You are not Carey Price. You are not Jonathan Quick.
… and that is okay because even Jonathan Quick is not Carey Price, nor is Carey Jonathan.
Look at any goalie in the NHL and you will see something different.
This proves it… goalies really are special snowflakes.
No two are identical.
But they all have common basic elements:
· All snowflakes contain snow
· They are cold
· There is some sort of crystal structure
· They melt when it gets warm
Spend less time trying to do the splits so you can make split saves like Jonathan Quick and make sure you have your basic elements dialed-in as a good first step.
For sure you can model successful goalies, your heroes today probably grew up modelling Ken Dryden (okay, that was me), Brodeur, Roy or Cujo.
But understand that you also need to find what works for you based on your body shape, the shape of your hips, how your body can move.
If I were going to offer advice on the topic, which I guess I am right now, I would say find the most boring looking successful goalie and model them.
Not the guy doing the splits, nor making a save from his belly with the inside of his pad as he kicks his leg up behind him – – pick the goalie that looks like they are just standing there and the players keep shooting it right into their chest.
Carey, Braden, Pekka, Jonathan, Jimmy, you name an NHL goalie and they will tell you how their style has evolved from the time they were 14 years old to now.
Guaranteed, even the guys who keep it so simple are doing something different this season compared to last season. They may continue to do that into the future or discard it in favour of a more effective or efficient tweak.
Be open to change.
What works amazingly well for one goalie may not work at all for another.
It is as individual as your gear preferences. A set of pads that you love, someone else will despise. It doesn’t mean they are bad, it just means they aren’t right for you.
You have to look at it objectively.
Does it make sense?
Ask yourself: “Once I practice enough that I am proficient (trying something brand new will often feel awkward until you establish proficiency) does it help me perform better? Do I feel better?”
Now that I think of it, the same can be said for your training. If there were one right way, then everyone would do it that way and everyone would be awesome.
There will be different tools and strategies that work better for you than others. Notice I said “that WORK better for you” not ‘that you like more’. As you aspire to higher and higher levels, what you like comes a distant third to what issafe and what is effective.
You might really, really like some sort of training, let’s just say dirt bike riding for an outrageous example. When we put it to the test:
Is it safer than standard off-ice training? NO.
Is it more effective than proper off-ice training? NO.
You need a better way, you should passionately search for a better way.
Be you, but be a smart, well informed version of you. Deal?
Go get it!
Maria
PS – you might want to check out the two free goalie training programs (one for 14+ goalies and one for you bad ass beer leaguers) I just posted for free in the Goalie Training Lab on Facebook.
I am sharing them in there first because those goalies do such a great job of asking questions, offering answers, supporting one another, basically being everything awesome about goalies that I want to reward them. If you don’t “do” the Facebook, don’t worry, I will send it out to all of you on the email list in the next week or two.