Transcript
Speaker: Welcome to the DIY Goalie Podcast, where hosts and goalie coaches Nathan Park and Connor Munday share their insights on how to become a better goalie.
Speaker: Alright. So. What we're going to do today... is um I'm mostly gonna go over... like a lot of kind of the more background stuff like If you guys have questions about gear and all of that, like there are other places that we can get that information. so
Speaker: I'm gonna kind of steer away from that sort of stuff like where it's easy to kind of get some expertise from other places like we can go to you know united or something like that get some info there Um,
Speaker: Bye. First off show of hands. Is there anybody that's been a goalie before?
Speaker: Okay. Yeah. Okay. Okay, so we have one. and that's perfectly okay because For a lot of you guys, this is probably brand brand new and you're trying to figure out what's going on and how to handle this right and I get it. It's a tough position. Like, honestly.
Speaker: Not going to sugarcoat it. There's a lot. of pressure put on goalies and not a lot of support. and so we're going to kind of go through some of the things that you guys can do as parents to help them out with that um Because unfortunately, we deal with a system that's... Not great for goalies for the most part.
Speaker: Okay. um but That being said... I kind of wanted to give you guys a bit of the... The other side of it, the goalie perspective of things.
Speaker: and just kind of give you. a heads up on some of the things that might happen as your goalies go. And. just some of the things that you guys can do to help support them.
Speaker: Um... Overall. The more that we can understand the position, the more that we can kind of... Help support them through that Um,
Speaker: There's a lot of... I guess. loneliness that happens with the position, right? Like, A lot of teams. only have one goalie. And there's not a lot of other support there to try and have somebody to talk to as a goalie.
Speaker: And. Even when we do have two goalies on a team. right A lot of times, I don't know if you guys have heard this yet or not. It might still be a little bit early. but Have we heard from a coach before that...
Speaker: I don't know the position. I'm just not going to deal with it or not touch it, right? Or they try and help. But because they don't really know much about it they don't really have much to offer.
Speaker: Right. And so a lot of times what goalies end up in is they end up. kind of being a glorified shooter tutor sometimes. Okay. I don't know if you guys have experienced that yet.
Speaker: but Sometimes practices are not the most goalie friendly. okay So we are going to talk a little bit about that later as to how we can talk to our coaches and stuff like that too to help with that a little bit. but Um...
Speaker: Just be aware. like i I don't want to make this sound doom and gloom, but just be aware that. This is kind of. the reality sometimes and it varies if you end up with a good group of coaches.
Speaker: Right? That... want to learn more about the position, that want to try and include their goalies more. um then that's awesome. like Hopefully that's what you guys experience. Just wanted to put it out there that a lot of coaches, because they don't know much about goaltending.
Speaker: They kind of just stay. Away from it keep their hands off a little bit. Okay. So. Because of that. A lot of times. For you guys as goalie parents.
Speaker: The development that your kids are gonna get are probably gonna be somewhere else like externally whether you guys are bringing in a goalie coach whether the organization brings in a goalie coach or anything like that Um,
Speaker: But we want to make sure that Or I guess I don't want you guys to think that you have to go out and be. you know spending a ton of money on development or doing all that stuff like There's some things that you guys can do to help them out.
Speaker: that won't cost you know the thousands of dollars that going to four or five camps throughout the summer will be but i understand it's already a pretty expensive position too just with the gear um the extra development, all of that stuff.
Speaker: Um... The flip side of that though. It's a really unique position in that There's...
Speaker: Not really another way to describe. how it feels to kind of make some of the saves that goalies make right like it's a rewarding position there's a lot of payoff.
Speaker: for having the resilience and getting through the adversity. getting through the development getting to that point of working through some of the challenges that come with being a goalie. They learn a lot. of life skills they learn that resiliency they learn the ability to control their emotions a little bit better be able to handle themselves mentally a little bit better right um handle some pressure and stuff like that.
Speaker: A lot of. goalies are really set up well because of that, because of those skills that they learn. And. It really does.
Speaker: kind of in my opinion it's one of the more unique positions in sports just given the situation that goalies are in. and the things that they have to deal with. so I like to kind of liken it to.
Speaker: a quarterback or a pitcher. the quarterbacks and pitchers are usually kind of like everybody wants to be those physicians and they influence you know the sport the game that they're playing they get a ton of development and usually they're like one of the highest paid players at the higher levels.
Speaker: When you look at goalies with how much influence they have on the game, it's almost kind of the flip side right so It's kind of a unique position to be in. Um... but one of the Like I said, one of the best feelings in the world as a goalie.
Speaker: being able to make that save and then you have a player just kind of Doing this after right And it's something that until you've done it, it... I don't know. It's hard to explain, but...
Speaker: it's got a different feeling to it And. There'll be a lot of a lot of ups and downs along the way. But. Your goalies will...
Speaker: learn a lot and become not just better athletes but better people because of it. And it's a really good. position. to kind of teach a lot of those skills. so there is some silver lining to it i know we started with the doom and gloom but now ah Now we can get into kind of some of the good stuff.
Speaker: Um, The other thing too. is A big thing is confidence. Okay. And as goalies... we kind of ride and die with our confidence but when and we'll talk about tools and stuff but when you're kids can kind of get into that. area where they're feeling confident and you know they're in the zone per se and all of that stuff.
Speaker: You'd be surprised that... how much that just changes changes their overall mood and just that Sense of self -belief and a little bit of swagger that they got um It's crazy to see when stuff like that starts clicking.
Speaker: Okay. and we kind of talked about it in our classroom session today but I liken it to... confidence being a a checklist, right? So if we can have the preparation.
Speaker: And if we can have... the experience then that confidence, we're just basically ready to go. so it it's I've been there before and I know what to do.
Speaker: And I've consistently done what I need to do ahead of time to be ready for where I'm going. And then they have that confidence going into that game. but Not just with the game, that kind of translates away from the rink as well.
Speaker: Um... So that's something that you'll kind of see as your goalies get through this as they get older they work through some things That'll be cool once you kind of start to see some of those things happening.
Speaker: Um,
Speaker: The other thing too is... I want you guys to kind of reframe your thinking a little bit on the definition of success. Like I know especially in today's day and age, there's A lot of emphasis on...
Speaker: high levels of play There's a lot of emphasis on. you know, making it as far as you can. A lot of emphasis on let's go hard on development year round and all this stuff.
Speaker: Um... But in reality... Like. At the end of the day, there's only... you know, the 1 % of the 1 % of the 1 % that get to those levels.
Speaker: And. They're really... is a lot of other things that can define your goalie's success aside from where they get to And a lot of that. is tied to progress.
Speaker: progress and development right So. To me, i so I say a goalie has a successful career. if they went through They got.
Speaker: better not only physically and on the ice. but they got better like we talked about as a person they learned some things along the way okay and they enjoyed it.
Speaker: Right? Because a lot of times with the professionalization that we've kind of gone through for kids sports. can really lead to You know falling out of love for the game because at the end of the day like hockey is a sport it's a game it's there for fun some competition okay some athletic development all of that stuff there's a lot of things that We've kind of forgotten about why we do the sports
Speaker: And it's not just hockey, but in Canada, hockey's... pretty prevalent with this. um But I know it happens in baseball and a bunch of other sports too. but Um...
Speaker: To me, if... a goalie goes through and they're enjoying most of the time playing the game playing the position and if they're learning about themselves. And if they're getting... better whether it's...
Speaker: physically mentally emotionally whatever the case is To me, that's a success. okay And so that's how I want you guys to. think of it and to frame it as well. All right. So. If we can see those three things happening.
Speaker: Fantastic. Okay? Give him a pat on the back. and let them know. All right. Um... The other thing too is... With this position.
Speaker: The position is... Simple. At the end of the day, they have one job. It's stop the puck. but It's hard. Okay. it's simple but it's hard because There's a ton of things going on right if you guys watch and NHL games, PWHL games, NCAA games, they're fast.
Speaker: A lot of things happen, right? And our goal is Are trying to... i'm Trying to process up to... 11 bodies and a puck in front of them.
Speaker: Right? So if the other team pulls their goalie, it's a six on five. they're trying to See through 11 different bodies. They're trying to keep track 11 bodies moving around while they're trying to stay focused on the puck.
Speaker: move around get into position, make saves, right? So. Even though the job is simple. It's hard. There's a lot that goes into it.
Speaker: There's a lot of different variables. Right? and so that's one thing to understand too that As we progress. There's going to be ups, there's going to be downs. Your goalies are going to have some regressions, right?
Speaker: They're going to make some strides. And then they might take a couple steps back, right? It's kind of like, I don't know if any of you guys are in the stock market or anything like that, but you zoom out and it looks nice and linear up to the right.
Speaker: Bye. when you zoom in it's kind of all over the place right so that's the same thing here There's gonna be times where you might get frustrated and you say hey Your coach has told you to track a puck.
Speaker: you know seven times in the last week and you're not tracking it in right But at the same time, they're also trying to worry about, I need to get into position. I need to be watching what's off to the backside. I need to be doing this, that, all that stuff. so There's gonna be It's basically going to be a roller coaster with the way that they develop throughout their career.
Speaker: So just understand that. And. Understand that. depending on which phase they're in will really change how you're going to approach the situation and we'll kind of get into that a little bit too Um...
Speaker: The other thing too that some people get a little too focused on, I guess. yep is...
Speaker: Scoreboard. Stats. Those sorts of things, right? Guys as a goalie Your goalie could play the best game of their life and they could lose 11 -0. That's kind of the reality of the game.
Speaker: Right? They could have 10 shots in a game and they could let in six of them. But all six could be a breakaway two on oh, whatever right five on three game so We don't really want to define them by their stats and their results okay again going back to that development and that progression Are we making incremental small?
Speaker: steps towards progress. and towards developing. Okay. Those are the sorts of things that we want to be measuring them by. Yes, stats are nice to get a little bit of a picture and obviously at the end of the day, especially with the kids, like.
Speaker: They do want to win obviously most of them are pretty competitive And. you know, Sometimes those results do matter and it is tough being on a team that goes like 0 -20 or whatever the case is. but Sometimes that is better for their development.
Speaker: than to be the kid on the 20 -0 team who sees two shots all game. Right? And so. hopefully as you go you're not always on the extreme and you get to see a little bit of both sides and in the middle and all that but Just understand that With the stats with the scoreboard the results all of that stuff It is kind of noise for the most part.
Speaker: Okay. Salt. Um, And then the other thing too. is Instead of looking for those to kind of define How they're doing and and their success Start looking more for...
Speaker: how they're approaching the game, how their habits are. right so what we've been talking lots on the ice and what we've been doing with like the cognitive training and stuff we've been working lots on using our eyes, using our head to watch pucks in.
Speaker: or up here we've been using tennis balls and stuff like that But watching it into her body, watching it out. If you notice that they start doing that on a more consistent basis.
Speaker: To me, that's more. okay that's a definition that we know they're progressing as opposed to just. Oh. You went from a 900, say, percentage to a 910. Good job, because that doesn't really tell the full story, right? So if you guys are looking for...
Speaker: things to help with your goalies, whether... good things or things they need to work on because They'll probably ask at some point like I know In the car with my dad, i used to after a game, I'd ask for one thing I did well and one thing I need to improve on.
Speaker: um But... those are kind of the things that you want to be thinking of how their habits are how their approach is. I know you guys. Don't know a lot about the position of goaltending and as you go You might want to get into it more like some of the technical stuff or you might not Either way is fine.
Speaker: But even if you just notice, you know what? You work. Probably the hardest I've ever seen you work at practice today. something like that right you can provide that as feedback for them and you can say That was a good job. I feel like. We progress today.
Speaker: Right? So. That's kind of the overall framework of. how we want to think of success. as opposed to just the results. the stats and all of that stuff okay because it is easy to get lost in that again especially in today's day and age when there's such a focus on elite level play and all of that stuff.
Speaker: Okay. Um, At this point... Are there any questions? Okay. so Now we get to kind of what you guys can do and what your role is okay
Speaker: so Kind of what I just mentioned you guys might want to get a little bit more into the technical side of things you might not but At the end of the day your job is not really to be their coach.
Speaker: And I'm sure you guys all know that if you try and be their coach, they might start tuning you out if they haven't already, right? So. We want to make sure that yes, you can provide some feedback But and right now you might actually be able to really pick up on some of this stuff just with where they're at in their Development being somewhat new to the position
Speaker: But there will probably come a time where you guys will just be like, I don't know, you look good today. like That's where you'll be at right so Your role is going to be a lot different and you can take stuff away from the coaches you guys work with and the coaches that you.
Speaker: Here, like there's... tons of stuff on youtube tons of stuff out there like on the internet that you can find Um, but We do also kind of want to have a little bit of a separation there so yes you can have some feedback but it also is good to get that external voice and to kind of also have some other, I guess, more Technical.
Speaker: development. And then you guys, your role is more. the support. Right? And the support can come with some of that coach feedback and whatnot if you guys kind of want to go that route and learn some of it, and that's great.
Speaker: um But more often than not, it's going to kind of be a little bit of. a step back from that and a little bit of the bigger picture as opposed to the more technical Okay.
Speaker: um The other thing too like we kind of talked about earlier. The sport of hockey itself is... bashley on goalies There is already a ton of pressure on these kids. Unfortunately, that's kind of where we've gotten to most of the time.
Speaker: Okay. So what I want to provide for you guys. is... not to add to that as best as you can. Okay? and There is a fine line there and I totally get it because My kid's here. uh this weekend and he drives me nuts sometimes too um But.
Speaker: as much as we can We want to... Try and have more of. of that supportive environment. as opposed to the you know riding them as hard as they can, giving them more pressure than they're already experiencing from the sport.
Speaker: And the other thing too is... There's a lot of things going on with school. There's a lot of things that can go on at home or in other aspects of their life.
Speaker: And with hockey. For a lot of these kids, that's like an hour of escape for them. right They get into the crease. And then it's just them and the puck and their teammates and all of that stuff. And they can kind of forget about everything else for a little bit.
Speaker: Right? So what we want to try and do is we want to make it so that environment. is... something that they look forward to and something that they can kind of thrive in as opposed to oh I gotta go back to the rink and if you know I don't have a good practice dad's gonna be on me in the car after or you know Stuff like that, right? We want to try and avoid. adding to the pressure Now at the same time though
Speaker: We also do want to push them like obviously you guys want the best for your kids you want to see how far they can go and especially because most of the kids will probably be like, I want to play in the NHL or the PWHL or whatever the case is, right? They all like to have those big aspirations, which is awesome.
Speaker: so Then you can have that conversation and be like, okay, well, there's work you have to put in. and I can help push you to that. Right? But there's a difference between...
Speaker: helping to kind of push them and Basically putting more weight on their shoulders, right So that's kind of that fine line that we want to walk.
Speaker: And we want to err more on the side, going back to the word supportive, we want to err on the side of that a little bit more. And. Then we can kind of.
Speaker: More so have those honest conversations of what's it going to take? What do you need to do? okay i can give you the tools but at the end of the day it's your job to put in the work and to go do it.
Speaker: Right? So that's kind of more the direction you want to go is that guidance. as opposed to the You got a big game coming up. Right?
Speaker: I hope you're ready. You know, that kind of sort of stuff, right? Um, Which brings me to... My next point of... overemphasizing.
Speaker: thing So. I think we've all kind of... Been guilty of this. I know I have and sometimes you don't realize but They're coming up. Maybe it's I don't know a city championship game or provincials or something like that And. We're talking to them the night before, the week before. being like Hey, how's your practice going this week? Are you ready for this game? You're playing a big team. It's a big game, all of that stuff, right?
Speaker: They might not have even been thinking it was. Anything different? And now they're like, oh. It's a different game now. right like it's a big game i gotta step it up i gotta do all this stuff i don't normally do And now I'm anxious about it. I'm nervous about it. I'm worried about it.
Speaker: All of that stuff, right? So when you guys... are approaching again or a practice or anything like that. I would highly encourage you guys to have the exact same approach no matter what the situation is. We're not overemphasizing anything.
Speaker: We're not. you know. Adding to that. anxiety that nervousness that they might already have And the more that you guys can project that calm, even keel, even though I know internally you're probably screaming.
Speaker: but the more that we can externalize the calm even keel Right? We want to make sure that... we can do that so that they kind of have that sense too. Right? So I know inside you guys are probably anxious too and pacing back and forth and all of that stuff, right?
Speaker: um But as best we can, we want to show them that it's just another game. it's just another day Status quo. Um...
Speaker: We also... Like, as you go, your goalies are going to have. poor games They're going to have. stretches of poor games or where they're not at their best or whatever the case is slumps whatever words you want to call it The one thing I would say.
Speaker: is Don't sugarcoat it. because A lot of us. whether it's goalies or just kind of athletes in general. like We know when we didn't perform where we should or we aren't or we didn't get to that level that we know we can.
Speaker: And. A lot of times. It's frustrating then when you walk out of the room and there's Whether it's family or even teammates, parents, or whatever the case is that are like...
Speaker: Yeah, good game. You did awesome. And inside it's like. You're patronizing me. I know I wasn't. right like so Don't.
Speaker: I guess sugarcoat it like Obviously don't. add on to them feeling down but You can just be like, hey, you know what? I know that maybe that wasn't the greatest game for you. You are disappointed in how that went.
Speaker: But that's okay. What do you think you did good today? Right? Like. I noticed your hands looked really good. Right? you're out in front you're making your saves out in front yeah maybe You didn't get across the net as quickly as you normally do.
Speaker: But we can take something positive away from that. right and then if you can provide something like constructive to you to just be like yeah i think next time Honestly, if you just. Come out of your net a little bit more. You seem deep, right? or Even just saying something like.
Speaker: Hey, that's okay. I know you have another gear to get to and I'm confident that you can get to that or whatever the case is, right? All of this that we're talking about is going to be slightly different for all of you, depending on your kids and you guys and your situation.
Speaker: Right? But... Whatever you find works for you guys. lean into that a little bit more but the big thing is is don't Again, overemphasize trying to kind of.
Speaker: Make. Light of... something that they know maybe wasn't the greatest showing, right? Um... The other thing too is We want to provide them so if they are in a slump or anything like that We want to provide them a bit of a sounding board, right?
Speaker: It's not your guys' job to solve all of their problems, especially like we talked about the technical side of things. Bye. What your guys' job is to do is to try and...
Speaker: Give them that guidance. And. Listen to them, because again. It is a lonely position. right there's not a lot out there that they'll get support from their teams most of the time So they'll probably have frustrations. They'll probably feel like there isn't really another place to go sometimes and to talk to.
Speaker: And. if you're open and honest about that and just like hey i don't have an answer for you but I can try and find it. Or you might have the answer for them, right? You might have...
Speaker: You might see that they're... maybe not feeling as confident or whatever the case is. And then you can maybe try and work on some things with them. to build that confidence back up.
Speaker: You can say. Hey. Let's go over, you know, two weeks ago, you got that shutout, right? Let's think about that. What did you do well that game? And then they start thinking, they're like, oh, well.
Speaker: I got my feet set early and I was tracking the puck well. You're like, great. That's two things now you can take to your next practice and make that your two focuses. And now it's.
Speaker: Just back to the drawing board and we start again. Right? Bye. Kinda... providing them the environment to listen to them. And. just have that ability to come to you and to kind of Give their problems a little bit right because it is mentally taxing especially if you don't have somebody there to kind of
Speaker: you know, bounce ideas off of or or just vent to, right? Sometimes that's honestly all they need is just, I suck today. I want to vent about it. And then. Tomorrow I'll wake up and I'll be better.
Speaker: right so That's kind of more of what you guys are going to offer. Um, just in that in that home life, that supportive but realistic approach.
Speaker: And again, you guys are going to know your kids the best. You guys are going to know what's going to work the best for them. Okay. And. But the big thing too. is...
Speaker: We want to make sure that we're providing them tools so we kind of did an exercise with them about building tools for for goalies. Um,
Speaker: That's something you guys can do too in the environment is just provide them the tools, the guidance to find those tools that work for them. to get into a good head space before games, after games.
Speaker: right to... kind of figure out how they develop best or how they learn best right Um, to talk with coaches, to see what they can do to help.
Speaker: incorporate your goalies a little bit more stuff like that. Um, That's kind of the overall. arching role I guess that you guys are going to have. Okay. Um...
Speaker: Any questions about that? Okay. So if we... Move a little bit more into like the development Side of things.
Speaker: Um... You guys can still have a role or a say in their actual development and them getting better. Um,
Speaker: But one thing I will say is that. contrary to what some people will say more hockey does not necessarily mean more development especially for goalies There are a lot of environments that...
Speaker: actually builds worse habits for goalies. than better habits. Um, there's Certain things like there's a fine line there. There are certain things that just the exposure to shots like especially if they have the mindset of Even though it's not a goalie -friendly...
Speaker: um ice time or environment or whatever. What can I do to at least get better at something today? Let's focus on one thing. right maybe it's getting my feet set maybe it's tracking pucks in maybe it's catching in front of my body anything like that Have them think of that sort of framework. and what they can do.
Speaker: Um... in those sorts of situations to get better. The other thing though too is... taking a break from the sport and kind of getting some time away is really good too.
Speaker: it's really easy to get through winter season and then you're into spring season and then there's three on three leagues and then you're doing your goalie camps and then you're back to tryouts for winter Right?
Speaker: at a certain point in their career. that might be beneficial. Right. Especially if they're at the point that. They're starting to get to the high levels. They're starting to specialize in the sport, and they really like they really want to push themselves to see where they can go. That sort of stuff can maybe be good.
Speaker: But the other thing that it can lead to, as I'm sure you guys all know with. being adults is we can burn them out. Right? And... They can start to resent the sport right and potentially even depending on the situation the parents too if they're really pushing them there can that can lead to some resentment later in life or at the time depending on how it goes okay So just be careful with that.
Speaker: but Sometimes. It's honestly better to... Switch gears. Right? So maybe your winter season's done. Maybe they go play lacrosse or baseball or whatever that it is that they play. Maybe you guys have a lake lot that you go spend a couple weeks at and they can be a kid.
Speaker: right Those sorts of things. That'll really help. to maintain that long -term love of the game and the position. as opposed to just hammering home hockey, hockey, hockey every day.
Speaker: Okay. i know it's not really good business practice for us but Less hockey is better. Well, I shouldn't say that. To an extent. Okay. um I guess with that.
Speaker: The best best thing I can say about is just Be intentional. right so Instead of... Spring hockey. because spring hockey is what maybe two three thousand dollars something like that Maybe you can take a couple hundred bucks and... go to a few goalie sessions or a goalie camp instead. and and do something like that or maybe you can take that money and put it into an off -ice workout program so they're still getting better but it's a different approach. and it's
Speaker: something different, right? that isn't just more and more hockey. and still working on the skills. like i talked about the other sports but multi -sport athletes they gain a lot more skills than the specialized athletes like earlier in life.
Speaker: Because you're using different muscle groups. You're thinking differently. Like even if they play spring hockey as a player. That gives them a different perspective. And that gives them a little bit of a different change of pace, right?
Speaker: So it's something different for them. They're using different parts of their body, different parts of their mind to kind of... you know work through that and it helps with their development. Um...
Speaker: away from the rink. There are a lot of things you guys can do to help them out. um and to help with their development. So we kind of touched on the workouts.
Speaker: Um, Skylar's out there with them right now. They're doing some strength and flexibility stuff. The one thing with goalies is... There's a lot of emphasis on flexibility.
Speaker: which is important. but a lot of times they're not as there's not as much emphasis on strength. And what ends up happening is these goalies, they get so flexible and they get into these weird positions.
Speaker: that their muscles aren't strong enough to kind of hold everything in place And then they get. injured. Right? So you need to balance the two. And that's one caution that...
Speaker: i like to put out there because there is such an emphasis on flexibility. Right. And you see goalies all the time. I want to do the splits. I want to do this. Or you see the goalies that have two chairs and they're doing the splits and they're juggling and all of this stuff. and Hurts my hips looking at it, but.
Speaker: Um, We want to make sure that we're balancing the two and they have both and not just the lower body we need to make sure the upper body is strong too the core the back all of that stuff.
Speaker: Everything's about balance and we want to strike that right balance. On top of that... Any sort of... mobility stuff to where they're moving. So again,
Speaker: another sport or If you are doing workouts with them, like they don't just need to be benching 300 pounds and you know they're in a good spot there. right they need to be dynamic they need to be athletic they need to move They need to be able to transition.
Speaker: Okay. They need to have that athleticism because... Goaltending is an extremely athletic position. There's a guy right there, Grant Fuhrer. I'm sure there's a few of you that... Grew up watching him.
Speaker: Okay. Is, uh... Probably one of the more athletic goalies in the history of hockey. okay Um, That sort of stuff can really directly translate onto the ice with them being better at getting into position, with them being better at battling for pucks.
Speaker: being able to skate better, all of that stuff. so any sort of mobility any sort of like transitional movements like even just getting them to do something like change directions like if they're jumping across and then up and do a squat or a jump or whatever.
Speaker: Right. multi -direction stuff can be super beneficial for them. um and just any sort of general mobility stuff. Okay. Um...
Speaker: Make sure to... that you're giving them the tools to take care of themselves, take care of their body. okay or else you end up like me at 31 with really bad hips and knees. Okay.
Speaker: So... I didn't like the gym very much I did not take care of myself. um If you guys... Set them up with good sleep habits.
Speaker: Good eating habits. Good hydration habits. Okay. Uh... Those are probably one of the three most important things that you guys can do away from the rink because it doesn't matter how much. training they do it doesn't matter how much you know strength flexibility stuff they do If they're not sleeping well, if they're not eating well, if they're not drinking enough.
Speaker: their body is not going to be able to do what it needs to do. especially as they get older the older they get as we all know the body doesn't handle things as well. right So. we also have to balance that recovery we kind of talked about taking a break from the game Any sort of recovery? is really good too like We kind of live in a society that...
Speaker: emphasizes Go, go, go, go, go. And we don't normally have enough. to take a step back. Chillax a little bit. rest, recover, right? Our body needs that.
Speaker: All right. So... Present them with the opportunity. right like They did a lot this weekend. right we put them through a lot they skated hard they've done a lot of off -ice stuff right Giving them tonight to just... hang out maybe do a little light stretching drink Lots eat lots, you know Talk about something other than hockey.
Speaker: Play a board game. I don't know something that can just kind of slow the pace a little bit. that's probably way more beneficial in the right amount. than trying to add more and more development.
Speaker: Okay. guys at at a certain point. You're just... hindering them basically. okay Um, with their development too on the psychological side of things, the mental side of things.
Speaker: That's probably... One of the toughest things you guys are gonna face Because... There are going to be times where... I don't know, it's overtime or it's late in a game or something like that in a big game.
Speaker: And a goal goes in that everyone's like. Ugh. Not great. Okay. and they're gonna know it. And a lot of times...
Speaker: that can be tough to deal with you know there's tears there's stick slamming there's whatever the case is Every kid's a little different. but They're gonna go through some tough times kind of emotionally, mentally.
Speaker: Okay. um Being able to provide them with tools to handle that and to get through that. is incredibly important. so Even just something as simple as working on them.
Speaker: or working with them on a reset routine like a goal goes in Okay. Take. Five seconds, do something that you need to do to reset, right? Ciao.
Speaker: Braden Holtby. Um... Retired goalie, but... He played for the Washington Capitals. After a goal, he was the one that would do this. And he would watch.
Speaker: A droplet of water? Fall down that would reset his eyes for him that would reset Kind of his. Mind? And then he's, okay, I'm ready to go. And now you see a lot of goalies doing that, but he was kind of the one that...
Speaker: made that popular in the mainstream anyways. Okay. Again, this is going to be something that if you guys can figure out what works for them. anything that can kind of help reset.
Speaker: is gonna be really important. The other thing, too, is just any sort of kind of like grounding that they can do, coming back to reality, right? cause As a goalie, the more that we get caught in what has happened.
Speaker: or what is going to happen. as opposed to what is happening. That's going to cause the mind to kind of start to be elsewhere when it needs to be in the present right so if we're worried about the goal that just went in and i should have did this that was bad blah blah all this stuff Now the next puck's coming in.
Speaker: and the exact same thing happens because they're thinking way too much One of the things with being a goalie... It's probably one of the few if not maybe the only position in sports where you can't actually go make something happen.
Speaker: You have to let something come to you. Right? So a lot of times trying harder. Or... you know, pushing harder or you know, trying to be faster with my hands or all of that can actually be detrimental because Goalies live best when they're reacting naturally.
Speaker: and they don't really have to think about it. the more they're thinking. the longer it takes to process what's actually happening. And the harder it is for them to actually...
Speaker: perform to what they know how to do. Salt. Any sort of thing that can help. I don't want to say shut the brain off, but To be honest, like when I played.
Speaker: I played at my best when, like, sometimes I play at my best when I was sick because I didn't have the energy to do anything else but just... do what my body knew how to do, right? There was no thinking about what was coming after. There was no thinking about what just happened. I'm just like, okay, let's go, right?
Speaker: um And it's kind of that same thing if we can get them they're almost turn the brain off where it's just okay. I'm here. i know what to do i've practiced and i'm just Letting things happen That's kind of what we want to help them get to right um We talked with them today about pregame routines.
Speaker: Free game routines are... very good to implement because it's kind of that trigger for the brain that says okay It's game time. I know it's game time because I do this before every game.
Speaker: And it just kind of helps. Alright. I know what I need to do. We're focused, okay? with the pregame routines. Want them to be. repeatable but not superstitious.
Speaker: Okay. So... An example of like a superstition, and I talked to them about this, but if they start getting a lucky pair of socks or underwear or whatever the case is.
Speaker: They outgrow it, now they no longer have. the lucky pair of socks or underwear. or it gets a hole in it and you throw it out and now it's a whole thing for two months because they don't have it right Um,
Speaker: So... We want to make sure that it's something that can be repeated and that they have control over. so No external force.
Speaker: can upset that as an example we talked about it with one of the goalies is... They said. Oh, well you could go out. for a run around the rink. Well, what if the rink is surrounded by four -lane highway on all sides? Or what if it's snowing like crazy or raining like crazy or whatever, right?
Speaker: if it has to be outside There might be something you can't control. so We want it to be something they can control and that they can do within whatever their timeframe is. As they get older, like...
Speaker: when you get to junior levels and stuff you're usually at the rink like two hours before so what your routine looks like is going to be different than where they're at now when you guys are probably there 30 minutes before you can.
Speaker: maybe do something at home instead of at the rink. go to the rink maybe 15 minutes earlier or something like that. Right. Like. Just doing something like against the wall.
Speaker: Okay, like even if you get them their eyes and their hands going they're just doing this before the game Tracking it in. Okay watching it. catching in front of their body.
Speaker: Something like that is simple. It gets. the right things going, the eyes, the hands. gets their mind ready to go. okay that can take They can do that for five minutes. That's something that's easy enough to add.
Speaker: As they go, you can kind of start to experiment with things, add things, take things away that make sense. but again we want it repeatable and we don't want it superstitious.
Speaker: And all of that's going to help kind of with that psychological like. Okay, we're ready to go. Um, the other thing that really helps on the emotional side too is kind of that breathing.
Speaker: that kind of ground work or grounding work that they can do. just anything that helps them again get back to that moment right So. There's the box breathing that's a really popular way of doing breath work for athletes where you breathe in for four seconds you hold for four seconds you exhale for four seconds you hold for four seconds, okay something like that is popular to do there's a ton of different like breath work exercises
Speaker: But whatever it is. Talk to your goalies, work with them, see what will work. and what they can actually do. right because it doesn't help if you throw them something that they're just never going to do or use or whatever the case is right So again, that's where you knowing your kids is going to come in into hand. come in handy.
Speaker: Um, The other thing with their development We have talked with them a lot this weekend. about becoming their own goalie coach.
Speaker: Okay. And that's a big thing that we're a part of or that we believe in is that we almost want to make our job obsolete. We want them to be able to identify what broke down what they did well.
Speaker: We want them to identify. how the play is playing out. right to be able to recognize patterns while they're on the ice all of that stuff so The more that you can get them to have that self reflection and that introspection That's going to really help a lot too. so Just even asking them like.
Speaker: you know at the end of a game or at the end of a week or something like that just be like What do you think you did well today? What do you think you'd like to improve on? what was hard today? Or what did you find easy today? Right?
Speaker: They can kind of just simple questions like that. And as they get older, you can get a little deeper with that. you can you know dig in a little bit with that but To start just simple things like that that makes them start to think, okay, well, what did I do today? Oh, I did that. That was actually really tough.
Speaker: I tried to do. you know a t -push recovery like i dropped down into the butterfly and then i tried to get up to my feet with the push from there It was really hard. And then maybe two months from then.
Speaker: you know you ask them the same question and they're like actually today i did a t -push recovery and I thought it was really easy. and then you're like okay you remember two months ago when you told me it was hard Yeah, actually, I guess I've developed.
Speaker: right or I've gotten better. So those sorts of things, if they can start to kind of think of. what they're doing a little bit more it really helps basically you know make that development a little bit more exponential.
Speaker: Um, and it Really, again. builds not just as goalies and at the rink. But they become... much better like people they can handle things a lot better like they can regulate themselves a lot better because they understand themselves a little bit more right And they understand what makes themselves tick.
Speaker: and how to handle certain situations. So encouraging them to do those sorts of things can be greatly beneficial. not just on the ice, but away from the ice as well.
Speaker: Um. The last thing that I'll get into I guess before I do is there any other questions or any questions about that? Okay. the last thing i'll get into and we kind of touched on it at the start is just Coaches in the system.
Speaker: Okay. Again, it's it's a... Tough time most of the time for goalies Your coaching staff usually weren't goalies they've They don't understand the position.
Speaker: And I find there's one of two things that happen. like we talked about they either Don't. want to get involved at all because they're just like I don't know. so Hands off.
Speaker: Or... They try to be helpful. But a lot of times. They're not. Okay. um Just as an example, a couple things I hear a lot of coaches say is...
Speaker: You gotta stand up more, especially at the age your kids are at. And. the sentiment behind it is fair. because. they're smaller they don't take up as much net and you'll probably see they get beat up high a lot.
Speaker: Buy it. At the same time, If you start teaching that and then when they get to 13 or 14 or whatever the case is and they're filling out that net a bit more.
Speaker: Well now it's hard to now go there and be like, okay everything you've learned up until this point well now we got to take a couple steps back and now we're going to introduce going down and all that stuff too The other thing too is.
Speaker: Goaltending is not... absolute there's no black and white it's a lot of gray area right it's all situational Okay. We can draw up.
Speaker: however many goalie drills that we can do. And there's still probably situations that happen in games that we would never cover after doing millions of goalie drills, right? There's just so much unpredictability in the game. There's so much variability to the game.
Speaker: Um, So dealing with absolutes, like you need to stand up. That can be. frustrating and confusing for goalies. So if you hear stuff like that. you can go to the coaching staff and just be like, hey.
Speaker: My kid's getting confused because he's You're telling him to stand up all the time. but then he gets beat down low and then you're like you gotta stop that and like all of this stuff right and having that conversation especially if you come at it from the perspective of My kid's getting mixed messaging. My kid's confused. like we we want to have that open dialogue you don't want to go in guns a blazing and say F U F, whatever, right? like
Speaker: some parents like to do but We want to try and open up that constructive. conversation with them right Um, They uh... The well -intentioned ones will most likely be open to that. youll you might come across some coaches that are a little bit more hesitant.
Speaker: it is what it is if you do end up having issues you can always try and escalate through the board You can also just have conversations with your goalie too and just say,
Speaker: Hey, like. It's not an ideal situation. Let's try and stick it out through the season. You'll have a new coach next season and give them that. go to a nice time give yourself one thing to work on and that's your focus Okay.
Speaker: and that can kind of help with that but most of the time coaches are pretty good to at least have that dialogue. And if you can kind of have. that constructive feedback and reasoning why.
Speaker: That can help a lot too. Um, The other thing too with with practices. Because a lot of times your goalies are going to...
Speaker: face a lot of shots. And. They're not always going to be. of good quality either like there's a lot of two on O's three on O's stuff like that in practices that just aren't overly fair for goalies.
Speaker: and they can start getting bad habits and all of that stuff. Get them again. focus on one puck at a time because sometimes there's two or three shots coming at them at once.
Speaker: okay Get them to have one puck at a time. get them to just focus on that. and then whatever time they have from there to get to the next puck. That's all they're worried about, right?
Speaker: Um, With coaches too. if you can get a goalie coach involved if you need to to kind of have like talk to your coaching staff like say You have an organization that you get a goalie coach out once a month or once every two weeks or every week or whatever the case is.
Speaker: you can maybe have a conversation with them And just say. hey i'm having this issue with my coach And they're telling... my kids something completely different than what you're telling them. Could you maybe have that conversation with them, please?
Speaker: Because I've had... a handful of conversations like that and A lot of times the coaches are pretty receptive and they're just like, oh, okay, I didn't know that, right? um So. And unfortunately.
Speaker: the hockey Canada kind of hockey Alberta resources out there for. Coaches. or goalies. are a little bit thin which is Not great, but... some hopefully like since i've played it has gotten better So hopefully we kind of keep that trajectory going and and we get the goalies involved a little bit more.
Speaker: um Because. Back when I played, it was you kind of did one goalie camp in the summer. And that was really all you got for any sort of goalie support. so it's true Trending in the right direction more organizations are on board with bringing um goalie coaches bringing in even consultants or having some sort of goalie development person on their stuff, I guess.
Speaker: even if they're not necessarily like... like us at True North. But if there's somebody who is like. a goalie mom or dad or something like that that has a vested interest in improving the goalie resources in their program.
Speaker: even somebody like that can can help kind of provide some guidance when it comes to coaching staff. Um, At. this point i guess are there any questions Okay, so...
Speaker: All in all. They They're gonna have... a roller coaster of an experience you guys are gonna have a roller coaster of an experience There's more to life though than hockey and i think if you can keep that in the back of your mind and kind of approach it with that and providing as much of a supportive environment as you can then I think that's really all you guys can do, right? so Um,
Speaker: If you guys have any... questions wanted to come up to me personally like i'll be here for a little bit um We'll probably, because the ice I think is ready, we might try and get on a little bit early so that we can get home a little bit early.
Speaker: but i'm also free you guys have my email you can send me an email at any point um If you do have any questions that come up. um i try my best to answer pretty much all of them well eventually i'll get to answering them it just might not be right away But.
Speaker: yeah that's uh i appreciate you guys coming out this weekend um this is kind of the first time we ran a beginner specific goalie camp so if you guys have any feedback too that'd be great we operate lots on good bad and the ugly kind of thing we like to iterates and experiments and beats and all that.
Speaker: anything that you guys have on that front is helpful as well. Other than that... I'll let you guys go. Thanks for coming out.
