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 -
Showing posts with label making saves. Show all posts
Showing posts with label making saves. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
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 -
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
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, July 28, 2007
The Anatomy of a Shot
We talk a lot about what to do once the ball leaves the shooters stick. But let's talk a bit about what happens BEFORE the shot is taken.
Rarely does a shooter have "time and room" to shoot the ball. This is where the shooter has received a pass, or a ground ball, and he has all sorts of time to shoot without having a defender in his face or a stick across his hands.
Most of the time he is getting hounded and the main thought going through his head is not of where to shoot but on the defender in front of him. This is great news for the goalie because that means the shooter is distracted.
Keeping that pressure on the shooter in mind it's no wonder shooters will tend to shoot at the first open space they see when looking at the cage.
Here are three things the shooter thinks while they are shooting the ball:
1) Placement: The shooter sees an open spot. Or they want to shoot the ball to a certain area and they go for it. In this instance the shooter is trying to place the ball into the cage. This involves a pretty high level of skill and confidence in that the shooter thinks that he is going to hit that spot.
Pros for the shooter: If they have the accuracy they can really put the goalie in trouble by shooting to his weaknesses. Shots to the off-stick side obviously are the toughest for the goalie. If the shooter can hit it that's awesome.
Pros for the goalie: Typically a sightly slower shot because the shooter is trading off speed for accuracy. At higher levels of lacrosse shooters have greater accuracy AND velocity so this isn't always the case. But as shooters get more accurate they tend to shoot for smaller spaces (i.e. just inside the pipe, for the corners, etc.) this increases their chances for hitting the pipe or missing the cage completely.
2) Velocity: In this case the shooter doesn't really care where he shoots he's just trying to blow the ball by the goalie. Sure, he's got a spot in mind where he'd like to put the ball but he's still thinking speed.
Remember that every save breaks down to one thing: The ability of the goalie to get something in front of the ball BEORE the ball gets there. That's it. There's nothing else. So with that in mind, if a shooter can reach a certain speed with his shot it can completely eliminate the ability for the goalie to get something in front of the ball.
Pros for the shooter: If the shooter can shoot fast enough the goalie doesn't have a chance to save the ball because he physically can't move fast enough.
Pros for the goalie: Shooters who shoot for velocity tend to telegraph their shots. You can tell where they are shooting by the wind up of their stick. Shooters that shoot high tend to wind up high. Shooting low, they tend to drop the stick. (Beware the submarine shot that starts low but ends up in the top of the cage.)
Shooters that shoot for speed tend to not be as accurate. They will occaisionally miss the cage and this is obviously an advantage to the goalie. It's important to watch the wind up and to start moving in that direction even before the shot is released. For instance, if the wind up is going high your body can start moving up even before the shot is released, We are trying to steal just precious miliseconds by doing that even though we don't know exactly where it is going.
3) Deception. Trickery. This is where the shooter does something with his stick to hide the shot, or make it look like the ball is going on way while it actually goes somewhere else.
Pros for the shooter: Any time you can trick the goalie you have an advantage.
Pros for the goalie: That half second it takes the shooter to throw his fake is an extra half second for our defender to check the shooter.
Also, trick shots tend to go to a certain spot, so if you can recognize the fake you can usually start moving before the shooter even gets there. For example, the shooter fakes high and shoots low. You can honor that first fake and start to drop to make the save. Most shooters are shot, fake high shoot low. But what they forget is that the goal of faking high is to get the goalie to move high. But rarely do shooters actually see what the goalie does. They just go into their fake high shoot low program and do that. But if the goalie doesn't fall for the first fake, they have the advantage because they know where the shot is going.
Another pro for the goalie is that trick shots or fakes sometime go awry. Shots taken behind the back are rarely as accurate than those taken in front of the body. So when a shooter resorts to shooting behind the back you have a bit of an advantage. The challenge for the goalie is recognizing the behind the back shot.
Even standard fakes can go wrong. I've seen a lot of fakes in my lifetime where the shooter fakes, brings the stick back to reset and the ball flies out of the top of the stick.
What The Shooter Sees First He Will Shoot At
Hockey goalies are brilliant at giving things and then taking them away. Great for goaltending. Horrible at Christmas.
The five hole is the spot between the goalies legs. And it's a great spot for shooters to shoot at because it is this big gaping hole. But the hockey goalie will actually spread his legs so that the shooter thinks he has more to shoot at than he really does and then close his legs at the last second to stuff the shot.
So in lacrosse, shooters tend to have a lot of pressuer on them. They are running by a defender who is checking him so he doesn't have a ton of time to think. So when he takes a shot he's looking at the cage, seeing something to shoot at, and then going for it.
A Hard Lesson Learned
Back when I was in high school I was playing in a pretty big tournament and we had a night game so I was pretty pumped, and a little cocky.
I had gotten a hold of a pair of neon yellow compression shorts and thought it was a great opportunity to wear them. My game shorts were a little small, so when I got in my stance my game shorts rose up just above the neon yellow compression shorts and under the stadium lights those shorts were bright!
Guess what happened?
We got trounced. Pretty much every shot that was taken on me was hip high. Just above those neon yellow shorts. When I watched the video later it was obvious. Under the lighting conditions those neon shorts were drawing the attention of the shooters and they were shooting there! Probably the toughest save to make and I was basically telling the shooters to shoot there. Not really doing much for my odds now that's for sure.
But what it taught me was how, under pressure, shooters will shoot at what draws there attention first. They don't have time to think, "Geez, where should I put this thing. Off-stick? Nah...stick side looks better. Nah...maybe between the legs."
They don't have time for any of that that. What they are really thinking goes something like this..."Holy sh!!!!! That hurt! Ow! Oh my God! Shoot!!!!!!"
That's about it. See space. Shoot.
We'll talk more in the future about how we can use this to our advantage.
Until then. Give me your feedback on this post and we'll talk more about it.
jone94@shaw.ca
Rarely does a shooter have "time and room" to shoot the ball. This is where the shooter has received a pass, or a ground ball, and he has all sorts of time to shoot without having a defender in his face or a stick across his hands.
Most of the time he is getting hounded and the main thought going through his head is not of where to shoot but on the defender in front of him. This is great news for the goalie because that means the shooter is distracted.
Keeping that pressure on the shooter in mind it's no wonder shooters will tend to shoot at the first open space they see when looking at the cage.
Here are three things the shooter thinks while they are shooting the ball:
1) Placement: The shooter sees an open spot. Or they want to shoot the ball to a certain area and they go for it. In this instance the shooter is trying to place the ball into the cage. This involves a pretty high level of skill and confidence in that the shooter thinks that he is going to hit that spot.
Pros for the shooter: If they have the accuracy they can really put the goalie in trouble by shooting to his weaknesses. Shots to the off-stick side obviously are the toughest for the goalie. If the shooter can hit it that's awesome.
Pros for the goalie: Typically a sightly slower shot because the shooter is trading off speed for accuracy. At higher levels of lacrosse shooters have greater accuracy AND velocity so this isn't always the case. But as shooters get more accurate they tend to shoot for smaller spaces (i.e. just inside the pipe, for the corners, etc.) this increases their chances for hitting the pipe or missing the cage completely.
2) Velocity: In this case the shooter doesn't really care where he shoots he's just trying to blow the ball by the goalie. Sure, he's got a spot in mind where he'd like to put the ball but he's still thinking speed.
Remember that every save breaks down to one thing: The ability of the goalie to get something in front of the ball BEORE the ball gets there. That's it. There's nothing else. So with that in mind, if a shooter can reach a certain speed with his shot it can completely eliminate the ability for the goalie to get something in front of the ball.
Pros for the shooter: If the shooter can shoot fast enough the goalie doesn't have a chance to save the ball because he physically can't move fast enough.
Pros for the goalie: Shooters who shoot for velocity tend to telegraph their shots. You can tell where they are shooting by the wind up of their stick. Shooters that shoot high tend to wind up high. Shooting low, they tend to drop the stick. (Beware the submarine shot that starts low but ends up in the top of the cage.)
Shooters that shoot for speed tend to not be as accurate. They will occaisionally miss the cage and this is obviously an advantage to the goalie. It's important to watch the wind up and to start moving in that direction even before the shot is released. For instance, if the wind up is going high your body can start moving up even before the shot is released, We are trying to steal just precious miliseconds by doing that even though we don't know exactly where it is going.
3) Deception. Trickery. This is where the shooter does something with his stick to hide the shot, or make it look like the ball is going on way while it actually goes somewhere else.
Pros for the shooter: Any time you can trick the goalie you have an advantage.
Pros for the goalie: That half second it takes the shooter to throw his fake is an extra half second for our defender to check the shooter.
Also, trick shots tend to go to a certain spot, so if you can recognize the fake you can usually start moving before the shooter even gets there. For example, the shooter fakes high and shoots low. You can honor that first fake and start to drop to make the save. Most shooters are shot, fake high shoot low. But what they forget is that the goal of faking high is to get the goalie to move high. But rarely do shooters actually see what the goalie does. They just go into their fake high shoot low program and do that. But if the goalie doesn't fall for the first fake, they have the advantage because they know where the shot is going.
Another pro for the goalie is that trick shots or fakes sometime go awry. Shots taken behind the back are rarely as accurate than those taken in front of the body. So when a shooter resorts to shooting behind the back you have a bit of an advantage. The challenge for the goalie is recognizing the behind the back shot.
Even standard fakes can go wrong. I've seen a lot of fakes in my lifetime where the shooter fakes, brings the stick back to reset and the ball flies out of the top of the stick.
What The Shooter Sees First He Will Shoot At
Hockey goalies are brilliant at giving things and then taking them away. Great for goaltending. Horrible at Christmas.
The five hole is the spot between the goalies legs. And it's a great spot for shooters to shoot at because it is this big gaping hole. But the hockey goalie will actually spread his legs so that the shooter thinks he has more to shoot at than he really does and then close his legs at the last second to stuff the shot.
So in lacrosse, shooters tend to have a lot of pressuer on them. They are running by a defender who is checking him so he doesn't have a ton of time to think. So when he takes a shot he's looking at the cage, seeing something to shoot at, and then going for it.
A Hard Lesson Learned
Back when I was in high school I was playing in a pretty big tournament and we had a night game so I was pretty pumped, and a little cocky.
I had gotten a hold of a pair of neon yellow compression shorts and thought it was a great opportunity to wear them. My game shorts were a little small, so when I got in my stance my game shorts rose up just above the neon yellow compression shorts and under the stadium lights those shorts were bright!
Guess what happened?
We got trounced. Pretty much every shot that was taken on me was hip high. Just above those neon yellow shorts. When I watched the video later it was obvious. Under the lighting conditions those neon shorts were drawing the attention of the shooters and they were shooting there! Probably the toughest save to make and I was basically telling the shooters to shoot there. Not really doing much for my odds now that's for sure.
But what it taught me was how, under pressure, shooters will shoot at what draws there attention first. They don't have time to think, "Geez, where should I put this thing. Off-stick? Nah...stick side looks better. Nah...maybe between the legs."
They don't have time for any of that that. What they are really thinking goes something like this..."Holy sh!!!!! That hurt! Ow! Oh my God! Shoot!!!!!!"
That's about it. See space. Shoot.
We'll talk more in the future about how we can use this to our advantage.
Until then. Give me your feedback on this post and we'll talk more about it.
jone94@shaw.ca
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