Today I have a guest post from my friend Michael Ouzas…
Michael is a pro goalie playing in Austria and he is also the creator of www.Coachlete.com which is a program trainers use to create customize training programs for their local and online clients. If you deliver any programs to clients online, you should definitely check it out.
He sent me this article after reading THIS blog post on hand-eye coordination for goalies.
So take it away Michael….
Here are some examples of what we do very regularly, before a goalie practice or regular practice, in summer and in season. It was no different in junior and is no different as a pro. It’s not always the same, but some sort of basic shooting is always involved.
- Pucks at hash marks: 10-20 shots each…high glove, high blocker, over the pad each side, shots to stomach.
- Pucks closer to blue line: shots on ice, 10 shots per side and 10 shots anywhere.
It’s about 50-100 pucks in total everyday.
Then we get working on technical stuff. I also stand on goal line so it forces me to use hands and sticks for shots vs. letting them hit me because of position.
Doing these very basic drill is much more than just making saves. It’s about seeing and training to read the release, tracking pucks and developing instincts to make saves.
If goalies at any level didn’t read things like release and work to develop timing, players would just shoot pucks right past them because that’s how fast pucks are.
The other factor is also save selection, engraining in the mind that This shot = That save. Getting into position through speed and efficient movement is only a small part of the equation. The ability to stop the puck is what the top guys can do better than anyone else, and it’s really, really amazing to watch!
…thanks Michael – always great to get on-ice tips from a pro!
Cheers,
M
GOALIES CLICK HERE IF YOU WANT TO BE YOUR TEAM’S MVP THIS SEASON …before it’s too late.