Sports and Leisure Magazine Dec 2006
GOALIE STAPLES
When evaluating goalies for technique, there is more to look for than simply what his or her butterfly looks like. Assuming that they are all able to make the first save, there tends to be three categories that coaches and parents should identify for a more in depth evaluation: Number One - Skating Ability, Number Two - Recovery Time after saves, and Number Three - Rebound Control. These categories hold true for all goalies at any level. For instance, when working with my Division 1 goalies at Niagara University, these are the three aspects I spend the most time with during training. As well as, when coaching young goalies, these are the aspects I absolutely build a foundation with.
Skating:
Skating is the most important aspect to goaltending. The best goalies are fluid on their skates and their movements allow them to be in the "right place" all the time. Being a strong skater comes from doing repetitions over and over again. This enables the goalie to move with ease around the net. There are many drills that can be done to improve skating, specifically working on crease drills and skating the alphabet. There is an ample amount of time during practice to work on skating so make sure that this is a high priority.
Recovery:
This is something that distances good and great goalies. The speed in which he or she recovers as well as the proper technique. Is the goalie able to make just one save and then has to scramble? Or, does he or she seem to be able to make multiple saves look easy? This comes from the goalie's recovery. Proper emphasis should be placed on recovering with the proper leg, as well as, hand and stick positioning. Tracking the puck and being able to make rebound saves look easy also comes from training and should be a theme in practices all season long
Rebound Control
Goaltending is more than just making the first save and hoping that team defence will do the rest. With the new rules in place, there are many more scoring opportunities now and goalies are being forced to come up with their own rebounds. The best way to help with rebounds is to eliminate them all together. Freezing the puck or stopping the puck clean, with out a rebound, significantly increases his or her chances for success; but if there is a rebound left the positioning of it will help the goalie's chances of stopping it. Kicking pucks to the sides with a goalie's pads or directing pucks to the corners with his or her stick is very helpful. This should be a point of emphasis not only in games, but during the week of practice as well. The better the rebounds the better the goalie.
