weeks later you come back to see me and I say, “Sing me Jingle Bells.”
And you sing, “Tinkle Balls! Tinkle Balls! Tinkle all the way!!!”
Now I know you’re laughing a little bit right now but let’s look at this seriously. After you sang your version of Tinkle Balls I would look at you funny and think, “What the hell has this kid been doing the last two weeks?” And you’d tell me, in all seriousness that you’d been practicing!
So now I’d have to teach you how to sing Jingle Bells…again. We’re two weeks later and we have to re-teach the song. Sure you may have the music right but the words are off. Some of them are ok but the main ones are just plain wrong. So you learn Jingle Bells again and off you go.
You go home and you’re thinking to yourself, “Man, Jingle Bells sounds a little weird. Tinkle Balls sounded so much better! Jingle Bells sounds awkward and strange. Here goes…Tinkle Bells. Tinkle Bells. Tinkle All The Way!”
Ok. So now you’ve learned the song a second time and you still don’t have it right. But you practice and you practice and you practice some more. What do you think is going to happen when you come back and see me again? Right, you’re still going to think Jingle Bells sounds weird. But really, after four weeks if all you had practiced was Jingle Bells you’d have it dialed.
That is why practice doesn’t make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.
Sometimes coaches will ask me, “Jonathan, I know you want them to be perfect in practice but they’re just playing around. It’s nothing serious.” I’m sorry but everything is serious when it comes to the goalie. Even horsing around with your buddies can mess up a goalie for a long time.
It’s Harder to Fix a Bad Habit than To Get It Right the First Time
When learning a new skill it’s imperative that you learn it right the first time. Because learning the wrong skill is so hard to correct. It’s like letting your feet dry in concrete. You know how hard it is to get your feet out of there? It’s really hard!
That is why I warn coaches that their lacrosse goalies are just a bad habit waiting to happen if you leave them in the cage and let their buddies’ fire away on them. Until the goalie has a fair bit of experience and has proper movement patterns to the ball you don’t want to just let them in the cage and let the kids fire away. If those movement patterns aren’t dialed in yet the goalie will regress. He will actually get worse and you will then have to re-teach everything in a safe environment again. If you keep the goalie safe he will actually get better sooner than if you just throw him to the wolves so-to-speak.
Let me know how you feel about this. Can you remember a time when you, or a lacrosse goalie you coached actually got worse before he got better? Maybe they were doing great and then they got bad and never recovered.
You may have heard the old saying “practice makes perfect.” Well, I’m here to tell you something….
It’s not true.
You see, practice doesn’t make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect. Let me explain.
Let’s say I taught you how to sing Jingle Bells. We spent some time together and I made sure you got all the words down and the music and then I sent you home. And along the way as you were practicing the song you ended up switching some of the words. Maybe you weren’t paying attention or maybe you just made a mistake but along the way instead of Jingle Bells you started singing Tinkle Balls.
Stay with me here.
So off you go practicing. Every day. Twice a day. You even think about it before you go to sleep at night in your head. But instead of Jingle Bells it’s Tinkle Balls.
A couple weeks later you come back to see me and I say, “Sing me Jingle Bells.”
And you sing, “Tinkle Balls! Tinkle Balls! Tinkle all the way!!!”
Now I know you’re laughing a little bit right now but let’s look at this seriously. After you sang your version of Tinkle Balls I would look at you funny and think, “What the hell has this kid been doing the last two weeks?” And you’d tell me, in all seriousness that you’d been practicing!
So now I’d have to teach you how to sing Jingle Bells…again. We’re two weeks later and we have to re-teach the song. Sure you may have the music right but the words are off. Some of them are ok but the main ones are just plain wrong. So you learn Jingle Bells again and off you go.
You go home and you’re thinking to yourself, “Man, Jingle Bells sounds a little weird. Tinkle Balls sounded so much better! Jingle Bells sounds awkward and strange. Here goes…Tinkle Bells. Tinkle Bells. Tinkle All The Way!”
Ok. So now you’ve learned the song a second time and you still don’t have it right. But you practice and you practice and you practice some more. What do you think is going to happen when you come back and see me again? Right, you’re still going to think Jingle Bells sounds weird. But really, after four weeks if all you had practiced was Jingle Bells you’d have it dialed.
That is why practice doesn’t make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.
Sometimes coaches will ask me, “Jonathan, I know you want them to be perfect in practice but they’re just playing around. It’s nothing serious.” I’m sorry but everything is serious when it comes to the goalie. Even horsing around with your buddies can mess up a goalie for a long time.
It’s Harder to Fix a Bad Habit than To Get It Right the First Time
When learning a new skill it’s imperative that you learn it right the first time. Because learning the wrong skill is so hard to correct. It’s like letting your feet dry in concrete. You know how hard it is to get your feet out of there? It’s really hard!
That is why I warn coaches that their lacrosse goalies are just a bad habit waiting to happen if you leave them in the cage and let their buddies’ fire away on them. Until the goalie has a fair bit of experience and has proper movement patterns to the ball you don’t want to just let them in the cage and let the kids fire away. If those movement patterns aren’t dialed in yet the goalie will regress. He will actually get worse and you will then have to re-teach everything in a safe environment again. If you keep the goalie safe he will actually get better sooner than if you just throw him to the wolves so-to-speak.
Let me know how you feel about this. Can you remember a time when you, or a lacrosse goalie you coached actually got worse before he got better? Maybe they were doing great and then they got bad and never recovered.
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