2 pieces of mandatory equipment for goalie training

I know there is not one of you out there who does not believe that the proper off-ice training will make you a better, more durable goalie.  For most of you it could completely transform your game to the point where players on other teams no longer recognize you.

Here is an email I got from one of you last week…

I made a number of great saves in our game last night. I was talking with a teammate after leaving the locker room, and he said one of the opposing players had asked “who is that goalie and where’d you find him?!” My teammate indicated that I was the same goalie who’d been playing with them (in the same men’s league) for six months.

So apparently your training has actually turned me into a different goalie. Thanks : )

Just as we have talked about what I call the Momentum of Action, which is the momentum you gain once you start doing some simple off-ice training.  The improvements you see motivate you to keep going and maybe even do a little more to see even better improvements on the ice.

But there is also an Inertia of Inaction.  Remember high school physics where an object at rest remains at rest?  We often work hard to preserve that inertia by creating our own barriers.  Two of the most common barriers I hear are:

1) lack of time and

2) no gym membership

I addressed the lack of time in the “3 Simple Things” article the other day.  Today I will address the lack of facilities…

I am going to give you (in order of importance) the 7 pieces of equipment that can help you set up a great home training space with only about 6-8 square feet of space.  Only the first two are mandatory, the rest are just ‘nice to have’.

1 – Foam Roll (or PVC pipe or rolling pin or lacrosse ball, etc) – you just need something to do self-myofascial release with (MANDATORY).

2 – Resistance bands (or dumbbells) – any exercise you can do with dumbbells you can do with resistance bands – you can pick them up at almost any sports store or department store and now they have some nice kits that come with a few different resistances so you can mix and match to find just the right load.  If you travel – take your ‘gym’ with you (MANDATORY).

3 – Dumbbells – some exercises are a little easier to set up with dumbbells and they do offer a different type of resistance with a constant load through the range.  I often get asked which weights are the best and that really depends on your ability, but if I were going to give a blanket answer I would say 10lbs – 20lbs – 30lbs.  You will need some lighter weights as well, but you can probably make those by filling plastic water bottles with water or sand to make a nice 5lb weight.

4 – Set of Mini-Cones – these can be used to mark out agility patterns or shuttle runs on the soccer field.

5 – Stability ball – this is a nice to have, it is not essential, but it gives you some nice variety for your stability work.

6- Miniband – this is a little loop of resistance band (you can also just tie a loop in a resistance tube, but sometimes it is hard to un-tie) that is great for working on hip strength and stability.

7 – Agility Ladder or Agility Hoops – to give a framework for precision on your agility drills.

So there are seven pieces of equipment that can help you get to your best without ever leaving home.  Of course you can also add skipping ropes, medicine balls, balance boards, slideboards and numerous other tools, but if we are keeping it simple, this is where I would start.

If you want to start training at home to transform your game on the ice (without spending an hour or more working out) then do yourself a favour and check out the NEW! Rapid Response Goalie Training 2.0 system.

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Cheers,
Maria