Question: I have a question regarding my play. I am a goalie starting my third year in the net as a senior. I play for a club out of Wilmington Ohio. but heres my question. i am giving up allot of goals to my non stick side and 5 hole. and when we lose a game i feel like its my fault. which allot of it is, but i also get about an average of 70 shots on the cage a game and save most but i let allot. any recommendations on what i should do to improve my game? him also doing allot of AB and strength workouts in the weight room 4 days a week!
Answer: Zac you shouldn't feel that it's your fault when you guys lose a game. If your team was any good they wouldn't need a goalie. And if they are letting up 70 shots a game that's a player/coaching issue.
The good thing about playing on a bad team is that you are getting a ton of shots to work on. It's better than playing on a good team where you are getting less shots.
It's awesome you are hitting the weight room. Train like a football player would train and you'll be well on your way to becoming a more explosive and talented lacrosse goalie.
Jonathan-
www.lacrossegoaltending.blogspot.com
www.lacrossegoaltendingforum.com
Showing posts with label New Goalie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Goalie. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
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
Friday, May 16, 2008
Mom Wants To Know What Lacrosse Stick To Buy For Her New Goalie?
New Lax Mom Writes: Hi, My son is just completing his first season in lacrosse and is in love. He is a goalie and has borrowed his coach's stick this season ( we wanted to make sure he really liked the position before buying another set of lacrosse equipment) and I was hoping to get your suggestions on a shaft and head. I was hoping to spend $150 total since we're also getting him a goal and sending him to lacrosse camp at F&M in Pa. He is tall for his age, about 100 lbs and athletically inclined( he is captain of both his football and lacrosse teams)What should I get him without going overboard but not doing him a disservice? He really wants a custom stringing job in his teams black and red colors which I found at sportsunlimited.Thanks for the help,
A new LAX mom
Answer: Hey there Pam! Welcome to the wonderful world of the goaltending parent. In lacrosse however, the goaltending position is actually cheaper than playing anywhere else ultimately.
My suggestion on the stick is to get an Excalibur head by STX and then go with a very light shaft. I would wait on the goal for this year and buy him a titanium shaft if that is in the budget. It is one of those things where if you spend the money on the titanium now you will never need to buy him another shaft. I STILL have a shaft from high school that I still use. (I'm 36) That's eighteen years of playing with the same shaft. Anything less than titanium and you risk having it break, bend, or crack. Just my thoughts. That would be the ULTIMATE in a stick for your son but then you should never have him asking, "But mooooom (whiny voice) can I puhleeze get (another stick) this year???"
The thing about goalie sticks in general is that they don't change much. Not nearly as much as an attack stick. So if you invest in this stick now you will have to invest less later. The only thing I will warn you about in advance is that he should have two sticks eventually that are identical. That way if he breaks a head or a string in a game he has a back up that is ready to go. I almost feel you would be doing him a disservice with anything else. If you don't want to do the titanium you can buy him a good, inexpensive alloy shaft that will be light but not nearly as durable. The good thing about goalie sticks is that they don't take the abuse as often as other players sticks but if he does get caught out of the cage and gets stick checked then he's fair game for a breakage. I'm trying to save you money in the long run.
So if it's the goal or a cheaper shaft versus a better shaft now and a goal let's say next year then I'd go with the shaft. I would also save on the custom string job and go all white. He'll be bummed but if you have him look at the majority of the best goalies in the country they all have white sticks with white mesh and lacings. I had a custom string job back in high school for about a week untill I broke a lace. Guess what went in the stick? A white lace. Yeah, that looked REALLY cool with my black and orange string job that I spent extra money on. I looked like welfare goalie with the funky string job. If he wants to be a great goalie it starts right now and it starts with a very professional stick. Go all white with the Excalibur head, white hard mesh (10-12diamond) and a titanium shaft. You can do no better now it's up to him to play like a champ. He doesn't need the goal anyway, he's not shooting.
I know what it's like buying equipment for your kids. Will he like it? Will he stick with it? Sounds like your guy is fine and will stick with it. But don't be surprised if your $150 budget is a little low. In the long run you will save a ton of money by spending a little bit more now.
Oh wait. I just read that your son is 11. Skip the titanium for now because he is surely going to grow. Go with an inexpensive alloy that is light. You will be replacing that as he gets taller. Please, please, please don't make the mistake of giving him a long shaft that he can "grow into." That would be a major disservice. You want him to always have a shaft that fits his body. Not seeing him I would recommend a 30-35" shaft on that excalibur head. If he shaft is too long it will affect his play tremendously for the worse. If it's the right length it will help with his throwing mechanics and his movement when making saves.
Hope that helps Pam. Let me know if you need any clarification. My email address is on my blog so please keep me up to date on how your son does. Great job on sending him to a camp. That is one of the best things you can do for him. The more coaching he has at a young age the better he will be. You can always pass my email on to him if he has any question. He can email me directly.
Talk to you soon Pam. And remember, "Goals go in. And if his team was good enough they wouldn't need a goalie." Just some words I like to pass on to the parents.
Best of luck and stay in touch.
Jonathan -
www.lacrossegoaltending.blogspot.com
A new LAX mom
Answer: Hey there Pam! Welcome to the wonderful world of the goaltending parent. In lacrosse however, the goaltending position is actually cheaper than playing anywhere else ultimately.
My suggestion on the stick is to get an Excalibur head by STX and then go with a very light shaft. I would wait on the goal for this year and buy him a titanium shaft if that is in the budget. It is one of those things where if you spend the money on the titanium now you will never need to buy him another shaft. I STILL have a shaft from high school that I still use. (I'm 36) That's eighteen years of playing with the same shaft. Anything less than titanium and you risk having it break, bend, or crack. Just my thoughts. That would be the ULTIMATE in a stick for your son but then you should never have him asking, "But mooooom (whiny voice) can I puhleeze get (another stick) this year???"
The thing about goalie sticks in general is that they don't change much. Not nearly as much as an attack stick. So if you invest in this stick now you will have to invest less later. The only thing I will warn you about in advance is that he should have two sticks eventually that are identical. That way if he breaks a head or a string in a game he has a back up that is ready to go. I almost feel you would be doing him a disservice with anything else. If you don't want to do the titanium you can buy him a good, inexpensive alloy shaft that will be light but not nearly as durable. The good thing about goalie sticks is that they don't take the abuse as often as other players sticks but if he does get caught out of the cage and gets stick checked then he's fair game for a breakage. I'm trying to save you money in the long run.
So if it's the goal or a cheaper shaft versus a better shaft now and a goal let's say next year then I'd go with the shaft. I would also save on the custom string job and go all white. He'll be bummed but if you have him look at the majority of the best goalies in the country they all have white sticks with white mesh and lacings. I had a custom string job back in high school for about a week untill I broke a lace. Guess what went in the stick? A white lace. Yeah, that looked REALLY cool with my black and orange string job that I spent extra money on. I looked like welfare goalie with the funky string job. If he wants to be a great goalie it starts right now and it starts with a very professional stick. Go all white with the Excalibur head, white hard mesh (10-12diamond) and a titanium shaft. You can do no better now it's up to him to play like a champ. He doesn't need the goal anyway, he's not shooting.
I know what it's like buying equipment for your kids. Will he like it? Will he stick with it? Sounds like your guy is fine and will stick with it. But don't be surprised if your $150 budget is a little low. In the long run you will save a ton of money by spending a little bit more now.
Oh wait. I just read that your son is 11. Skip the titanium for now because he is surely going to grow. Go with an inexpensive alloy that is light. You will be replacing that as he gets taller. Please, please, please don't make the mistake of giving him a long shaft that he can "grow into." That would be a major disservice. You want him to always have a shaft that fits his body. Not seeing him I would recommend a 30-35" shaft on that excalibur head. If he shaft is too long it will affect his play tremendously for the worse. If it's the right length it will help with his throwing mechanics and his movement when making saves.
Hope that helps Pam. Let me know if you need any clarification. My email address is on my blog so please keep me up to date on how your son does. Great job on sending him to a camp. That is one of the best things you can do for him. The more coaching he has at a young age the better he will be. You can always pass my email on to him if he has any question. He can email me directly.
Talk to you soon Pam. And remember, "Goals go in. And if his team was good enough they wouldn't need a goalie." Just some words I like to pass on to the parents.
Best of luck and stay in touch.
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
Friday, April 11, 2008
Lacrosse Goale Wants To Know How To Stop Flinching
Marshall from Laramie, Wyoming writes:Hey my name is Marshall and I live in Laramie WY. We started our season about a month ago. Our team needs two goalies so I volunteered, but I have a hard time following the ball and not flinching. I was wondered if you had any tips that would dramatically help me.
This was my response: Marshall buddy. Flinching is just a natural response to anything that you are unsure about. The reason you flinch when the ball comes at you is because your brain knows that if it hits you hard enough in the right spot you could die. So here's the deal...
1) Make sure you are wearing enough equipment so that when you do get hit with the ball you won't get injured. As you get better at stopping the ball you can shed some of the extra gear. But while you are getting started wear more than enough so you feel confident you won't get hurt.
2) Get shot on in practice from a distance you feel comfortable. If that means the best guy on the team shoots from twenty yards and the worst guy on your team shoots from ten yards that's ok. Just make sure that in practice you feel safe, that way you can work on your technique and can focus on moving to the ball properly.
3) Game pain is "pain with a purpose." Many goalies find that they don't mind getting hit a couple times when they make a save in a game. It's getting hit with a ball in practice that sucks. So minimize the chances of getting hit in practice or wear more equipment so you don't worry about getting hit.
As I mentioned above you don't have to be like this forever. Just wear enough equipment so your confident. Big confidence is the best thing you can have that will dramatically help you.
When your brain isn't fearful of getting hit it will focus on the ball better. Right now it doesn't want to focus on the ball because it knows naturally that it's going to hurt like hell when it hits you.
Good luck and let me know how it goes.
Jonathan Edwards-
www.LacrosseGoaltending.blogspot.com
This was my response: Marshall buddy. Flinching is just a natural response to anything that you are unsure about. The reason you flinch when the ball comes at you is because your brain knows that if it hits you hard enough in the right spot you could die. So here's the deal...
1) Make sure you are wearing enough equipment so that when you do get hit with the ball you won't get injured. As you get better at stopping the ball you can shed some of the extra gear. But while you are getting started wear more than enough so you feel confident you won't get hurt.
2) Get shot on in practice from a distance you feel comfortable. If that means the best guy on the team shoots from twenty yards and the worst guy on your team shoots from ten yards that's ok. Just make sure that in practice you feel safe, that way you can work on your technique and can focus on moving to the ball properly.
3) Game pain is "pain with a purpose." Many goalies find that they don't mind getting hit a couple times when they make a save in a game. It's getting hit with a ball in practice that sucks. So minimize the chances of getting hit in practice or wear more equipment so you don't worry about getting hit.
As I mentioned above you don't have to be like this forever. Just wear enough equipment so your confident. Big confidence is the best thing you can have that will dramatically help you.
When your brain isn't fearful of getting hit it will focus on the ball better. Right now it doesn't want to focus on the ball because it knows naturally that it's going to hurt like hell when it hits you.
Good luck and let me know how it goes.
Jonathan Edwards-
www.LacrosseGoaltending.blogspot.com
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Interesting Question About Clamping The Lacrosse Ball for Goalies
Ok I got this question from a sixth grader named Mike. The question was, "How does hard mesh in a new goalie stick affect clamping?"
Hmm...Can't say I've ever really thought of this. Here is my answer:
Mike clamping the ball is the last thing you should be worrying about.
This is an interesting question and not one I've ever received before so it's made me have to think a little bit.
When you clamp the ball your goal is to gain control of the ball, rake it into the crease (if it's outside) and get the ball into your stick. My experience tells me that brand new hard mesh would not be an issue. What is more of an issue is if your top shooting string is too loose then the ball gets hung up on the plastic when you go to rake the ball.
That would be more of an issue. Otherwise, hard mesh has way too many benefits over soft mesh, and I would never recommend going with soft mesh so you could clamp the ball better.
Clamping on a list of priorities goes something like this:
1) Stopping the ball.
2) Catching the ball.
3) Throwing the ball.
4) Cradling the ball. (You an throw a ball without ever having to cradle)
and way down on the end of the list would be clamping. It's really an afterthought to so many other priorities.
Great question though mike. It brings up an important point I'd like to make. Don't focus on the little things. Focus on the big things. I'm going to guess that you're a pretty analytical kid who likes to have all the answers. I was like you as well at that age so I'd like to tell you that you're on the way to doing great things in this game. But at your age there are soooo many other things to be focusing on. Like your strength. Your visualization. And your stick skills among others. It is rare in a game that you have the time (or need) to stand over the ball clamping it to the ground. It does come in handy around the crease. But stay focused on the big things buddy! Hope this helps. Let me know how it goes.
Jonathan-
www.LacrosseGoaltending.blogspot.com
Hmm...Can't say I've ever really thought of this. Here is my answer:
Mike clamping the ball is the last thing you should be worrying about.
This is an interesting question and not one I've ever received before so it's made me have to think a little bit.
When you clamp the ball your goal is to gain control of the ball, rake it into the crease (if it's outside) and get the ball into your stick. My experience tells me that brand new hard mesh would not be an issue. What is more of an issue is if your top shooting string is too loose then the ball gets hung up on the plastic when you go to rake the ball.
That would be more of an issue. Otherwise, hard mesh has way too many benefits over soft mesh, and I would never recommend going with soft mesh so you could clamp the ball better.
Clamping on a list of priorities goes something like this:
1) Stopping the ball.
2) Catching the ball.
3) Throwing the ball.
4) Cradling the ball. (You an throw a ball without ever having to cradle)
and way down on the end of the list would be clamping. It's really an afterthought to so many other priorities.
Great question though mike. It brings up an important point I'd like to make. Don't focus on the little things. Focus on the big things. I'm going to guess that you're a pretty analytical kid who likes to have all the answers. I was like you as well at that age so I'd like to tell you that you're on the way to doing great things in this game. But at your age there are soooo many other things to be focusing on. Like your strength. Your visualization. And your stick skills among others. It is rare in a game that you have the time (or need) to stand over the ball clamping it to the ground. It does come in handy around the crease. But stay focused on the big things buddy! Hope this helps. Let me know how it goes.
Jonathan-
www.LacrosseGoaltending.blogspot.com
Lacrosse Goalies Need The Right Equipment Or Else They Die. Seriously!
For those of you who have been reading this blog for a while, you know how I feel about equipment. There is such an old-school (read "stupid") mentality about lacrosse gear for goalies that it just floors me. I found this article recently about a goalie down in Florida. I don't know him. But the story is something that every parent, coach, and athlete should read. I teared up when I read this because I have taken many balls in the chest like this. Every athletic director should read this blog and read this article because then maybe they will never cheap out on equipment (especially chest protectors) again. Personally, I tell parents and goalies that they should invest in their own equipment right away. Typically it is better than anything the school will give you. And why would you risk a life over cheap equipment.
I'd love to hear peoples feedback on this. Let me know what you think.
Here's thelink: Lacrosse Goalie Struck In Chest
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/030708/met_254598207.shtml
I'd love to hear peoples feedback on this. Let me know what you think.
Here's thelink: Lacrosse Goalie Struck In Chest
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/030708/met_254598207.shtml
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 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.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
A new goalie writes in from Ireland
Question: I have only played for about 3-4 weeks now in goal but love the position. After next weeks scrimmages we will be going into off season for the Christmas break, a period of about 1 1/2 month. I was wondering have you any tips for me as a beginner goalie on how to keep training while at home for the Christmas. By the by no-one in my home town plays lacrosse. Any help would be appreciated.
Yours in Goaltending
Kevin
Answer: Congrats on taking up the best position in Lacrosse!
By the way, a guy from my original home town of South Weymouth, Massachusetts I believe was one of the captains for the Irish team. The name escapes me but I played with him when I was younger.
You say you're not quite fit. Does that mean you're out of breath and are a small guy? Or are you a big guy?
Either way the best thing you can do while you are at home is to work on your stick skills. And this you can do with any flat wall. Hopefully you can find a flat brick wall near your home and you can throw balls at it. This serves a couple of purposes, first it keeps your eyes trained on the ball. Really watch theball all the way into your stick as it rebounds off the wall. This one little habit, tracking the ball into your stick, will help you repeatedly as you play. The other thing it does is help you with your stick skills. Try to work a cradle in when you throw the ball back to the wall. Think of it as a stick fake or a "pump fake" similar to a American Football player faking to one guy and throwing to another. If you are a big guy and not quite mobile it's vital you at least have great stick skills so you can pass the ball to anyone on the field who is open. Nothing worse than seeing a big guy, who can't hang on to the ball get hammered by a little speedy attackman and get scored on.
One of the greatest goalies of all time was a guy named Sal Locasio. I'm talking big, like probably 250-300 pounds big. But he had amazing hands. I even saw him score a goal once. His stick skills are what made all the difference.
Now seeing that no one in your area playes lacrosse you can get a little creative in trying to keep your skills up. If you can find a friend who plays tennis they can always serve tennis balls at you. Tennis balls are actually a great way to refine your skills. You immediately know the ball won't hurt so you can focus on stopping the ball. If you have any hurler friends they can always whack balls at you. Talk about getting your pain tolerance up!
Or you can have a buddy kick soccer balls at you. This may sound a bit odd but really, when you think about it, the larger ball is easier to see. You will be practicing reacting to the ball. (Any ball will do.) Use your stick. When goalies have a tough time seeing the ball I often recommend training with a larger ball perhaps an American Softball or even a cricket training ball would work. You need to be creative.
A small drill you can work on to help you with your footwork is a one-legged hop up the stairs. Stand on one leg, and jump to the first step with the same leg. Keep your upper body in a stance as you would playing in the goal. Try to keep your upper body still and use your legs and hips to drive up to the second stair. This one little move will help you get the muscles activated that are responsible for stepping to the ball. You can do them every time you see a stair case if you'd like. Just make sure your knees are healthy enough to do it. Start slow and work up to a couple sets of 8-10 reps keeping great form.
If you can hit the gym at all try to work on squats to get your hips in shape. Again, if you are a big guy, big guys typically don't like to bend at the knees. So it's important to strengthen the legs so you can move to shots taken at you down low. My first recommendation to my shooters when we see a larger goalie is to shoot low as their mobility is often suspect.
That should get you started Kevin. Email me with any other questions you may have. I'm going to add your address to my newsletter list as well. Kick ass.
Jonathan -
Yours in Goaltending
Kevin
Answer: Congrats on taking up the best position in Lacrosse!
By the way, a guy from my original home town of South Weymouth, Massachusetts I believe was one of the captains for the Irish team. The name escapes me but I played with him when I was younger.
You say you're not quite fit. Does that mean you're out of breath and are a small guy? Or are you a big guy?
Either way the best thing you can do while you are at home is to work on your stick skills. And this you can do with any flat wall. Hopefully you can find a flat brick wall near your home and you can throw balls at it. This serves a couple of purposes, first it keeps your eyes trained on the ball. Really watch theball all the way into your stick as it rebounds off the wall. This one little habit, tracking the ball into your stick, will help you repeatedly as you play. The other thing it does is help you with your stick skills. Try to work a cradle in when you throw the ball back to the wall. Think of it as a stick fake or a "pump fake" similar to a American Football player faking to one guy and throwing to another. If you are a big guy and not quite mobile it's vital you at least have great stick skills so you can pass the ball to anyone on the field who is open. Nothing worse than seeing a big guy, who can't hang on to the ball get hammered by a little speedy attackman and get scored on.
One of the greatest goalies of all time was a guy named Sal Locasio. I'm talking big, like probably 250-300 pounds big. But he had amazing hands. I even saw him score a goal once. His stick skills are what made all the difference.
Now seeing that no one in your area playes lacrosse you can get a little creative in trying to keep your skills up. If you can find a friend who plays tennis they can always serve tennis balls at you. Tennis balls are actually a great way to refine your skills. You immediately know the ball won't hurt so you can focus on stopping the ball. If you have any hurler friends they can always whack balls at you. Talk about getting your pain tolerance up!
Or you can have a buddy kick soccer balls at you. This may sound a bit odd but really, when you think about it, the larger ball is easier to see. You will be practicing reacting to the ball. (Any ball will do.) Use your stick. When goalies have a tough time seeing the ball I often recommend training with a larger ball perhaps an American Softball or even a cricket training ball would work. You need to be creative.
A small drill you can work on to help you with your footwork is a one-legged hop up the stairs. Stand on one leg, and jump to the first step with the same leg. Keep your upper body in a stance as you would playing in the goal. Try to keep your upper body still and use your legs and hips to drive up to the second stair. This one little move will help you get the muscles activated that are responsible for stepping to the ball. You can do them every time you see a stair case if you'd like. Just make sure your knees are healthy enough to do it. Start slow and work up to a couple sets of 8-10 reps keeping great form.
If you can hit the gym at all try to work on squats to get your hips in shape. Again, if you are a big guy, big guys typically don't like to bend at the knees. So it's important to strengthen the legs so you can move to shots taken at you down low. My first recommendation to my shooters when we see a larger goalie is to shoot low as their mobility is often suspect.
That should get you started Kevin. Email me with any other questions you may have. I'm going to add your address to my newsletter list as well. Kick ass.
Jonathan -
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