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069 - Underrated Goalie Skills and Goalie Non-Negotiables
126 Plays17 days ago
Show notes are available at https://thediygoalie.com/pod069
This week is a solo episode where Nathan goes through some of the underrated skills goalies can have to elevate their game. He also goes through some of the non-negotiables goalies should make sure they have in their game.
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Transcript
Introduction to DIY Goalie Podcast
00:00:06
Speaker
Welcome to the DIY Goalie Podcast where hosts and goalie coaches Nathan Park and Connor Munday share their insights on how to become ah better goalie.
Personal Update: Connor's Absence
00:00:18
Speaker
Goalies, welcome back to another episode of the DIY Goalie Podcast presented by True North Goaltending. It is another solo episode for myself so uh Shout out to Connor. Congratulations on the arrival of their baby girl, Emerson.
00:00:38
Speaker
um She was born on Monday. What was that? Monday 28th. Yeah, the 28th. So a little over a week since this podcast has been aired, but um he's he's enjoying time at home with the new little one and with his wife.
00:00:58
Speaker
So congrats to them. um I'm sure that if he doesn't join us for the next podcast, probably the one after that, but he's taken some well-needed time to adjust to life being a dad. So you guys are stuck with me for today.
New Season and Website Updates
00:01:13
Speaker
um Hopefully I don't get going too much on the rambling side of things, but that also means we are in a new month. Somehow it is already August and the new season is right around the corner. I know for us, we have gone from zero to 100 basically within the last week and a half, two weeks.
00:01:34
Speaker
um normally there's a bit of a slow build towards the start of the season but this year it just kind of hit a wall and then we were super busy all of a sudden so um good problem to have but uh definitely and definitely makes getting some other stuff done a little harder uh I do apologize for the website it is close to being done i know I've been saying that for a while but uh between planning for the camp and A couple other things that have come up ah that have taken me away from doing some of that work um has made it take a little longer than anticipated, but it is still in the works. We will still have everything moved over fairly soon here.
Goalie Camp Overview and New Drill Introduction
00:02:20
Speaker
um That being said, we are a couple weeks away, or I guess a couple days now, about a week and a half away from our week-long camp, which has been sold out. So thanks to all of you that booked with us to come out to that.
00:02:34
Speaker
ah We are looking forward to that. um So since we are in a new month, we are going to be going over a drill of the month. um So this is one that I've kind of recently added to our repertoire of drills, um mostly just to start kind of trying to incorporate a little bit more traffic.
00:02:57
Speaker
um especially this time of the season, kind of preparing for tryouts and all that stuff like that. um You guys want to expose yourselves as best as you can or as much as you can to some realistic game like situations.
00:03:12
Speaker
And obviously we know in a game, More often than not, there's some sort of traffic that we kind of have to fight through. um So it's good to kind of get used to that, used to fighting for the sight of the puck, kind of looking around screens and trying to do so while minimizing your loss of position, um because that's kind of what's going to help us make success, make us successful.
00:03:36
Speaker
So this drill is called the fight for sight screen options. um We will have this up on the YouTube side of things. You can kind of see the picture of the drill and then we will also post the drill up into the show notes.
00:03:53
Speaker
Um, but basically what it is, is the goalie is going to start at the top of their crease or kind of somewhere where they want to be, um, for wherever the pucks are being placed.
00:04:04
Speaker
Now, in our instance, we have the pucks a little higher than the top of the circle, somewhere around their top of the circle, a little higher, a little lower will be fine. Again, as always, you can put on your own variation to it. If you'd like to move the pucks around somewhere else, that is fine.
00:04:21
Speaker
But basically, goalies at the top of the crease set on one pile of pucks and there is a shooter or a coach at the pile of pucks. And then on the other side of the ice, there is another coach or shooter.
00:04:37
Speaker
And then there is ah third coach or shooter or even an extra goalie um in front of the goalie kind of creating ah a screen so you can have the screen nice and in tight right on top of the goalie. You can have it be a little bit of a higher screen.
00:04:53
Speaker
If you really want, you can even add two or three layers of screens, depends on what you have available for shooters or coaches. um But basically what's going to happen is the goalie is going to start on their butterfly at the top of the crease and the screen is going to be right in front of them, ah right on angle, making sure they can't see.
00:05:16
Speaker
Coach is going to yell, go. And the goalie is going to pop up to their feet. So basically, they're working on getting from their knees to their feet, trying to maintain that sight on that puck.
00:05:29
Speaker
And the screen in the meantime is going to be as dynamic as they can, trying to get in the lane, trying to get into the goalie's view. So the goalie has to work um to see around that screen.
00:05:41
Speaker
From there, once the goalie pops up to their feet after the go, the coach will either, the coach at the pile of pucks will either take a shot on net or will pass across to the other coach or shooter on the other side for ah kind of a catch and release or even a one-timer shot on net.
00:06:03
Speaker
If that pass does happen, ah its suggested that whoever's screening kind of moves with that pass and tries to ah stay in that sight lane of the goalie and making their life as difficult as possible.
00:06:19
Speaker
So, Not only do we have the screen element, but we also kind of have options laid out to make this fairly game realistic so that that shooter can either shoot or pass across for a shot.
00:06:33
Speaker
So the goalie has to kind of you know anticipate they have to be on their toes, make sure they're not cheating and reacting to what they see. while they're trying to fight through to maintain sight through the screen.
00:06:45
Speaker
um So it's a good way to kind of get the eyes going, get used to and finding pucks in different situations, whether it is on a pass or a shot, kind of from getting to your knees up to your feet, all of that stuff. So it's it's a good drill to really get the eyes going and kind of get the, you know, compete level up a little bit to make the goalie work a little bit for their saves.
00:07:10
Speaker
for their saves So that's um that's a drill that kind of started to incorporate the last couple sessions that we've had. um I think it's worked pretty good.
00:07:22
Speaker
ah We've got lots of, um you know, lots of teaching points out of that one. Once you implement it, you can kind of see some of the things that We want to make sure that goalies are looking in the right spots around their screen. So just as an example, say goalie is kind of more towards their glove side and the player left handed, which means their sticks more towards the middle of the ice.
00:07:54
Speaker
Ideally, we'd like to kind of look around more so the middle. um or I guess and kind of look towards the middle of the ice around the screen. So we'd look more towards our blocker side, um just as a ah general rule of thumb to kind of give you a better chance on that angle since since that player has opened up more to the middle.
00:08:16
Speaker
um So that's just a couple of things that you'll see. You'll find that some of the goalies who struggle a little bit more with the traffic will kind of make reads like that. That might not be the best decision to make as to where they're looking to find their site.
00:08:31
Speaker
So that's something to just keep in the back of your mind. um where to look around the screen, when to look around versus over versus maybe under. And that kind of this drill can kind of help open up that discussion a little bit.
00:08:46
Speaker
um Again, when you are looking around a screen, try and minimize your position loss as much as possible. um there It's a given you're going to lose position a little bit if you're really fighting for your site.
00:08:58
Speaker
But we want to try and do that while minimizing that loss of angle and squareness as much as we can. um And then just be aware of that deflection possibility too. Whenever there's traffic in front, there's always the possibility for a bit of a redirection.
00:09:15
Speaker
so just ah just be aware of that throughout the drill as well. That can kind of be another teaching point. um So that is the fight for sight screen options drill. We will have that up in the show notes as well as kind of on the YouTube side of things.
00:09:33
Speaker
um But yeah, good drill for this time of year to kind of get back into it and get back into some game like situations. So. That's what we got for this month's drill of
Essential Goalie Skills Discussion
00:09:46
Speaker
the month.
00:09:46
Speaker
um Moving into the actual meat and potatoes of the episode, if you will. um I wanted to take this opportunity to kind of talk a little bit about some of the more underrated skills.
00:10:03
Speaker
um that goalies can really help to elevate their game, help to stand out a little bit more and to kind of talk about some of the you know non-negotiables too that we really need to make sure that we are implementing in our game um because you know not doing so can kind of jeopardize our stock a little bit, especially with valuations coming around the corner.
00:10:29
Speaker
um For most of you, I know some of you already have your teams made and all that, and that's great. But the other thing too is we have, or I have, I guess, put in a couple posts in some Facebook groups, ah reaching out about getting some topics as to, you know, topics or questions you guys want to hear about. So if there's anything that comes up, you can send us an email at goalies at truenorthgoaltending.com.
00:10:57
Speaker
And we will probably be doing that as an episode in a couple weeks, probably two-ish weeks. ah We'll compile all the topics and stuff like that and we'll sit down and kind of go through as a bit of Q&A or a bit of a mailbag episode as you well.
00:11:15
Speaker
So if you have anything that you have a burning question about or want to bring up as a discussion point or anything like that, just send us an email and we can incorporate that for you guys as well.
00:11:29
Speaker
um So moving on. When we're talking about the non-negotiables, I guess. So some of the things that we would really like to see from our goalies across the board, um and this is I tried to do some things that aren't quite as obvious. Like, obviously we want you, you know, in a stance, we want you square to the puck. We want you on proper angle, all that stuff.
00:12:00
Speaker
But some of the things kind of away from the technical aspect of the game, um and just some things that coaches like to see when they're evaluating or goalie coaches like to see when they're about to work with the goalie, um, and things that we kind of expect, like almost unwritten expectations, um, that, that people look for. So kind of wanted to go through some of those things.
00:12:26
Speaker
Um, especially like I said earlier, for those of you going into tryouts. Um, so one thing that I think, um, it It gets talked about lots, but maybe not necessarily hammered home as to how important it is, is the routines.
00:12:44
Speaker
So you think of like a pregame routine, a postgame routine, a post goal reset routine, even a practice like a pre practice routine, stuff like that.
00:12:56
Speaker
um This is something that to me is a non-negotiable. If you are playing goal, you should have some sort, well, you should have multiple points in your game that you have some sort of routine, um especially a pregame and especially a post goal routine. So something that works for you that can kind kind of help you reset, get you back into that proper frame of mind of, okay,
00:13:23
Speaker
That's done with that's happened. Now we have to focus on the next shot because that's all that matters right now. Anything that works for you to kind of get you into that frame of mind, we want you to make sure that you have something in place for that.
00:13:36
Speaker
um That's going to be a big thing that especially if you don't have goalie people evaluating you, your ability to bounce back is something that non goalie people are still going to be looking for. And they're going to really look into stuff like proper body language and how you react after a save.
00:13:56
Speaker
um Are you laying on the ice or do you pop back up, do your skate to the corner, you know, tap your stick a couple of times and you're ready to go if that's your routine. Or if you want to do the Braden Holtby, spray the water, track a drop down and then kind of get ready to go again.
00:14:15
Speaker
Whatever works for you. But if we can see something that, you know, shows, okay, you know, that happened. They let a goal in, they realized that now they've moved on. It's about that next save. if That's going to get you some good brownie points moving forward.
00:14:33
Speaker
Um, and it's just, uh, just a good look to show that you're, you know, prepared and serious about it. And that really goes for pregame routines. If you're at a tryout and you are the one goalie that's an hour and a half before the game doing some ball work, doing some stretching, all of that stuff.
00:14:54
Speaker
Perfect. Like that's going to help you at least to set yourself apart. You may be at a higher level where every goalie is doing that, and that's great. But if you're the only goalie not doing that, you're probably going to get some points against you. Right. So even if none of the other goalies are there doing it, you'll set yourself apart.
00:15:15
Speaker
And then if everybody else is doing it, there's a reason for that. You should be involved in that, too. um But you should also have something as part of your pregame routine that's not just at the rink and that's more than just an hour to two hours before the game.
00:15:33
Speaker
You should have some sort of you know, visualization work, some sort of kind of pump up or chill out kind of, you know, preparation. So if you're a goalie that plays better when you're amped up, when you're buzzing, when you're ready to go, find something to incorporate the morning of the night after whatever it is to start getting into and that mindset.
00:15:59
Speaker
If you're more the goalie that likes to go and calm and cool and just kind of mellow. See how things go. Just find your game, go play, figure out what works for you to get into that frame of mind as well.
00:16:13
Speaker
So routines, very important post game or post practice, get a cool down and stretch, get a cool down bike or jog or walk something like that you know decompress with a little bit of music or whatever the case is getting yourself back into that proper state of mind um but something for after games and practices too is just as important as beforehand and Most of the time, it's more so for your physical well-being, making sure you're stretched, you're cooled down, all that good stuff.
00:16:47
Speaker
But it can also help depending on the individual kind of help maintain that mental well-being as well. So just again, as a lot of the stuff we talk about, play around with some things, find out what works for you. But to me,
00:17:01
Speaker
The routines are a non-negotiable. You should have at least a couple routines for various situations that you can stick to that are repeatable. So it's not going to throw your game off if a variable changes and that works to help you to accomplish what you need to. So.
00:17:21
Speaker
Um, that's it for routines when it comes to building off of that, I guess, um, in terms of how we are perceived by coaches, scouts, whoever is out there that we're trying to leave a good impression on, um, carrying yourself with a sense of professionalism,
00:17:44
Speaker
um having good character traits, those to me are also non-negotiables. um For us, if we're working with goalies, we want them to and kind of, you know, exemplify certain character traits um being basically good people, right? Like,
00:18:08
Speaker
It's it's tough for us as goalie coaches to work with kids who are not coachable, who don't seem to take things seriously, um who are just all in all tough to work with.
00:18:23
Speaker
And those same traits are, if you take that to your tryouts, take that to your teams, anything like that, most likely will land you cut or at the very least you won't get nearly as much um of a leash, I guess, as you potentially would if you're exemplifying those traits.
00:18:46
Speaker
um Coaches do not like to work with with players that are not coachable. They don't like to work with ones that have bad attitudes that aren't professional.
00:18:57
Speaker
um Show up to the rink well-dressed, show up to the rink early, show up to the rink with a smile on your face. have that driven determination when you're there. You are there to get a job done, so do what you can to get that job done.
00:19:13
Speaker
and if you can kind of convey that you know business-like personality, I guess, as well as being a professional, so making eye contact, shaking hands, smiling, engaging in conversation, this is all stuff that will help not only with making teams, but it'll help to build relationships. And you never know when those relationships come in handy down the road.
00:19:40
Speaker
You might play for a coach now that gets a coaching gig for a semi pro team that you're looking to make down the road. And if you left a good impression on that coach, he's more likely to bring you on board the second time than if you, you know, stood out as a bad apple.
00:19:59
Speaker
So anytime you're in any of these situations, um just kind of think to yourself, like, how do I want to be perceived? What's the first impression? And then the second, third, fourth impressions that I want to be making on these people.
00:20:14
Speaker
What do I want to be remembered as? And how do I want to leave that impression? Right. And I can pretty much guarantee everybody out there across the board and wants to say they want to leave a good impression.
00:20:27
Speaker
So being professional is a big one. Again, eye contact, huge. Smile, huge. Good, firm handshake, huge.
00:20:39
Speaker
Talk to coaches, talk to people, get to know them a little bit. But at the same time, don't come across as not genuine. You want to make sure that you know, you seem you actually are interested as opposed to just trying to do so just to kind of rake in some brownie points. Right.
00:20:59
Speaker
um So to me, that kind of professional demeanor is another non-negotiable, especially for those of you who are trying to get to higher and higher levels as you go. um That's going to make a big, big difference. So don't forget about that.
Mental and Emotional Mindset for Goalies
00:21:14
Speaker
um And that kind of goes a little bit hand in hand with another non-negotiable is having a good emotional slash mental game um and by that i mean we're not blaming our teammates okay own up to the fact that even though your teammates maybe made some mistakes they still scored on you you still made a mistake too or didn't do you know the perfect thing you could have done there's there's something that broke down on your end as well
00:21:52
Speaker
Now, that being said, obviously, we're not perfect. We're not going to stop everything. But just recognize that for the amount of times that your teammates make mistakes and, you know, turn the puck over, whatever the case is, they're also going to be times where they bail you out or where you make a horrendous mistake that results in them having a minus. And imagine what you feel if every time that happened, they came to you and ripped you a new one and put their hands in the air like, what are you doing? Come on.
00:22:23
Speaker
Right. And that's that's something that we need to think of, too. Right. Is they're they're trying to do their best in their position, just like we are in ours.
00:22:36
Speaker
So don't be blaming your teammates, you know, help them to shake things off if they do make a mistake, just like us. They know exactly when they made a mistake. They know when, you know, a goal was their fault or the result of something they did. So you don't need to pile on.
00:22:53
Speaker
Pick them up. Be good teammate. OK, and the body language is huge to just going back to that mental emotional game. If you let in a goal and every time you let in a goal, you then lay on the ice with your you know face looking down.
00:23:10
Speaker
OK, if you sit there for three, four or five seconds, people notice that and not in a good way. Right. If you let in a goal, you bounce back and get into your post goal routine like we talked about earlier game that shows a little bit of, you know, that maturity, that proper mental game, that proper emotional response um that kind of comes with what coaches, scouts, all these people are looking for.
00:23:40
Speaker
And it's also good for us, too, because it's Even if we think we can get through you know dealing with a bad goal with bad body language, it tends to weigh on us subconsciously a little more than we realize. like If we have the mopey attitude, if we kind of drop the shoulders or throw the hands in the air, shrug, you know kind of like look defeated, look upset, anything like that,
00:24:09
Speaker
Even if we think that that's not affecting us, it is because subconsciously that's kind of the the frame of mind that we have put ourselves in. And now that's going to translate into our thought process and our thought process is going to be a little bit more negative and then it's going to keep and a snowballing.
00:24:28
Speaker
So we need to make sure that. We stay positive. We don't look like we're dwelling on a goal. Even if in your mind you are kind of replaying it a couple times, don't look like you are.
00:24:39
Speaker
Don't look like you're blaming teammates or anything like that. Just worry about doing the net, like doing what you need to do to stop the next shot. And that's, that's all that we're worried about.
Technical Aspects of Goalie Positioning
00:24:52
Speaker
Um, the other thing is too, is don't outwardly show if you are frustrated or upset or anything like that, the stick slamming, um, you know, and we talked about the hands, like throwing the hands up in the air. I like Mike Smith. He liked to do that a lot.
00:25:08
Speaker
Um, stuff like that, like, It just, it doesn't show well. um If you are frustrated, if you are upset and you need a bit of a healthier release, I guess, just squeeze your stick, squeeze your glove, do something that's not really noticeable to kind of do what you need to do to get some of that anger, that frustration out.
00:25:33
Speaker
And then take that deep breath, do some breath work quick, reset, focus for the next shot, because that's really what we're worried about at that point. And um that bad body language can kind of result in in, you know, not looking great to people in the stands who might be watching. um The other thing, too,
00:25:59
Speaker
is Just for on ice stuff, I will say the one non-negotiable is we need to make sure that we are in position as best as we can be. And by that, I do mean angles and being square.
00:26:17
Speaker
Depth, I think, is one that traditionally has been over, i don't know, I guess, overemphasized.
00:26:29
Speaker
Yes, we need to come out in certain situations and cut off the angle and make ourselves big. But we can also accomplish that with proper save execution and proper tracking, even if we're only two steps off of our goal line.
00:26:43
Speaker
um The depth thing is more situational, so you might have certain situations where coming out more actually hurts you. But the one thing I will say is when it comes to on the ice, if you can be on angle and you can be square as much as possible, you will have success.
00:27:09
Speaker
So that comes from skating well and hitting your spots early. that comes from situational awareness and understanding the game in front of you. And that just comes from experience and practice. But if you can be on angle and be square for pretty much every shot that comes your way,
00:27:32
Speaker
I would argue that you will most likely be successful unless you really cannot stop a pack to save your life. But that is the number one big difference is or the number one big difference to making saves is being in position or not.
00:27:51
Speaker
80% of it is positional um and leading up into the save as opposed to the actual save itself, just because that only happens in one second, maybe if that.
00:28:05
Speaker
um So a lot of it is the lead up getting into position properly and all of that stuff. So that is the one that I will say on the ice is a non-negotiable. is making sure that we are on angle and square as much as possible.
00:28:20
Speaker
um Leading into some of the underrated skills that maybe don't get talked about as much, but can really make a difference in your game. That...
00:28:32
Speaker
that Just building off of that positional point from the last one, um the ability to be in position and set early is huge.
00:28:46
Speaker
Like if you can turn a lateral play into a straight shot, so if a pass comes across, you can beat the pass and be set in your stance, ready for a shot before that that pass is complete or that guy gets full control of that puck.
00:29:04
Speaker
makes a big difference. we I always tell or goalies like, what's easier, making a save while you're standing still or making a save while you're moving?
00:29:17
Speaker
And the answer is is when you're standing still. Okay. If you are set and waiting for a shot, you are more likely to make that save than if something is still moving, whether you haven't set your feet properly, whether your hands or your body are a little bit behind in your movement, whatever the case is, if we're not fully on angle, if we're not fully square, if we're still trying to gain depth,
00:29:44
Speaker
anything like that, that movement makes it a little harder to make those saves. So if you can have the skill of getting set early and getting into position early before that shot has come, I can guarantee that most likely you will have success at the level that you're playing.
00:30:03
Speaker
And the goalies that can keep having success at each level that they get to, are the ones that can get into position at the speed that that level requires them to consistently.
00:30:17
Speaker
And that's kind of something that we talk lots about having to get a good rotation before we push. That's a big reason why we also talk lots about depth management because if we're too far out, it makes pushing across way harder.
00:30:33
Speaker
So there's a lot of instances where it's actually more beneficial for us to take a half step or a step back in our depth. And that that can really help us hit that ah hit that positional point a lot quicker and a lot easier to be set for for those saves.
00:30:51
Speaker
Then building off of that, oh another underrated skill, in my opinion, is the ability to move on our feet. So many goalies, the first thing they do when they put pads on is go for a butterfly slide. They slide around on their knees and say, wow, this is so much fun. Look what I can do.
00:31:12
Speaker
And it's great. Like we love the position because it's fun because we can slide around because we have different gear, all of that cool stuff. But I see so many goalies that are 14, 15, 16 and up that are playing double a triple a higher that.
00:31:33
Speaker
their first instinct on a movement is a slide, right? Or they make a save and their first push on their rebound is an inside edge push staying on their knees.
00:31:44
Speaker
Even though the puck is in the corner and there's nobody around it, they push on their knees to their post or just off their posts, wherever the puck is, but it's all on their knees. And then when they get there, they pop up to their feet.
00:32:00
Speaker
And to me, I'm just like, you had the time to get to your feet. And you actually would have done so quicker if you had just done a proper T push recovery from your knees and push to your feet during the push.
00:32:15
Speaker
That makes things a lot more efficient, makes you get there quicker, makes you set. And you have more optionality on your feet right so it's easier to push around but you can still drop to make a save you can still slide if there's an in tight pass anything like that but you just have a lot more optionality on your feet on your knees then you kind of feel a little bit exposed the top of the net's a little bit more open it's a little longer to execute a push because you have to lift one of your legs to make a push.
00:32:52
Speaker
It's it just is not as ideal of a situation to be in as when you're on your feet. So anytime you're working on movements, work on T pushing on your feet, work on small shuffles, small adjustments, work on being able to get across half of your crease in one shuffle, kind of those larger shuffles, right, as opposed to a T push.
00:33:16
Speaker
And then on your rebounds, please, please, please work on your T-push recoveries. Make your save and recover on your feet. So not a slide and then pop up.
00:33:28
Speaker
Make that push starting on your knees where you get up with that back leg. load it for a push and then you step into your T push with that lead leg. So you started on your knees.
00:33:42
Speaker
One leg gets up, the weights loaded. The other leg gets up into your T push and you go. So it's one fluid motion. And then all of a sudden do you have the optionality to do whatever you want.
00:33:56
Speaker
It's the the slide is always there if you need it. If something's in tight, great slide. But more often than not, I see goalies have ample time to get to their feet and they don't.
00:34:10
Speaker
So get used to getting to your feet. To me, it's an incredibly underrated skill and it'll make your life a lot easier. And it'll also make you look better when you're you know, add evaluations or if there's a scout in the stands or anything like that, please, please, please work on moving on your feet, getting to your feet as quick as possible.
00:34:34
Speaker
um That being said, I'm not saying goalies need to stand up more because we've talked enough about that and kind of the blanket statement that comes with that. But some yeah, just on movements, on your feet more.
Advanced Skills: Puck Management and Situational Awareness
00:34:50
Speaker
That would make me very happy. um Puck management is another one. um So basically the same as rebound control, but I like to refer to it more as like puck management because where we're more so trying to read the play and dictate what we're doing with the puck um based on what we see in front of us.
00:35:22
Speaker
So, When we think of rebound control, usually it's kind of the ability to put a puck to the corner, um whether it be with a stick or with a blocker.
00:35:34
Speaker
um We think of catching the puck when we talk about rebound control, um stuff like that. And I would take it a step further and basically say, if you are good at placing pucks where you want them to go,
00:35:50
Speaker
That is something that not a lot of goalies can do, but it makes a huge difference in your game. And that's why I kind of have it as one of the underrated skills, because if you can take a stick save and you have somebody very, um i don't know, like on a very steep angle off to the back door, so maybe they're, you know, two steps above the goal line.
00:36:19
Speaker
on your blocker side and you're getting a shot from your glove side, if you're going to make a stick save to the corner, you're probably making that save right to that person back door.
00:36:31
Speaker
So the safer play might actually be to kick it a little bit more um or a little higher in the zone or maybe even more so to the slot or maybe somehow trying to, you know, just get a lot of heat on that on that rebound. That might be an instance where you'd rather kick that save out and try and just get it as far out of the zone or away from the net as possible, as opposed to making a stick save just because of that um that backdoor threat.
00:37:05
Speaker
In another instance, the stick save might be exactly what you need to get it to the corner out of harm's way. um We also have the ability as goalies a lot of times to dictate the pace of play. So if your team's hemmed in for the zone for a while, the other team's pressing, pressing, pressing.
00:37:27
Speaker
If you can find a way to cover that puck, get a whistle, get fresh legs and kind of stall the other team's momentum. That makes a huge difference too. So being able to use our body in those situations. So instead of maybe a blocker save, we shift our body a bit more, make a shoulder save, but we can get the glove around.
00:37:47
Speaker
and kind of get that as a safety net to be able to control that puck, get a whistle. Now all of a sudden we're laughing, right? We're in a much better spot. You know, we kind of squash the momentum a little bit. Now we can have fresh legs, get out, maybe clear the zone and no harm, no foul.
00:38:04
Speaker
Um, So that's why I kind of refer to this as puck management, right? Being able to put pucks in the right spot based on the situation, the ability to cover the puck when we need to, and even the ability to to keep the play alive when we need to, right? like This may not apply to you guys, but just as an example, we see in the NHL with the three-on-three overtime, a lot of goalies are looking to spring a pass or something like that because they recognize that there's two opposing players deep,
00:38:42
Speaker
and two of their guys high. So there's a potential for a quick two on one. So they look to drop the pass or drop the puck and move it up with a quick pass and try and get the play going the other way quick. So that's something to to keep an eye on, too, is there might be situations where you can actually, instead of covering it, you can get that puck played quickly and maybe get it going the other way.
00:39:07
Speaker
Um, The other thing too with puck management just is puck handling, stick handling, um being able to make good decisions with that. um When it comes to what coaches and scouts and stuff are looking for with with puck play, ah the big thing is is just make your decision early, make it quick, be simple and efficient with it, and then get back to your net. So out quick, quick movement back to your net.
00:39:37
Speaker
plays done, right? That's kind of what they're looking for is is that quick that quickness, that ability to make a decision under pressure, that ability to keep it simple and and then just get back to the net, right?
00:39:52
Speaker
It's when you're unsure or unconfident When you look like you're hanging on to the puck a little too long, when you're trying to go for the high risk, high reward plays, that's kind of the stuff that can get you into trouble.
00:40:08
Speaker
um and that can potentially go against you when people are looking at you. Um, so just make sure that, you know, we're, or we have an idea of where we want to play that puck as we're going out to stop the puck, um whether it's a rim or a dump in or whatever the case is, make sure you make that play quick. You get in, you get out back to the net.
00:40:31
Speaker
Right. Don't try and overcomplicate it with fancy fakes and all of that. And sometimes that might work. And if you're good at it, then who am I to tell you not to do it? But More often than not, it's quick, you know simple tape to tape pass back in the net and that's it. We're not trying to sauce over four players to try and spring a guy at the far blue line.
00:40:55
Speaker
It might work, but if it doesn't, then you're hooped and that's kind of a going to go against you. So just that just think of that to kind of more low risk, ah medium reward plays, ones that you can make quick and that you're confident about and that can go a long way. um We've talked lots about this, ah both a little bit today, but just in in other episodes as well. But The situational awareness is a huge one to being able to see what's in front of you, being able to anticipate the play, being able to scan for threats and just have an idea of how a play is going unfold or the potentials that a play has.
00:41:43
Speaker
um that really goes a long way in being able to have success at the higher levels. So being able to scan off the puck, look back door, look to the slot, see where the D-men are, see where your teammates are.
00:41:57
Speaker
um Oh, there's somebody open in the slot. There's somebody open back door. Whatever the case is, i can maybe yell to my team, let them know. But I also now have that awareness. So if I see that puck start going in that general direction, I already know that I need to kind of look and open up and rotate to that backdoor player, because I know they're wide open and then I can start making that movement.
00:42:23
Speaker
If we have no idea that they're there, we're usually not as quick to make that movement because we're still trying to process where that puck is going to.
00:42:35
Speaker
Whereas if we've scanned and we've identified, then we already know it's there and that pass starts to go we're already starting to go because we know. right We know it's there. We're not trying to say, OK, where's the stick?
00:42:49
Speaker
Lefty, righty. Are they high? Are they low? Where are they? Oh, they're there. OK, well, now the pass is almost already done and now we're kind of in desperation mode. Right. So we need to make sure that we're scanning often, especially if the puck isn't in an area to be an immediate threat to the net.
00:43:08
Speaker
So if somebody has their back turned to the net, they're kind of being pushed out to the outside along the boards. Perfect opportunity to take a quick look. There's a little down low battle against the boards where you know there's a couple people pinned.
00:43:22
Speaker
um Great opportunity to take a quick look, right? You should, if you have seen any of the um clips of NHL goalies scanning, they are constantly looking off the puck, their heads constantly on a swivel, right? And that's something that you guys need to start making um part of your game as well.
00:43:46
Speaker
There's also just with the situational awareness and we kind of talked about depth already today, but being able to manage your depth properly based on the situation and give yourself the best opportunity, not only to make the save, but also to get into position. If there is a lateral play, um, that's something that, uh,
00:44:07
Speaker
that can go a long way as well. Um, just recognizing, Oh, there's a little bit more, um traffic on the backside. Maybe I need to take a little bit of depth as opposed to if the other teams coming down in a one on two or a one on three, cause they're changing.
00:44:24
Speaker
You can be a little bit more aggressive cause there's no need to really to have a push across, um, just cause there's no threats there. So, um, Watch hockey, watch your games, watch opponent systems. All this stuff that we've mentioned before goes a long way in helping you improve that situational awareness. But that is something that, in my opinion, really separates the elite level goalies from the good goalies is their ability to read a play, their ability to anticipate, their ability to see how a play is going to unfold and kind of run through all the potential options. Right. Like, OK, there's
00:45:04
Speaker
two layers of screens but the one higher is a little off to the side that's a potential for a shot tip oh the guy in front also has his stick in a position to tip it i got to be aware of that oh that backside defenseman is activating a little bit more to the back door i got to be aware of that right just all these things that you kind of have to process in a quick amount of time the better that you are at that just helps you to really elevate your game.
00:45:32
Speaker
um That's why the cognitive training is important that we've talked about because that helps with that ah skill of processing and being able to turn that information into a decision quickly and because there's a lot of stuff that we process during a game. So you want to be able to do that well and quickly. So process a lot of information in a short
Patience and Reaction in Goaltending
00:45:55
Speaker
amount of time. And that's going to help but really set you apart on that. um The other thing, too, that kind of plays into the situational awareness, but something I don't see a lot of or as at least as much as I'd like to is just that patience and patience.
00:46:17
Speaker
I get it. I played. I played at a decently high level. I understand that it is hard not to panic. Sometimes it is hard to understand sometimes that we don't have to do anything when we think we do um We're always constantly like, I got to move. I got to be in position. I got to be ready to make save. I got to be ready to push. It's always kind of there in the back of our mind.
00:46:45
Speaker
But a lot of times we don't need to do as much as we think we do. And our position, as much as we try and anticipate, as much as we try and, you know, think of what's going to happen next,
00:47:03
Speaker
it is a reactive position we don't have a crystal ball we don't know exactly what's going to happen so we do have to react to how things play out in front of us even if we are trying to anticipate and and have a bit of an idea of what might happen at the end of the day we can't do anything until something on the ice happens so a lot of times what gets goalies into trouble is trying to get ahead of that but they either end up cheating or they end up doing too much or, you know, whatever the case is and they get themselves out of position and it's kind of game over, right?
00:47:44
Speaker
The one thing that I see lots of with that is when players carry the puck across the ice, so east-west, there's either two things that happen. One, the goalie is worried about getting ahead so they don't move and they wait.
00:48:00
Speaker
And then when the shot comes, they kind of slide into the save and try and make up for that lost angle. Or they move too much and they end up giving up kind of that far side back across the body.
00:48:16
Speaker
um And that's something that Having that patience of just being able to make those small adjustments but follow the play, having the patience to wait for a player to make the first move on a breakaway, having the patience to hold your feet a little bit longer and not default straight down to the butterfly.
00:48:38
Speaker
all the time stuff like that is a big game changer too like i kind of tell my goalies lots we want the players to dictate the play we want basically the game to come to us and we go from there right we don't want to be the ones trying to make the first move we don't want to be the ones trying to you know, make the player do a certain thing, let them do what they're going to And we just follow the puck, maintain our positioning, and we wait to react until something happens, a shot, a pass, whatever the case is.
00:49:18
Speaker
And that's kind of our job. I see a lot of goalies that think they have to do more than they do. especially in scrambles, right? The first thing is the big dive off to the side, head first, and then the player just, oh, okay, I'm just going to pull it back the other way a bit. Now I have a wide open net, right?
00:49:37
Speaker
The goalie most likely had time to rotate and get a good push across, but they panicked. They kind of Didn't have that patience and they just threw something out there.
00:49:48
Speaker
And yes, it's good to have that ability to be desperate to have that compete that battle, but we want to do it in a way that we maintain our position as best as we possibly can, given the situation.
00:50:03
Speaker
And more often than not, we can get there with our body upright. Even if we're in the butterfly, if we're on our knees, we can still get there with our body upright, leading with the hands, getting a good rotation to get the proper push angle, as opposed to just defaulting to the big dive.
00:50:20
Speaker
Every now and then, the big dive is what the only thing that's going to get you across in time. It happens. But more often than not, that's not the case. And that should be in your back pocket for maybe the once a year that it comes up once a season, twice a season, depends on your team and how good they are. But so it's one of those things that just having that patience, being able to take your time, obviously with some hustle, but take the time to do things properly, get across and let the play come to you. That's one that puts you into a good situation more often than not.
00:51:00
Speaker
Um, going kind of leave it at that for today.
Tryout Preparation Tips
00:51:05
Speaker
I know there's obviously lots of stuff we could go through. This list could kind of be, you know, as long as we want it. But I think those are kind of the main important ones, both for the underrated skills that can help take you to the next level, as well as some of the non-negotiables, especially going into tryouts and stuff like that.
00:51:26
Speaker
Um, If you r coming up to tryouts in a couple of weeks, good luck to you guys. Make sure you're prepared, make sure you're getting good sleeps, eating properly, being hydrated, all that good stuff. Take care your body so that you put yourself in a position to have the best performance that you can, especially for these like quick hitter weekend type evaluations. Sometimes you don't get very many opportunities to showcase your skills.
00:51:57
Speaker
So when you are in the net, you want to make sure that you hit the ground running and you make the most of it and show the best that you can. um But for those of you who aren't in that situation, then keep prepping for this upcoming season and good luck going into the season, guys.
00:52:15
Speaker
um As always, you can like and subscribe if you are on the YouTube channel. um You can leave us a comment as well. If you are listening on the podcast side of things, please leave a rating, leave a review, i subscribe or follow the podcast depending on what platform you're on.
00:52:37
Speaker
and share it with a friend because that's the biggest way that we can grow the podcast that we can kind of get out there is if you share it with a goalie friend kind of say hey saw some cool things on the episode today check it out here you go share the link um that really helps us kind of continue to grow continue to get in front of more goalies ah you can always reach out at goalies at truenorthgoaltending.com You can follow us on Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, all at True North Goaltending.
00:53:08
Speaker
Or you can follow us on Instagram at Y-E-G Goalie Coach. And yeah, we'll be we'll be taking those submissions for kind of our Q&A mailbag episode in a couple of weeks. So feel free to reach out with anything you'd like to hear on that front Other than that, thanks for tuning in, guys.
00:53:31
Speaker
As always, make some saves. Take care.