Questions: Hey,
so i'm a freshman, getting ready for lacrosse season, and of course, i'm a goalie.
I haven't played in a long time. like a full year almost. or since like last june.
tryouts are on the 28th. and i'm really nervous.
any last minute practice ideas?
any help would be totally appriciated.
oh, and by the way, what stick do you think i should get?
I need to get a new goalie stick.
thanks,
sarah
Answer: OK. STX Eclipse. Medium mesh. Lightest shaft that you can afford (Titanium is best.)
Get out there and start throwing against a wall. If you've got a school with a big brick wall go there. Or the back of departments stores are good as well. I've got a grocery store near my house with a massive brick wall which I can throw clearing passes against. Very cool.
Try to snag a friend and get throwing. You don't need a net to get shot on really. Any backstop will do. But to start just get throwing. Make a good clearing pass and then get in your stance to catch shots. Super easy really. I do it every year. You'll be surprised how quickly things come back. And that year off will have given your mind a really healthy break. You're going to be a lot better than you were because you've grown a bit and gotten stronger. Mentally you're stronger too but you won't realize that until you are in the cage.
Hope that helps Sarah. What part of the US do you play in?
Jonathan - The Goalie Guru
PS. How was that for fast?
Showing posts with label Female Lacrose Goalies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Female Lacrose Goalies. Show all posts
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Soft Mesh of Hard? Cross-Fit or not? Is Playing In Close Quarters Good For Me?
Question: Julia asks Soft mesh or hard? Is Crossfit any good for a goalie? And how do I make the most of playing indoors?
Answer: Hey there Julia. Here you go.
Get it restrung and with hard mesh. Soft mesh is a definite no go anymore. They just turn into tennis rackets. You'll notice a huge difference with hard mesh.
Cross fit is cool but it's not the best for a goalie. Too much endurance work. Women love Cross Fit, but if you look closely there's not a lot that relates to the explosive goalie. You want to lift weights and lift them heavy. This will help you be more explosive in the cage not to mention you will look like a Goddess! You are right, running for 15minutes will not help you. Actualy it will hurt your goaltending game.
If you're getting the stick to the ball it is for sure your pocket. That one change is going to do wonders to your game.
The reason you're not doing so well indoors is because the shots are right on top of you. You're probably getting hit with the ball a ton. Make sure yo'uve got enough equipment on and have the shooters move back. Ask your coach if you can put a stick on the ground where the shooters have to shoot from so you have time to react to the ball and can work on things. If you would like me to email your coach just give them my email address and I will send them a guide to working with goalies that can help you.
Hey make sure you sign up at the forum. If we can do Q and A's through there we will be able to add content and make it grow. I love the emails though so keep it up. Let me know how things go and stay in touch.
Jonathan -
Answer: Hey there Julia. Here you go.
Get it restrung and with hard mesh. Soft mesh is a definite no go anymore. They just turn into tennis rackets. You'll notice a huge difference with hard mesh.
Cross fit is cool but it's not the best for a goalie. Too much endurance work. Women love Cross Fit, but if you look closely there's not a lot that relates to the explosive goalie. You want to lift weights and lift them heavy. This will help you be more explosive in the cage not to mention you will look like a Goddess! You are right, running for 15minutes will not help you. Actualy it will hurt your goaltending game.
If you're getting the stick to the ball it is for sure your pocket. That one change is going to do wonders to your game.
The reason you're not doing so well indoors is because the shots are right on top of you. You're probably getting hit with the ball a ton. Make sure yo'uve got enough equipment on and have the shooters move back. Ask your coach if you can put a stick on the ground where the shooters have to shoot from so you have time to react to the ball and can work on things. If you would like me to email your coach just give them my email address and I will send them a guide to working with goalies that can help you.
Hey make sure you sign up at the forum. If we can do Q and A's through there we will be able to add content and make it grow. I love the emails though so keep it up. Let me know how things go and stay in touch.
Jonathan -
Should I Buy A New Goalie Stick If I'm Not Going To Play In College?
Question: Hey Jonathan thanks so much for all of your feedback. I have one last question though!
Since last year was my first year playing lacrosse, I didn't want to pay a lot for my stick and then end up not liking it. However, I'm wondering whether I should get a whole new stick (like the STX Eclipse) or if my STX Goalmaster with hardmesh will be OK. I probably won't be playing in college unless it's intermural so is it worth it to get a new stick if I'm only playing for the next 2 seasons?
Thanks again!
Julia
Answer: Hey Julia. No problem.
I understand what you're saying about the stick. But I will tell you that investing in a new stick is going to make playing sooo much more fun for you. After talking with you I know that it's going to make a huge difference.
Playing with a good stick is like playing golf with nice clubs. They are so much more forgiving. With bad golf clubs you can make a really nice swing but the clubs just don't do what you want them to do so it is completely frustrating. If you're getting your hands to the ball and the ball is popping out not because of you but because of the stick, that is just a recipe for frustration. With a nice stick (like the Eclipse) with a really nice hard mesh pocket you'll be making saves and not giving up rebounds. You'll be clearing the ball with ease and you'll just be enjoying the game a whole lot more.
As far as playing in college I'll tell you this. You may be going to a school that doesn't have a team but you will find a bunch of girls who have sticks and they will always be looking for a goalie. Now, if you have a crappy stick you won't want to play. But if you have a really nice stick you're going to have that stick for a long time and you're going to want to hop in the cage.
I always tell people that in all my life I've never been to a party and seen guys or girls throw on the old baseball glove and throw around. I've occaisionaly seen a football or two. But I have always seen lacrosse sticks break out and people throw the ball around. Also, as you go past college and beyond you may be in a new city and you will seek out other lacrosse players. It's just how it goes. And they will all need a goalie. Again, if you invest in a really nice stick now you're going to have it for a really long time (barring breakage or theft of something like that) And with a good stick you're going to be more open to playing and having a good time.
So, that's my two cents on getting a better stick. It will change the way you play for the better and you will enjoy the game a whole lot more with good equipment.
That make sense? So if you've got a birthday coming up, or maybe some money burning a hole in your pocket go get an STX Eclipse with a hard mesh pocket. If you can get it strung by someone who knows what they are doing it's better to buy the head and the pocket separately and then have it strung. Better than trying to doctor a pre-strung stick from the factory. My friends at www.comlax.net can do that for you.
Jonathan -
Since last year was my first year playing lacrosse, I didn't want to pay a lot for my stick and then end up not liking it. However, I'm wondering whether I should get a whole new stick (like the STX Eclipse) or if my STX Goalmaster with hardmesh will be OK. I probably won't be playing in college unless it's intermural so is it worth it to get a new stick if I'm only playing for the next 2 seasons?
Thanks again!
Julia
Answer: Hey Julia. No problem.
I understand what you're saying about the stick. But I will tell you that investing in a new stick is going to make playing sooo much more fun for you. After talking with you I know that it's going to make a huge difference.
Playing with a good stick is like playing golf with nice clubs. They are so much more forgiving. With bad golf clubs you can make a really nice swing but the clubs just don't do what you want them to do so it is completely frustrating. If you're getting your hands to the ball and the ball is popping out not because of you but because of the stick, that is just a recipe for frustration. With a nice stick (like the Eclipse) with a really nice hard mesh pocket you'll be making saves and not giving up rebounds. You'll be clearing the ball with ease and you'll just be enjoying the game a whole lot more.
As far as playing in college I'll tell you this. You may be going to a school that doesn't have a team but you will find a bunch of girls who have sticks and they will always be looking for a goalie. Now, if you have a crappy stick you won't want to play. But if you have a really nice stick you're going to have that stick for a long time and you're going to want to hop in the cage.
I always tell people that in all my life I've never been to a party and seen guys or girls throw on the old baseball glove and throw around. I've occaisionaly seen a football or two. But I have always seen lacrosse sticks break out and people throw the ball around. Also, as you go past college and beyond you may be in a new city and you will seek out other lacrosse players. It's just how it goes. And they will all need a goalie. Again, if you invest in a really nice stick now you're going to have it for a really long time (barring breakage or theft of something like that) And with a good stick you're going to be more open to playing and having a good time.
So, that's my two cents on getting a better stick. It will change the way you play for the better and you will enjoy the game a whole lot more with good equipment.
That make sense? So if you've got a birthday coming up, or maybe some money burning a hole in your pocket go get an STX Eclipse with a hard mesh pocket. If you can get it strung by someone who knows what they are doing it's better to buy the head and the pocket separately and then have it strung. Better than trying to doctor a pre-strung stick from the factory. My friends at www.comlax.net can do that for you.
Jonathan -
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Any Good Lacrosse Goalie Coaches in Mass?
Question: I live in MA and want to further my goalie skills. I'm looking for a place I can go during the off season to get individual goalie instruction. I would like to have my own goalie coach that can give me advice and training but am having trouble finding one in my area.
Answer: Hey there Amanda. I spend some time in Mass but spend most of my time in Canada as my wife is Canadian. I did start coaching kids via video a while ago and that has worked out really well. If you'd like to do that I can help you.
Right now I don't know of anyone I can recommend you to in Mass. There just isn't anyone good enough yet that I would feel confident recommending you to.
If you are willing to travel you should go check out the Shutout Goalie Academy out in New York with my former goalie coach Rich Barnes. That is the ONLY school I recommend right now during the summer.
If you want to try the video coaching just send me an email at jonathan@lacrossegoaltending.com and we'll get in touch that way.
Thanks
Jonathan -
www.lacrossegoaltending.blogspot.com
www.lacrossegoaltendingforum.com
Answer: Hey there Amanda. I spend some time in Mass but spend most of my time in Canada as my wife is Canadian. I did start coaching kids via video a while ago and that has worked out really well. If you'd like to do that I can help you.
Right now I don't know of anyone I can recommend you to in Mass. There just isn't anyone good enough yet that I would feel confident recommending you to.
If you are willing to travel you should go check out the Shutout Goalie Academy out in New York with my former goalie coach Rich Barnes. That is the ONLY school I recommend right now during the summer.
If you want to try the video coaching just send me an email at jonathan@lacrossegoaltending.com and we'll get in touch that way.
Thanks
Jonathan -
www.lacrossegoaltending.blogspot.com
www.lacrossegoaltendingforum.com
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Lacrosse Goalies Throwing and Making Saves With Both Hands. When? Where?
Warning: The topics discussed in this post may cause you to think a bit. I'm all for talking about new topics and this is one of them. You might not agree with it, but it brings it up for discussion. If you've got a thought on this please comment so we can discuss.
Question: This lacrosse parent writes to tell me that his son is ambidextrous (can play with both hands) and wonders when the best time to switch hands in the cage would be. As you'll see from my response I feel that being able to play with both hands is a huge advantage especially when throwing and clearing. It is also an advantage when used as a surprise tactic when making saves (although this is a VERY advanced tactic) I'd mess around with this in practice before trying it in games.
Answer:
Andy I think that the most advantageous use of the other hand is when it is a surprise. This would happen:
1) When the offensive player is in a tight dodging situation (roll dodge) and shoots on the goalie thinking that the goalie is holding the stick in a certain hand.
2) When the player is mid shot from outside.
I've messed around with both, and while I feel it could be a tactic used by good goalies it needs to be tried in practice first. When I get shot on from the outside I will lower my stance which leaves a lot of net exposed up top. And while the shooter is winding up I will switch hands. The shooter (usually) is aiming off-stick high and is committed to that space while he is winding up. A shooter can't always adjust in mid shot so you tend to get a couple good saves out of this.
You are weighing your goalies ability to make the save to the off stick side versus switching hands and catching it (now) on the stick side. I think the move has merit at certain levels of the game. The goalie still needs to be in a ready position after the switch is made and before the shot is released. It wouldn't be good to be switching hands while the ball is in flight.
It's great your son is ambidextrous. Huge advantage really. Especially when he is throwing and clearing the ball up field. He would use the outside hand while being chased by an attacker. So if he's going up the left side of the field with an attacker on his right he'd be using his left hand no matter where he throws.
Let me know how that works for him or if you need clarification. Where does your son play?
Jonathan -
Question: This lacrosse parent writes to tell me that his son is ambidextrous (can play with both hands) and wonders when the best time to switch hands in the cage would be. As you'll see from my response I feel that being able to play with both hands is a huge advantage especially when throwing and clearing. It is also an advantage when used as a surprise tactic when making saves (although this is a VERY advanced tactic) I'd mess around with this in practice before trying it in games.
Answer:
Andy I think that the most advantageous use of the other hand is when it is a surprise. This would happen:
1) When the offensive player is in a tight dodging situation (roll dodge) and shoots on the goalie thinking that the goalie is holding the stick in a certain hand.
2) When the player is mid shot from outside.
I've messed around with both, and while I feel it could be a tactic used by good goalies it needs to be tried in practice first. When I get shot on from the outside I will lower my stance which leaves a lot of net exposed up top. And while the shooter is winding up I will switch hands. The shooter (usually) is aiming off-stick high and is committed to that space while he is winding up. A shooter can't always adjust in mid shot so you tend to get a couple good saves out of this.
You are weighing your goalies ability to make the save to the off stick side versus switching hands and catching it (now) on the stick side. I think the move has merit at certain levels of the game. The goalie still needs to be in a ready position after the switch is made and before the shot is released. It wouldn't be good to be switching hands while the ball is in flight.
It's great your son is ambidextrous. Huge advantage really. Especially when he is throwing and clearing the ball up field. He would use the outside hand while being chased by an attacker. So if he's going up the left side of the field with an attacker on his right he'd be using his left hand no matter where he throws.
Let me know how that works for him or if you need clarification. Where does your son play?
Jonathan -
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Should I Drop To My Knees Like Bud Petit Does?
Question: I have been playing goalie for six months. I am also 5'10 185. I watched Bud Petit play and noticed that he stopped bounce shots of his chest when he went down to his knees. I would like to know when should i go to my knees for bounce shots? Another question is should i start doing this? How much affect will this have on my game?
Answer: Hey there Trey. Great question. I watched the UVA Syracuse game again last night for you. I only got through the first half, and the overtime and I think I see the saves you were talking about. Here are my thoughts.
Going to your knees is usually not done on purpose. There are rare occaisions but they are really advanced and not something I would necessarily teach to a guy with your level of experience. That being said I'll explain to you why Bud went to his his knees: He didn't do it as his primary action to make the save. His dropping to his knees was actually a byproduct of moving explosively to the ball.
In the first quarter Bud made a save on this crazy pick up by the attack man just off the crease. The TV angle wasn't the best but from what I could make of it the attack picked up the ball and got a quick shot off. Bud kept his stick high but dropped low with his body and the player shot it into him. You don't teach that sort of save. It comes with a ton of experience. He kept his stick high to respect any shot that could come hight but because the player was so tight to the crease he dropped down like a hockey goalie to block the ball with his body. With his defense so close he knows that the attack is going to get checked pretty quickly and that any shot would be either a quick stick or almost a hockey shot off the turf.
Another save Bud made in the first quarter resulted in Bud dropping to his knees but it was the result of him firing his hands so hard to the off stick low side that he just lost his balance. The save was made before he went to his knees but it may have looked to you like he dropped to his knees to make that save. He didn't. It was just the result of moving explosively over a long distance that threw his balance off.
Now a save you may have in mind is that save he made in overtime. There was the feed from behind the crease to that attack out front. In this case Bud saved it with his chest because when he turned to the ball he was in perfect position. The shooter did the best he could but ended up hitting Bud in the chest protector. As Bud rotated from behind he turned and realized that since the shooter was so close one of the only places he can go is five hole. So as Bud sees the stick go down he's going to start to drop. (This mental processing happens in an instant too) So on that save he made the save with his chest and then dropped. It wasn't that he was dropping to his knees to make the save.
Does that make sense? It's easy to think that he was dropping on purpose. That's not the case.
Now I will tell you this. I have always taught lacrosse goalies to act more like a short stop in baseball. Or even a catcher. Get your hands out in front of you and get your body in front of the ball. If you play like that you will stop more shots with your body. Instead of picking the ball out of the air with your stick you're going to bend your knees more and "block" shots. A lot of them will hit you in the chest but that comes more from the style of goaltending than anything. A great drill is to get a hold of a righty and a lefty catchers mitt from the baseball team. Now hop in the cage and stop bounce shots. I guarantee you that you will take on a more aggressive athletic stance. And you will throw your body in front of the ball to stop odd bounces. It's a great way to learn. I find that when goalies put a stick in their hand they tend to lose great body position.
Bud Petit did a phenomenal job in that game and he's a great example of a solid goalie.
Now you asked if you should start doing this. The answer is no. Sort of. You wouldn't actuall practice dropping to your knees. But if you focus on snuffing out low shots like a catcher would in baseball you're going to start to assume the right body position. You may end up on your knees as a byroduct but it's not your primary technique to make the save.
One reason we try not to drop to our knees is that it takes a lot of time to get back up. And in that time a bad rebound can go in as a goal. I'm sure you saw how fast some goals were scored on rebounds during the tournament. IF you're on your knees you don't have a chance, that's why we like to stay on our feet. Also, because you are so tall it will take you even longer to get back up than it would for a shorter goalie.
I hope that helps Trey. This is a fantastic question and a really insightful observation on your part. I can really see that you're dissecting the game and the technique of a great goalie. You're going to go far. Good luck and let me know how things go.
Jonathan -
www.lacrossegoaltending.blogspot.com
Answer: Hey there Trey. Great question. I watched the UVA Syracuse game again last night for you. I only got through the first half, and the overtime and I think I see the saves you were talking about. Here are my thoughts.
Going to your knees is usually not done on purpose. There are rare occaisions but they are really advanced and not something I would necessarily teach to a guy with your level of experience. That being said I'll explain to you why Bud went to his his knees: He didn't do it as his primary action to make the save. His dropping to his knees was actually a byproduct of moving explosively to the ball.
In the first quarter Bud made a save on this crazy pick up by the attack man just off the crease. The TV angle wasn't the best but from what I could make of it the attack picked up the ball and got a quick shot off. Bud kept his stick high but dropped low with his body and the player shot it into him. You don't teach that sort of save. It comes with a ton of experience. He kept his stick high to respect any shot that could come hight but because the player was so tight to the crease he dropped down like a hockey goalie to block the ball with his body. With his defense so close he knows that the attack is going to get checked pretty quickly and that any shot would be either a quick stick or almost a hockey shot off the turf.
Another save Bud made in the first quarter resulted in Bud dropping to his knees but it was the result of him firing his hands so hard to the off stick low side that he just lost his balance. The save was made before he went to his knees but it may have looked to you like he dropped to his knees to make that save. He didn't. It was just the result of moving explosively over a long distance that threw his balance off.
Now a save you may have in mind is that save he made in overtime. There was the feed from behind the crease to that attack out front. In this case Bud saved it with his chest because when he turned to the ball he was in perfect position. The shooter did the best he could but ended up hitting Bud in the chest protector. As Bud rotated from behind he turned and realized that since the shooter was so close one of the only places he can go is five hole. So as Bud sees the stick go down he's going to start to drop. (This mental processing happens in an instant too) So on that save he made the save with his chest and then dropped. It wasn't that he was dropping to his knees to make the save.
Does that make sense? It's easy to think that he was dropping on purpose. That's not the case.
Now I will tell you this. I have always taught lacrosse goalies to act more like a short stop in baseball. Or even a catcher. Get your hands out in front of you and get your body in front of the ball. If you play like that you will stop more shots with your body. Instead of picking the ball out of the air with your stick you're going to bend your knees more and "block" shots. A lot of them will hit you in the chest but that comes more from the style of goaltending than anything. A great drill is to get a hold of a righty and a lefty catchers mitt from the baseball team. Now hop in the cage and stop bounce shots. I guarantee you that you will take on a more aggressive athletic stance. And you will throw your body in front of the ball to stop odd bounces. It's a great way to learn. I find that when goalies put a stick in their hand they tend to lose great body position.
Bud Petit did a phenomenal job in that game and he's a great example of a solid goalie.
Now you asked if you should start doing this. The answer is no. Sort of. You wouldn't actuall practice dropping to your knees. But if you focus on snuffing out low shots like a catcher would in baseball you're going to start to assume the right body position. You may end up on your knees as a byroduct but it's not your primary technique to make the save.
One reason we try not to drop to our knees is that it takes a lot of time to get back up. And in that time a bad rebound can go in as a goal. I'm sure you saw how fast some goals were scored on rebounds during the tournament. IF you're on your knees you don't have a chance, that's why we like to stay on our feet. Also, because you are so tall it will take you even longer to get back up than it would for a shorter goalie.
I hope that helps Trey. This is a fantastic question and a really insightful observation on your part. I can really see that you're dissecting the game and the technique of a great goalie. You're going to go far. Good luck and let me know how things go.
Jonathan -
www.lacrossegoaltending.blogspot.com
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Should I Lotion My Pocket? How Do I Keep My Mesh From Breaking?
Question: Ryan from Virginia writes: Hey I play for a high school in northern Va and I am planning on restringing my eclipse and was wondering what mesh you think is best. I have 12d on now but it broke on the sidewall in my last game. I was thinking about trying hard mesh this time. I've heard putting lotion on hard mesh to soften it and get a large pocket works but i dont want to mess up the mesh, any ideas?
Answer: Hey Ryan. Sorry about UVA this weekend. I used to go to Dom Starsia's camp when he was at Brown so I'm a bit of a closet UVA fan now.
I'd stay with that 12D. You will have much better luck with the hard mesh. No need to soften it with any lotion. Just let it break in and you'll be all set. You'll like the mesh better once it breaks in without the lotion than with the lotion.
As for the sidewall. You probably won't have it wear again with the hard mesh like it did with the soft. You can string it right down the side with one lace OR a more advanced string job goes like this...cut a piece of sidewall lace that is three times the length of the sidewall. Then, take the sidewall lace and weave it up the side of the mesh starting at the bottom and then going all the way to the top. At the top of the mesh bring it over and tie it off on the plastic. Now you should have about a half to two/thirds of the sidewall lace left. String that lace between the plastic and the sidewall lace that you have woven through the mesh. Make sure you are looping it around the lace and NOT the mesh. This will give you an extra bit of give in the pocket and you won't ever bust out the mesh again. In twenty years of playing goal I've never blown out a mesh with this type of string job. It also gives you the ability to get more depth in the pocket but I doubt you'll need it with the 12D hard mesh.
Good luck with that and let me know how it goes. Make sure you check out my goalie blog and sign up for the newsletter. My email is on the front page of the blog.
All the best Ryan. Hey, what school do you play at?
Jonathan-
www.lacrossegoaltending.blogspot.com
Answer: Hey Ryan. Sorry about UVA this weekend. I used to go to Dom Starsia's camp when he was at Brown so I'm a bit of a closet UVA fan now.
I'd stay with that 12D. You will have much better luck with the hard mesh. No need to soften it with any lotion. Just let it break in and you'll be all set. You'll like the mesh better once it breaks in without the lotion than with the lotion.
As for the sidewall. You probably won't have it wear again with the hard mesh like it did with the soft. You can string it right down the side with one lace OR a more advanced string job goes like this...cut a piece of sidewall lace that is three times the length of the sidewall. Then, take the sidewall lace and weave it up the side of the mesh starting at the bottom and then going all the way to the top. At the top of the mesh bring it over and tie it off on the plastic. Now you should have about a half to two/thirds of the sidewall lace left. String that lace between the plastic and the sidewall lace that you have woven through the mesh. Make sure you are looping it around the lace and NOT the mesh. This will give you an extra bit of give in the pocket and you won't ever bust out the mesh again. In twenty years of playing goal I've never blown out a mesh with this type of string job. It also gives you the ability to get more depth in the pocket but I doubt you'll need it with the 12D hard mesh.
Good luck with that and let me know how it goes. Make sure you check out my goalie blog and sign up for the newsletter. My email is on the front page of the blog.
All the best Ryan. Hey, what school do you play at?
Jonathan-
www.lacrossegoaltending.blogspot.com
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Correct Stance? Good drills? What's a Good Save Percentage for the Lacrosse Goalie?
Got this question today from Jenna: I just began playing lacrosse this year. I got to (School Witheld) and play on the varsity team as a freshmen. Our team didn't have a goalie and because I play goalie for hockey I decided I'll give it a shot. And I ended up just sticking with it.
My coach keeps telling me to use the vertical stick feet togethet stance. But I tend to use more of a hockey goalie stance. I tend to get beat up high at times, but I am pretty confident with bounce shots, as I tend to do more of a "butterfly" style hockey save. I am about 5'4. What would you suggest for a stance and stick position??
I have read some things that a goalie is supposed to stop the ball with their stick, but also that it really doesn't matter unless you stop the ball.
My teammates tell me that I am one of the best lacrosse goalies that they have had at my school. But I get really frustrated during games and stuff, because I have the mind set of a hockey goalie. We lost our last game 10-4, but I had 39 saves out of 49 shots. I usually have a 70% to 80% save percentage.
What are tips that you can give to a rookie goalie, regarding stance, stick postition, save type, etc??
Do you have any drills that I can work on myself, with a teammate, or even during practice that can help the whole team??
I've read a lot of things from this site and it has all been a great help!!
Keep up the great work with the site.
Jenna
Here's my answer: Hey there Jenna. Thanks for writing. I was a hockey goalie too at one time and I've watched goalies in hockey evolve over the years since I've played. Lacrosse goalies haven't evolved though so hopefully I can share with you some insight that will help.
Ok...as a hockey goalie with a wide butterfly stance you're not going to be making very "pretty" saves. Your coach has an old style stance in mind for you. The answer is to find a happy medium.
When you're in a wide stance you tend not to step to the ball as much as you should. It's just more difficult to do that. So while you're able to drop and get a lot of those low shots you're probably pretty set on your feet and just rotating your stick down to get them.
You're exactly right though...if you're making a save it's a save. You' just don't want to be giving up any rebounds.
I find that when I play my feet get a bit wide and that lowers me in the cage. I'm 5'8" and you're 5'4". But that's if we are standing straight up with our feet together. So for you, you have 8 inches above your head to the cross bar. If you get into a butterfly stance that drops you even lower so there is a lot of net upstairs to cover. To see just how much you need to move your stick to cover the top of the cage do this little exercise:
Stand on the goal line and turn and face the cage. Now get in your stance. Slowly look up without moving your stick. You can even have your coach take a tape measure and measure how far the top of your stick is to the cross bar. Now, without moving your body, reach your stick to the cross bar. Can you reach it? If the answer is no, you now know that no matter what you do a well placed shot is going to beat you. Try to reach to the off-stick high corner with your stick. So reach across your body. You'll have even more net exposed.
Now stand up a little. Move your feet together and see how far your stick is away from the crossbar. Can you make the save if a ball goes that high?
With all that being said, you never want to get too far from your natural stance. As a hockey goalie you have a stance that you work on daily so you're naturally going to want to get back to that stance. What you need to find is a happy medium between the two. What you want to find is your "athletic stance." Head up, chest up, hips bent, hands out, knees bent, ankles bent, ready to move in any direction. Think short stop in baseball. Think defensive ready position in basketball, or the ready position of a defensive linebacker in football. It's a more upright, more ready to move in any direction type stance. Then you add the stick and bring your top hand up towards your ear without bringing the stick closer to your body. Does that make sense?
If you ever watch Mikka Kiprusoff play for the flames he has two stances almost. He has a wide stance when the puck is in close, but when the puck is out at the point he stands up a bit. His feet come together and he gets nice and tall. That is the stance you want to adopt in the lacrosse goal. If you want to clarify any of this just email me. My email is on the front page of my goalie blog.
Your Coach: Whether or not your coach is a goalie doesn't matter. What he is trying to do is get you to look like all of the other lacrose goalies he has ever seen without truly understanding your height, your hockey background etc. He means well but he's probably just confusing you. I do think you need to stand up a little bit. Just from my experience being a hockey goalie and knowing what the tendencies are I think that's a safe bet. If you have some photos of you in the cage just email them to me and I'll give you a quick critique.
Save Percentage Mentality: Oh Jenna, Jenna, Jenna. I hear your pain on the save percentage thing. Please oh please don't get hung up on it though. The great thing about being a goalie is that we have a stat that no other player on the field has and that is the save percentage. At the end of the day when the scoreboard reads 10-4 and the team thinks they are really bad, we can smile and know that we just played our tail off. Stopping 70-80% of your shots is phenomenal. That's fantastic! 60% average. 65% stellar. 70% you're a stud (studette) 75% take off the princess cape. 80% tiara please. 85% fuggedaboutit. Seriously. From a lacrosse perspective you're doing great. Your team shouldn't be giving up that many shots to begin with. So you're homework is to focus on your save percentage and not the score. You're not going to be pulling down 90% and up like in hockey. The net is too big. The ball comes from all angles. It's just not the same. Got it?
Save Type: Ideally you'd like to catch everything but I think that is over rated. I've posted this on a couple of blogs and I'll repeat it hear: In every sport that has a goalie the goalie never reaches across their body to make a save. Sure, in hockey if someone dumps a puck in from the blue line you may reach across with your glove and pick it out of the air. But for some reason, in lacrosse, we think that should happen all the time and I think that is wrong. The game of lacrosse has gotten so fast that it's just impractical to catch everything with the stick. Over the last couple of years I've experimented with punching my bottom hand at the ball like a blocker in hockey on shots to my off stick hip. It makes no sense to me to try to catch the ball with my stick when I have a perfectly good piece of equipment there (glove) to deflect the ball.
Hockey goalie equipment has evolved over the years. First, pads got wider and were constructed to shut down the five hole. So goalies baited players to shoot there and they dropped to cover the ice. The pads do a lot of the work now. When I was taught to play hockey it was a strictly stand up, kick save style. Which seems really silly now. In fact, you would see goalies get "sloppy" and slip into a butterfly. Intuitively we knew better but coaching habits die hard. A hockey goalie is designed to really block, and deflect the puck. We are taught not to give up rebounds so we try to catch a ton whether that's with our glove or in our shirt. In lacrosse the goalie is basically...well...naked. It seems silly to put a goalie in a bigger goal, with a more active shooter and have him wear less equipment don't you think?
For you as a hockey goalie (and for those reading this who aren't) I think a great exercise would be for you to bring a lacrosse net onto the ice. Get in your hockey equipment and have a shooter with a lacrosse stick. Now get in the cage. Would you get in your butterfly stance? Probably not. Would you stand up with your feet together and your stick straight up and down in front of you? Probably not. Somewhere between the two you find a stance that makes sense for you and the cage that you are now in front of.
Drills: The best drill I can give you is more of a concept to use with you and your team. Here it is: When your shooters shoot in practice have them shoot to a specific spot. If they are working on one on ones have them come off their dodge and shoot stick side high. Or far pipe hip. Pick a place and make every one shoot there. They have to work on their accuracy and you can work on your technique. That's the biggest bang for the buck time saver I can give you. You become a better goalie. And they become better shooters. Also, have them shoot from a distance that you are comfortable with in practice. You don't want to be fearful of the ball at any point in practice. I have a couple blog posts on that topic.
So Jenna I hope this helps you. Please let me know if you have any questions. Shoot me an email and let me know what state you're in and keep me posted on your progress.
Kick butt and have fun. If you'd like your coach to get in touch with me you can pass on my email address to them as well.
Jonathan -
www.lacrossegoaltending.blogspot.com
My coach keeps telling me to use the vertical stick feet togethet stance. But I tend to use more of a hockey goalie stance. I tend to get beat up high at times, but I am pretty confident with bounce shots, as I tend to do more of a "butterfly" style hockey save. I am about 5'4. What would you suggest for a stance and stick position??
I have read some things that a goalie is supposed to stop the ball with their stick, but also that it really doesn't matter unless you stop the ball.
My teammates tell me that I am one of the best lacrosse goalies that they have had at my school. But I get really frustrated during games and stuff, because I have the mind set of a hockey goalie. We lost our last game 10-4, but I had 39 saves out of 49 shots. I usually have a 70% to 80% save percentage.
What are tips that you can give to a rookie goalie, regarding stance, stick postition, save type, etc??
Do you have any drills that I can work on myself, with a teammate, or even during practice that can help the whole team??
I've read a lot of things from this site and it has all been a great help!!
Keep up the great work with the site.
Jenna
Here's my answer: Hey there Jenna. Thanks for writing. I was a hockey goalie too at one time and I've watched goalies in hockey evolve over the years since I've played. Lacrosse goalies haven't evolved though so hopefully I can share with you some insight that will help.
Ok...as a hockey goalie with a wide butterfly stance you're not going to be making very "pretty" saves. Your coach has an old style stance in mind for you. The answer is to find a happy medium.
When you're in a wide stance you tend not to step to the ball as much as you should. It's just more difficult to do that. So while you're able to drop and get a lot of those low shots you're probably pretty set on your feet and just rotating your stick down to get them.
You're exactly right though...if you're making a save it's a save. You' just don't want to be giving up any rebounds.
I find that when I play my feet get a bit wide and that lowers me in the cage. I'm 5'8" and you're 5'4". But that's if we are standing straight up with our feet together. So for you, you have 8 inches above your head to the cross bar. If you get into a butterfly stance that drops you even lower so there is a lot of net upstairs to cover. To see just how much you need to move your stick to cover the top of the cage do this little exercise:
Stand on the goal line and turn and face the cage. Now get in your stance. Slowly look up without moving your stick. You can even have your coach take a tape measure and measure how far the top of your stick is to the cross bar. Now, without moving your body, reach your stick to the cross bar. Can you reach it? If the answer is no, you now know that no matter what you do a well placed shot is going to beat you. Try to reach to the off-stick high corner with your stick. So reach across your body. You'll have even more net exposed.
Now stand up a little. Move your feet together and see how far your stick is away from the crossbar. Can you make the save if a ball goes that high?
With all that being said, you never want to get too far from your natural stance. As a hockey goalie you have a stance that you work on daily so you're naturally going to want to get back to that stance. What you need to find is a happy medium between the two. What you want to find is your "athletic stance." Head up, chest up, hips bent, hands out, knees bent, ankles bent, ready to move in any direction. Think short stop in baseball. Think defensive ready position in basketball, or the ready position of a defensive linebacker in football. It's a more upright, more ready to move in any direction type stance. Then you add the stick and bring your top hand up towards your ear without bringing the stick closer to your body. Does that make sense?
If you ever watch Mikka Kiprusoff play for the flames he has two stances almost. He has a wide stance when the puck is in close, but when the puck is out at the point he stands up a bit. His feet come together and he gets nice and tall. That is the stance you want to adopt in the lacrosse goal. If you want to clarify any of this just email me. My email is on the front page of my goalie blog.
Your Coach: Whether or not your coach is a goalie doesn't matter. What he is trying to do is get you to look like all of the other lacrose goalies he has ever seen without truly understanding your height, your hockey background etc. He means well but he's probably just confusing you. I do think you need to stand up a little bit. Just from my experience being a hockey goalie and knowing what the tendencies are I think that's a safe bet. If you have some photos of you in the cage just email them to me and I'll give you a quick critique.
Save Percentage Mentality: Oh Jenna, Jenna, Jenna. I hear your pain on the save percentage thing. Please oh please don't get hung up on it though. The great thing about being a goalie is that we have a stat that no other player on the field has and that is the save percentage. At the end of the day when the scoreboard reads 10-4 and the team thinks they are really bad, we can smile and know that we just played our tail off. Stopping 70-80% of your shots is phenomenal. That's fantastic! 60% average. 65% stellar. 70% you're a stud (studette) 75% take off the princess cape. 80% tiara please. 85% fuggedaboutit. Seriously. From a lacrosse perspective you're doing great. Your team shouldn't be giving up that many shots to begin with. So you're homework is to focus on your save percentage and not the score. You're not going to be pulling down 90% and up like in hockey. The net is too big. The ball comes from all angles. It's just not the same. Got it?
Save Type: Ideally you'd like to catch everything but I think that is over rated. I've posted this on a couple of blogs and I'll repeat it hear: In every sport that has a goalie the goalie never reaches across their body to make a save. Sure, in hockey if someone dumps a puck in from the blue line you may reach across with your glove and pick it out of the air. But for some reason, in lacrosse, we think that should happen all the time and I think that is wrong. The game of lacrosse has gotten so fast that it's just impractical to catch everything with the stick. Over the last couple of years I've experimented with punching my bottom hand at the ball like a blocker in hockey on shots to my off stick hip. It makes no sense to me to try to catch the ball with my stick when I have a perfectly good piece of equipment there (glove) to deflect the ball.
Hockey goalie equipment has evolved over the years. First, pads got wider and were constructed to shut down the five hole. So goalies baited players to shoot there and they dropped to cover the ice. The pads do a lot of the work now. When I was taught to play hockey it was a strictly stand up, kick save style. Which seems really silly now. In fact, you would see goalies get "sloppy" and slip into a butterfly. Intuitively we knew better but coaching habits die hard. A hockey goalie is designed to really block, and deflect the puck. We are taught not to give up rebounds so we try to catch a ton whether that's with our glove or in our shirt. In lacrosse the goalie is basically...well...naked. It seems silly to put a goalie in a bigger goal, with a more active shooter and have him wear less equipment don't you think?
For you as a hockey goalie (and for those reading this who aren't) I think a great exercise would be for you to bring a lacrosse net onto the ice. Get in your hockey equipment and have a shooter with a lacrosse stick. Now get in the cage. Would you get in your butterfly stance? Probably not. Would you stand up with your feet together and your stick straight up and down in front of you? Probably not. Somewhere between the two you find a stance that makes sense for you and the cage that you are now in front of.
Drills: The best drill I can give you is more of a concept to use with you and your team. Here it is: When your shooters shoot in practice have them shoot to a specific spot. If they are working on one on ones have them come off their dodge and shoot stick side high. Or far pipe hip. Pick a place and make every one shoot there. They have to work on their accuracy and you can work on your technique. That's the biggest bang for the buck time saver I can give you. You become a better goalie. And they become better shooters. Also, have them shoot from a distance that you are comfortable with in practice. You don't want to be fearful of the ball at any point in practice. I have a couple blog posts on that topic.
So Jenna I hope this helps you. Please let me know if you have any questions. Shoot me an email and let me know what state you're in and keep me posted on your progress.
Kick butt and have fun. If you'd like your coach to get in touch with me you can pass on my email address to them as well.
Jonathan -
www.lacrossegoaltending.blogspot.com
Saturday, April 19, 2008
How Should Young Female Lacrosse Goalies String Their Sticks? (Boys should read this too!)
Question: Micaela from Minnesota writes:
Hello...
I'm a high school girls goalie coach and was wondering what stringing style my girls should be using?? I recommended soft mesh because they are both beginners - I used soft mesh myself in high school and college at UWEC and it worked fine for me (I was an All American as well). We're in Minnesota so there aren't many lax places we can go to for stringing - both girls currently have hard mesh which is really hard for them to control at all - don't get me started on clearing! There are two guys in the metro that can restring sticks so that we don't have to send them out east -- one of them won't restring to soft mesh for them - the other wants to know what kind of stringing style they want - what should I tell him? Our season starts in a couple weeks and it only lasts about a month so I'd like to get it done soon. Thanks!
Answer:
Micaela sorry for the delay in the response of this email. We just had a baby and things have been really nuts so I'm a bit backlogged.
You're in a tough situation. I've noticed with girls that one of the limiting factors for stickhandling ability is hand and wrist strength. If you give them a shallow pocket they will be able to throw further but any sort of cradling is iffy at best. Give them a really deep pocket and they can't move the stick well enough to get any distance on the ball.
My experience with soft mesh is that it creates a lot of rebounds because it can be really springy. And once it gets wet it shrinks up like a teaspoon. Being in Minnesota you're going to have some wet days due to late snow unless you're playing inside all the time. But even then, one wet day and you're hooped.
When he asks for stringing "style" I'm not sure what he means by that. He may just mean deep or shallow. Just ask what he means and don't be embarassed. Communication is key in just about everything.
I'm a big believer in having a stick that allows girls to throw a decent distance over being able to cradle with it. My experience has shown me that most girls aren't strong enough to handle a stick with a really deep pocket. If you work with your team on clearing then she should have plenty of time to find the open teammate on the clear with a nice, well thought out pass. If your team is shaky on clearing then you aren't giving them much of a chance to clear anyway.
My suggestion would be to sting up those sticks with hard mesh and slightly shallow. When I say shallow I mean put a deep pocket in it and then tighten up the sidewalls. Leave the string at the throat of the stick as loose as possible without leaving a hole for the ball to go through.
Then have the girls work on upper body strength. I've had great results teaching girls a simple proper push up with great form. If you email me I can tell you more about that. My email is on my blog.
By increasing their upper body strength you are now helping them in a number of areas, not just throwing the ball and handling the stick.
Hopefully that helps Micaela. Email me if you need anything else.
Jonathan -
www.lacrossegoaltending.blogspot.com
Hello...
I'm a high school girls goalie coach and was wondering what stringing style my girls should be using?? I recommended soft mesh because they are both beginners - I used soft mesh myself in high school and college at UWEC and it worked fine for me (I was an All American as well). We're in Minnesota so there aren't many lax places we can go to for stringing - both girls currently have hard mesh which is really hard for them to control at all - don't get me started on clearing! There are two guys in the metro that can restring sticks so that we don't have to send them out east -- one of them won't restring to soft mesh for them - the other wants to know what kind of stringing style they want - what should I tell him? Our season starts in a couple weeks and it only lasts about a month so I'd like to get it done soon. Thanks!
Answer:
Micaela sorry for the delay in the response of this email. We just had a baby and things have been really nuts so I'm a bit backlogged.
You're in a tough situation. I've noticed with girls that one of the limiting factors for stickhandling ability is hand and wrist strength. If you give them a shallow pocket they will be able to throw further but any sort of cradling is iffy at best. Give them a really deep pocket and they can't move the stick well enough to get any distance on the ball.
My experience with soft mesh is that it creates a lot of rebounds because it can be really springy. And once it gets wet it shrinks up like a teaspoon. Being in Minnesota you're going to have some wet days due to late snow unless you're playing inside all the time. But even then, one wet day and you're hooped.
When he asks for stringing "style" I'm not sure what he means by that. He may just mean deep or shallow. Just ask what he means and don't be embarassed. Communication is key in just about everything.
I'm a big believer in having a stick that allows girls to throw a decent distance over being able to cradle with it. My experience has shown me that most girls aren't strong enough to handle a stick with a really deep pocket. If you work with your team on clearing then she should have plenty of time to find the open teammate on the clear with a nice, well thought out pass. If your team is shaky on clearing then you aren't giving them much of a chance to clear anyway.
My suggestion would be to sting up those sticks with hard mesh and slightly shallow. When I say shallow I mean put a deep pocket in it and then tighten up the sidewalls. Leave the string at the throat of the stick as loose as possible without leaving a hole for the ball to go through.
Then have the girls work on upper body strength. I've had great results teaching girls a simple proper push up with great form. If you email me I can tell you more about that. My email is on my blog.
By increasing their upper body strength you are now helping them in a number of areas, not just throwing the ball and handling the stick.
Hopefully that helps Micaela. Email me if you need anything else.
Jonathan -
www.lacrossegoaltending.blogspot.com
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