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054 - The Importance of Communication for Goalies
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Show notes are available at https://thediygoalie.com/pod054
This week is a solo episode with Nathan talking all about communication. We dive into how having good streams of communication have a positive impact both on and off the ice. We touch on how to communicate with teammates, coaches, and goalie parents to maximize success as a goalie.
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Transcript
Introduction & Episode Overview
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 a better goalie.
00:00:18
Speaker
How are we doing today, goalies? Welcome to another episode of the DIY Goalie Podcast. We are glad to have you here again with us today. and It's a solo episode with just myself. Connor is a little under the weather today, so... um I'm going to kind of be switching it up but a little bit today, i just kind of with the last minute change.
Importance of Communication for Goalies
00:00:42
Speaker
So we're going to talk about um communication and kind of the role that it plays with goalies and kind of how important it can be.
00:00:51
Speaker
as a goalie to properly communicate and what that looks like. um Before we get started, though, I just kind of wanted to um say a big thanks to everybody out there, whether you're returning for multiple episodes or this is your first episode. Thank you for tuning in. um We don't really kind of push this too much, but it would help us a lot if you guys can share um the show with a friend. If you guys can leave ratings and reviews on whatever platform that you guys are listening on.
00:01:25
Speaker
um If you're on YouTube, liking and subscribing, all that good stuff that just helps us kind of. grow the show a little bit more, get, uh, get in front of more goalies and all of that good stuff helps us out a little bit. So we very much appreciate that.
00:01:39
Speaker
Um, just as a bit of an update for you guys, I am in the process of working on the new website. That's going to combine all of the true North goaltending and the DIY goalie stuff together.
00:01:51
Speaker
um I'm hoping to kind of have that done, probably sometime in May. Kind of depends on how much ah time I get to work on it, but that is in the works and we'll keep you updated on that and let you guys know once that change has been made.
00:02:07
Speaker
um So for now, you can still access the DIYgoalie.com, get everything on there. um But soon we will be moving all that over to the True North Goaltending website.
On-Ice Communication Strategies
00:02:19
Speaker
um So just to kind of dive right into it, um we've touched on it a little bit in a few episodes briefly, but I think it warrants a deep dive, kind of talking about communication, why it's important and how to go about it properly.
00:02:38
Speaker
um Most of what we're going to talk about relates to on ice communication, but we are going to touch a little bit on off ice stuff too, with a little bit of the different parties that you might come across throughout your career or situation.
00:02:55
Speaker
um so First off, I want to talk about the on-ice component. um I've started to do a little bit of a better job at this, I think. i I always like to criticize and and make jokes about how our defensemen aren't really there for us as goalies, which most of the time isn't true. We just obviously like to give them a hard time. But I want to really stress the importance of you guys getting on the same page as your defensemen.
00:03:27
Speaker
Um, it makes your lives easier. it makes their lives easier. and it makes for just a, a better team game, a team experience. If you can go out and, uh, you know, start breakouts because you and your defenseman are on the same page.
00:03:43
Speaker
If you can say a couple words and they know what you mean and they can cover an open guy or whatever the case is. If you guys are on the same page, if you're constantly talking, it helps you to succeed. It helps them to succeed. It helps the team to succeed.
00:03:58
Speaker
So that's kind of ah why it's important to really make sure that, you know, we're being vocal in the net, um whether it's while the play is going on, whether it's during intermission, that practice, whatever the case is.
00:04:14
Speaker
the more that you guys can talk with your defensemen and forwards too, but um more often than not, we're kind of talking about defensemen. Um, so one of the easiest things or, um, kind of across the board things that I think you guys all should be thinking about doing is figuring out how you guys want to approach your breakout. So depending on what level you play, um,
00:04:45
Speaker
You might be in a position where you're starting to play the puck or you have been for years now, whatever the case is. But the more that you can get out of the net and help start your breakout, the less time that the puck going to be in the zone.
00:05:00
Speaker
And you need the proper support to be able to make that happen. So... if you guys can have some time at some point to sit down with your defensemen, uh, if you want, you can have your coach there too, to talk about things with them.
00:05:15
Speaker
Um, but just making sure that you guys have a couple set plays that are easily identified by quick words or phrases.
00:05:28
Speaker
Um, so What I usually tend to recommend when it comes to communication is, at least with playing the puck as a goalie, um is kind of having four different options.
00:05:42
Speaker
So forehand, backhand, set, or rim. And that kind of keeps things simple. That gives you four potential things to do when you come out and you stop a puck behind the net or you come out to play the puck or whatever the case is.
00:05:59
Speaker
There's four options. You know what they are. And if the defenseman yells one of those words, you know exactly what it means, right? So forehand obviously means you're passing to the defenseman on your forehand side.
00:06:12
Speaker
Backhand means you're passing on the backhand side. Rim means they don't like what they're seeing and they're telling you to just get it high and hard off the glass. Or set means they want to come back and pick up the puck, so you just leave it behind the net.
00:06:27
Speaker
Um... So that's kind of the four that I usually recommend to start off with. Um, if there's something else that you guys do, something that works better for you guys, then obviously implement that. But that's where having that talk with your defensemen, with your coaching staff can really make a difference on that and can really help you, uh,
00:06:50
Speaker
get on the same page and make that transition a little bit
Practicing Communication Skills
00:06:54
Speaker
smoother. Cause I'm sure we've all been there where we come out and stop the puck and we go to play it. We don't know where we want to go.
00:07:02
Speaker
um there's kind of a little bit of confusion turns into a turnover and all of a sudden a guy's in front of the net with a wide open net and taps the puck in. We've seen it happen at the NHL level, at all levels.
00:07:14
Speaker
um I've done it quite a few times in my career. I wasn't exactly the best at playing the puck. But so just ah and as much as possible, if you can avoid getting yourself in that situation, um obviously the better. And that's kind of where that happens.
00:07:32
Speaker
communication ahead of time comes into play so that you guys can kind of be on the same page and know what to do when the situation comes to it. So at some point when it comes to breakouts, talk with your defenseman beforehand, talk with your coaching staff too to know what their expectations are.
00:07:53
Speaker
And then also ask to if you can run some of that stuff in practice, like when you guys work on breakouts or systems or anything like that, Just be like, hey, can we work on all four options or can we work on, you know, dumping the puck into me every time so we can work on playing that puck from the goalie out?
00:08:15
Speaker
So, Once everyone's on the same page, and that's kind of going to be a main theme for a lot of this episode is being on the same page. um But once you are, that means that you can work on it in practice. The coaching staff knows what you're doing. They can tell you what their expectations are.
00:08:35
Speaker
The defenseman can tell you what they like from you. You can tell them what you prefer. All that good stuff kind of makes things simple. Um, so away from the puck playing side of things, there's a few other, um, things to talk about with your defensemen and to kind of shore up a little bit, I guess. Um,
00:08:56
Speaker
odd man rushes is one. So again, get a couple easy phrases that you guys talk about beforehand um to get on the same page so that when you yell them on an odd man rush, your defenseman knows exactly what to do.
00:09:13
Speaker
So if it's say a two on one, you can say, okay on two on ones, I'm either they're going to say take the pass or take the shot. Right? Um, more often than not as goalies, we're going to want the defenseman to take the pass, but sometimes when the guy with the puck kind of bumbles it a little bit, he, he fumbles that puck, um, it bounces off his stick, or if he just kind of, you know, is getting himself a little too close to the boards or something like that, you might, uh, you might recognize that and tell your defenseman to pressure him, try and get that puck off his stick.
00:09:45
Speaker
Um, so that's, that's basically the only two options on a two on one that you're going to, uh, tell your defenseman so that one's pretty easy ah three on two is a little bit of a different story um again just kind of go through the potential situations with your defenseman ask what they like to see or like to do um what they're seeing you can kind of tell them what you would like again ideally we'd like just a straight shot with no lateral plays um
00:10:18
Speaker
But it's a bit of a different situation with the three-on-twos because you might be yelling trailer um because there's a guy that's you know trailing. He's kind of a little higher and your defensemen are really sucking back to the net, leaving that guy in the high slot wide open.
00:10:35
Speaker
You might yell backdoor because there's ah the wide guy is snuck behind one of your defensemen to the backdoor. Again, you might say take shot or take shooter because you know they're kind of Fumbling the puck a little bit. um There's a few different options, a lot more on a three on two than there would be on a two on one.
00:10:55
Speaker
But again, if you guys kind of sit down and discuss that, you can kind of say, OK, when I say this, I want you to be doing this. Right. um So that when it happens in a game, it's automatic. Nobody's kind of taking those couple of seconds to process what you've said.
00:11:12
Speaker
um it just kind of happens. ah The other thing too, this kind of goes for in zone play as well. Um, if there's a backdoor threat, you can yell to them backdoor. If they're in front of you screening you and you can't see, you know, you can say can't see or screened or something like that.
00:11:33
Speaker
Um, these are all situations that the more you guys can talk ahead of time and kind of figure out what means what and what the expectation is,
00:11:45
Speaker
That's when you really start having success with it when it comes to the actual um the actual game situation. ah Make sure, too, when you're communicating, that you're loud, that you're clear, and that you're concise.
00:12:03
Speaker
but you're not doing it in a way that's, i don't know, rude or like condescending or and kind of having any of that negative connotation to it.
00:12:13
Speaker
Make sure that your tone of voice is firm, but it's not negative. You want to make sure that they can hear you and they can understand you, but you're not yelling for the sake of yelling. You're not being negative. You're not putting anybody down and you're not like condescending or anything like that.
00:12:32
Speaker
Just get your point across, be clear. And that's kind of how we want to go about it So big things talk ahead of time.
00:12:46
Speaker
Tell your defenseman what you expect. Tell them some of the common things you see and get their feedback to and ask what they see. Ask what they like. Ask what makes sense to them. um Because there's going to be times where, you know, maybe you set a puck and you're back to your net quick and then you can see all down the ice.
00:13:09
Speaker
And your defenseman, maybe after a change, is a little late getting back to the puck and you can yell at him, wheel, wheel, wheel, meaning skate the puck. You can say reverse because there is a guy coming down the strong side there to pressure him.
00:13:26
Speaker
um D to d you know, all of this stuff if you can kind of clarify what it means beforehand, we'll be in a much better spot. So work on it and practice too.
00:13:40
Speaker
um When you guys are running system drills, when you guys are doing breakouts, when you guys are doing power play, penalty kill, whatever the case is, communicate with your guys, practice that communication and make sure that,
00:13:57
Speaker
they know what you mean too, right? Like if you need to in the middle of practice, if there is some sort of miscommunication, stop and have that conversation quick and be like, hey, when I say that, I mean this or hey, when you said that, I thought you meant this. What did you actually mean? Right.
00:14:16
Speaker
That's the time to hash that out. So that's not happening in the middle of the game. um And again, that goes for if you're playing the puck, That goes for if they're skating or moving the puck in zone.
00:14:29
Speaker
That goes for, well, the play is in zone. If there's a backdoor threat or a screen, anything like that. um All of that's fair game. So in reality,
00:14:41
Speaker
If I'm being honest with you guys, you should be the loudest player on the ice. You should be the most talkative player on the ice. And I know for some goalies, that's a little tough for you guys.
00:14:52
Speaker
I was kind of in that boat. I'm lot less of a talker, I guess. I'm not really one to... you know, want to yell at people and kind of you know, have that outward expression. But at the same time, it's so important as a goalie because you see a lot of stuff that the players don't just because of the fact that,
00:15:16
Speaker
you are always kind of facing up ice pretty much, right? So the other thing too is if you're playing the position right, like if you watch the NHL goalies, they are always, so always shoulder checking. They're always scanning the ice, seeing where things are.
00:15:33
Speaker
So you need to be playing like that too. And that allows you to pick up stuff that your players, your teammates might not be picking up that's transpiring, that's kind of happening and in front of you. Right. So that's why it's really important for you guys to be communicating.
00:15:51
Speaker
um You need to, even if you're one of those goalies, that's a little introverted, that doesn't really like talking or, you know, being loud or putting yourself out there.
00:16:02
Speaker
When you get on the ice, you got to find a way to put that on the back burner, right? Like I always make the joke that goalies either don't stop talking or don't talk at all. And there seems to be no middle ground. So for those of you on the side of don't talk at all,
00:16:21
Speaker
Find a way to get vocal. And that starts in practice. That might even start at home before you're comfortable with it, doing it in front of other people. find a room in your house and just go and practice yelling like man on man on or wheel or, you know, forehand or whatever, whatever the case is, practice some of those things, practice yelling at practice, being firm and clear and loud so that your teammates can understand when you actually get to it in a practice or in a game.
00:16:54
Speaker
Um, yeah, The other thing to do too is to kind of communicate with your defenseman off the ice as well. Talk about your systems. Talk about what you want to see from them. Talk about kind of your expectations and get them to give you their expectations too, right? Like, you know, in certain situations, they might want you to cover a puck, right?
00:17:20
Speaker
In certain situations, they might want you to play out, like play the rebound out. So instead of covering it, they might want you to pass it to them quickly in the corner or something
Off-Ice Communication & Body Language
00:17:30
Speaker
like that. Right.
00:17:31
Speaker
And so those are the situations that if you can have a plan going into it ahead of time, it makes it a lot easier to kind of everybody get on the same page. Right. Um,
00:17:43
Speaker
That's when you kind of want to have a meeting. Like if you guys don't do this, going into next season at the start of the season, after your tryouts, ask your coaching staff if they can put together a meeting between you and the coaching staff and your defensemen.
00:18:00
Speaker
And sit down and discuss and then you can ask your coaches like, hey, what do you want to see from us? Like, I would like this, this and this. um This is how I like to communicate with my defensemen. I want to make sure they're on the same page with me. Is that OK with you? Do you have any suggestions? Would you like to change anything about that?
00:18:18
Speaker
Blah, blah, blah. Right. So. it's really important that you guys kind of get out of your shell a little bit as best you can. If you are kind of one of those more timid goalies um practice at home by yourself, then maybe get a couple of friends or maybe siblings or mom and dad or whatever the case is um to kind of practice with them and then kind of start building from there and take it to the team. Cause communication and public speaking, if you want to call it that, anything like that is a skill.
00:18:55
Speaker
And like every other skill out there, it takes practice and repetition. So that's going to really help you get over kind of that that hump of you know uncertainty and of doubt.
00:19:09
Speaker
The other thing too, when it comes to communication is, um, being able to not only just use your voice, but kind of use your body, use your body language too. Like you'll see a lot of and NHL goalies. If you kind of watch them, they, uh,
00:19:25
Speaker
like to be pointing with their glove or with their stick or whatever the case is. and You know, you'll see it, for example, if somebody like does a hard rim, if they dump the puck in with a hard rim and the goalie can't get to it, they'll point over to the side that the puck's going around to and they'll kind of yell, you know, like something around or i won't get it or whatever, something like that. They'll be yelling and they'll be pointing as well. So pointing can help.
00:19:54
Speaker
Um, a little bit, especially if your defenseman skating backwards to you or like facing you, they're skating forwards, but they're skating back to the zone facing you can kind of be pointing and tell them where the threats are, where the puck's going, all that good stuff.
00:20:11
Speaker
Um, so it's not just limited to just using your voice, uh, use your body as, as best you can to obviously in the middle of the play, we want to be a little bit more all leery of that.
00:20:22
Speaker
Um, because if we start moving our hands around and stuff like that, well, they have the puck at the point. That's definitely not ideal. Um, but yeah, just, just be aware of that being an option as well, that you can incorporate your hands, your stick.
00:20:37
Speaker
Um, I don't really know how you can incorporate other parts of your body, but I guess you could, if you figure out a way to, um, but that kind of helps with the overall experience as opposed to just using your voice.
00:20:51
Speaker
So outside of your team, it's also really important that you guys communicate with your coaches as well. Um,
00:21:03
Speaker
We did touch on this a few weeks ago, I think when we were talking about tough coach situations, somebody had kind of sent in a listener question or, or something like that, but we were talking about having the tough conversations with your coach if you need to, but so just in general, having good rapport and having that open line of communication with your coaching staff is really important.
00:21:30
Speaker
Now, Every situation is going to be different. There are going to be situations where maybe that relationship with the coach is a little strained. And in that instance, you might be more inclined to have less communication with the coaching staff, which fair enough. And at the same time, too, you don't want to be.
00:21:53
Speaker
swung to one side of the spectrum where you're bugging your coach all the time about everything like it's good to be communicative and open with your coaching staff but there also needs to be a limit right like it is a business they have their own jobs to do even if they are like a minor hockey dad on the coaching staff they have other stuff that they're focused on and worried about and have to do so don't be bugging them all the time but if you have something that you need to talk about, go to your coaching staff.
00:22:26
Speaker
Don't be afraid to have an open conversation with them. And i would say 90 to 95% of the coaches out there are receptive to that and open to that.
00:22:37
Speaker
You'll have a few outliers that really aren't approachable at all, which is unfortunate. um And in that instance, you kind of have to navigate a little differently there, but If there's something that's going on in practice that you're not really liking, bring it up to the coach. Like if you're getting too many shots too close together, um if somebody specifically is always shooting at your head and they're not receptive to you asking about or asking them to stop or talking to them about it, um or if you have a guy in the corner who's always shooting at you, like the side of your body while somebody else is coming down to shoot as part of the drill,
00:23:18
Speaker
um That's stuff that you can go to your coach about, talk to them about, be open about. The other thing like we talked about earlier is be involved with the systems.
00:23:30
Speaker
you know Ask them about what they expect from you in certain situations. Ask them how certain systems work or how they um are designed, why the coaches are doing it that way.
00:23:44
Speaker
Ask if there's a way that you can... help or benefit the team with like some coaches are very anti goalies playing the puck because they think that, you know, they're constantly going to be, um putting out turnovers or something like that.
00:24:03
Speaker
Have that conversation and be like, Hey, I've practiced my puck playing. I would like to be incorporate. Can we run a couple systems drills where I can show you that we can be a part of the breakout?
00:24:15
Speaker
Right. Yeah. Like I said, too, if you can go to them and be like, hey, can we have a meeting with our defensemen um to just go over some stuff to be on the same page? Like a lot of times coaches really appreciate that initiative when it's productive initiative. Right. If you are fine finding ways to be better or to help the team be better.
00:24:39
Speaker
They're usually pretty open to that. And then if you also have any sort of like constructive feedback, if you can go to them in the right way and just express like, hey, this is not working for me because X, Y, Z. Can we change it up a little bit? Here's what would help. Right. So, for example, like in my third year of Junior A, um i was in Ontario and There was ah few guys on our team that were notorious for coming to the bottom of the circle and taking their shot at the bottom of the circle on every drill, including warm up drills.
00:25:20
Speaker
And it used to drive me nuts because for me, I always got into practice by being able to track a puck and I needed distance for that. So it didn't matter how hard the shot was. Like I even would make the joke. I don't even care if you take a slap shot to my head, if it's from the blue line, that's okay. Cause that gives me enough time to track even in a warmup drill.
00:25:45
Speaker
Right. But I really didn't like it didn't get me into the practice when guys came two feet in front of me and took their shot. So I went to my coach and I said, hey, can we kind of design these like just the first drill of practice just so we get the shots around the blue line or and like a couple steps in from the blue line?
00:26:05
Speaker
Because that allows me to track the puck better. That allows me to get set. That allows me to do the stuff I need to do to be good for practice as well as be good for games.
00:26:17
Speaker
And so he said, yeah, no problem. So we made the adjustments and the rest of the year was awesome. Like that was probably, you know, the best, uh, best year I had for warmup drills and practice just because I had that conversation with my coach.
00:26:33
Speaker
So, Don't be afraid. Like I find a lot of times players just kind of almost seem scared of the coaching staff. um Don't be like they're there most of the time to help you get better. Again, there are some outliers out there, but.
00:26:49
Speaker
more often than not, they're there to help you out. They're there to help you get better. they' They're there to help the team get better and develop and all of that stuff.
Goalie-Parent Communication
00:26:58
Speaker
So they are usually open and willing to communicate if you go about it the right way. So again, just like we were talking about when you're yelling at your defenseman on the ice,
00:27:09
Speaker
you know Don't go in with any sort of negative connotations, negative body language, um any sort of kind of attitude or condescension or anything like that.
00:27:20
Speaker
Just go in, even if it is something that is a concern or an issue. Be, you know, an adult about it, have a proper conversation and just express your side of view in a constructive way.
00:27:35
Speaker
And more often than not, that can kind of lead to helping to resolve the issues. um Again, too, when it comes to playing time, um if for whatever reason you're not happy with the amount of time that you're playing or whatever, you can go and talk to your coach about that, communicate that, just say, hey, what can I do in practice or away from the rink or whatever it is?
00:28:02
Speaker
What can I do to put in the work? to show you that I deserve more playing time or something like that. You know, ask them like what it is that they're seeing that they're not liking that's leading to you not being in the net as much.
00:28:18
Speaker
And a lot of times they'll be straight up with you. They'll be like, well, we feel like you're not battling on pucks very much. We'd like see you battle more. Or they might say,
00:28:30
Speaker
we feel your skating's kind of struggling a little bit. You're not getting across on lateral plays very well or whatever the case is. um a lot of times they'll be pretty straight up about it. And then that gives you something to identify and really focus in on to kind of improve and and show them that you're serious and kind of want to put in the work.
00:28:50
Speaker
Again, you'll have some coaches out there that aren't, uh, aren't as helpful or, uh, good to talk to. And it's unfortunate, but, um, if that's the case, there's kind of other channels you can take and maybe go higher up in the organization if there's really bad issues. But, uh, overall, just kind of like your teammates have a good open rapport with your coaching staff. Um,
00:29:18
Speaker
have that communication line with them and just get on the same page. Again, main theme of today, everybody on the same page usually leads to better results. So that's kind of what you want to aim for there.
00:29:34
Speaker
Just one last thing too, when it comes to um talking with your coaches, just pick the right time, pick the right place to be able to talk to them. um A lot of times it's,
00:29:48
Speaker
not or sometimes if you pick the wrong time to go and talk to them, it can kind of make a mountain out of a molehill, if you will. um So like if you guys were up for nothing and then you ended up losing five, four or something like that and your coach comes in kit kicking the garbage can,
00:30:10
Speaker
I think five minutes after he leaves the postgame speech is not the time to go in and ask, hey, why didn't I get the start today? You know what I mean? Like um use a little bit of kind of common sense on that one, I guess.
00:30:24
Speaker
You know, feel the room. um And pick the right time to have those conversations with your coaching staff if you are going to have one, because that can put you in a bad situation and paint you in a bad light if you just have bad timing on bringing something up to them.
00:30:42
Speaker
So pick a good time, pick a good spot. um You don't really want to be having discussions about certain things in front of everybody on the team. You might have to wait until you can catch them like one on one kind of thing.
00:30:57
Speaker
Um, so just be mindful of that as well, because coaches do take note of that kind of stuff, like character stuff away from the ice plays into them, picking teams and ice time and stuff like that too. So you want to make sure that you can kind of minimize your negative impact and, and in the way that they see you, um and kind of, you know, make those right decisions.
00:31:22
Speaker
And kind of the last topic that I wanted to touch on when it comes to to the communication is kind of more for the younger goalies out there. um But communication between goalie and goalie parent.
00:31:38
Speaker
That's another one, too, that's a very and important topic. relationship that can be a big deciding factor in success or not.
00:31:52
Speaker
So Goalies for you guys out there, kind of similar to talking to your coach. A lot of times we can maybe be a little bit scared of, you know, talking with our parents about certain things. um But don't be afraid to bring it up. If you know, if you feel like your parents are pushing you a little bit too much and you need a break, express that again in a good way at the right time.
00:32:19
Speaker
But just having that open communication, letting them know how you feel and what you need from them, because at the end of the day, the parents They usually just want what's best for the kids. And sometimes the way they go about it may not seem like that. So that's where that communication comes into play. So if you say, hey, I'm really burnt out this week and you're pushing me to go to the gym, you're pushing me to go to the outdoor rink on top of my practice. I've got exams at school this week.
00:32:52
Speaker
I just need a little bit of rest. Can you just give me a ah day or two of a break so I can reset blah, blah, blah, whatever the case is. Um, more often than not, the parents don't really realize the impact that they have on, uh, on the kids with something that they're doing and in their minds, they're doing what they can to support their kids.
00:33:19
Speaker
So, sometimes just having that voice from the child can really help the parent get some perspective, right? So goalies, if there's something going on that you need to have that conversation with your parents about, again, just be courteous about it. Just bring it up and say, this is how I'm feeling.
00:33:41
Speaker
Um, is there any way that we can maybe change this a little bit, blah, blah, blah, pick the right time to do it. And, um, and go about it with a ah professional kind of attitude and manner.
00:33:54
Speaker
And more often than not, that'll kind of result in ah in a productive conversation. um The other thing, though, too, is finding a way to communicate not just when there's issues, but when things are good as well. Right.
00:34:07
Speaker
um One example, just back when I played minor hockey, any time after a game, what I did with my dad for a few years, once we started doing it, was I'd get into the car, we'd start driving and I'd be like, OK, what's one thing that I need to improve on from the game today?
00:34:29
Speaker
And he would say, well, I saw this and in this and, you know, thought that that was because you weren't moving across as well or you weren't seeing the puck as well or whatever the case is.
00:34:43
Speaker
And then I'd be like, OK, and what's one thing I did well? Well, you battled hard and, you know, you didn't give up on pucks and you made a couple unbelievable saves because of it. Right.
00:34:53
Speaker
Like that's just, you know, off the top of my head, but just in general, like being able to have that conversation constructively about when things aren't going right and when things are going right, um that can kind of go a long way into building that good relationship to between a goalie and goalie parent. Because the more that a goalie can feel supported by their parents and, you know, kind of feel like they're there for them, the more that translates to success on the ice.
00:35:27
Speaker
um So it's really important that you guys kind of get that good open line of communication when it comes to the parents. Just make sure that even though we all know that being a goalie parent is probably one of the most stressful things out there, do the best you can to not make a big deal out of things. Don't stress out about things, right? Like,
00:35:49
Speaker
don't emphasize, oh, it's a playoff game tonight. You have to be good. They know. The goalies know the situation. They know how they need to best prepare for their situation.
00:36:06
Speaker
And sometimes kind of putting a spotlight on it can make them a little bit more nervous or feel like there's a little bit more pressure on them. So a lot of times...
00:36:19
Speaker
For goalie parents, the best advice it can kind of have is be supportive, help them find a routine that works for them, and then kind of almost...
00:36:32
Speaker
leave it up to them to come to you a little bit, right? Like wait for them to ask you for something to work on or wait for them to ask you, you know, for X, Y, Z, right?
00:36:44
Speaker
A lot of times, like in my experience anyways, personally, and I think from what I've seen, a lot of other goalies feel this way too, but we know regardless of what the situation is, we know, we know when we're struggling,
00:37:00
Speaker
We know when we're playing well. We know when something's not right and we need to change it or whatever the case is. So a lot of times your goalie will come to you and talk to you about whatever it is, right? So you can kind of almost sit back try and keep your stresses as internal as you can, or at least wait till they're on the ice and you're in the stands and then you can break out your five stress balls or whatever it is.
00:37:29
Speaker
But um the big thing is, is to just, let them kind of dictate how you guys communicate as best as you can. Now I know you guys know best quote unquote, like parents know best quote unquote, right. But so at the same time too, like,
00:37:51
Speaker
They're the athletes, they're navigating their own experience and what works for them and what doesn't work for them. So please listen when they come to you with something about their game and be open and be supportive about it. Now it's, it's good too, to give them a different perspective. If there's something like, I don't know, say they want to play for a specific team and there might be another team out there, that's a better option for them.
00:38:19
Speaker
You can be like, OK, sounds good. I hear what you're saying. Here's, though, just a few things to think about. Right. Like if you want to go to this team, they don't provide as much goalie development.
00:38:33
Speaker
This team over here does blah, blah, blah. Right. Like you kind of. go about it um you know professionally cordially you guys want to make sure that when you're talking it's it's open it's collaborative and both sides are kind of listening to each other that's the big thing because sometimes they find and this isn't just with hockey um But kids can kind of seem like or feel like they're not being heard or being listened to because the parents are just like, no, this is how it is because I said so. Right.
00:39:08
Speaker
And even if that's going to be the decision you make where you do make that decision of we are going to team B instead of team a at least have them say their piece and then have that conversation with them and explain why and just be like,
00:39:26
Speaker
hey, I understand this is why we're doing this, blah, blah, blah. And that's kind of that, right?
Conclusion & Call to Action
00:39:33
Speaker
um So it it's really important that there's you know that open line of communication and the support is there. That's the big thing that a lot of goalies are looking for is just the support.
00:39:47
Speaker
And a lot of times just the soundboard. Right. Like I said, when they're struggling, they know. So they might have to come in the the car after a game and just be like, hey, I've been having a tough time at school and now I go to hockey and I'm just tired and frustrated and it's not working out. Do you have any suggestions or can you help dad or mom or whatever? Right.
00:40:12
Speaker
And that's when you can, you know, be like, OK, yeah, we can do this, this and this. We can change this and whatever the case is. And that kind of helps them feel heard and feel supported.
00:40:25
Speaker
The other thing that's um important with the goalie and goalie parent communication, kind of similar to coaches, but yeah. having some expectations ahead of time and having conversations ahead of time um so that everybody kind of is on that same page. Like, for example, if you go and talk to your player or your goalie ahead of time and be like, hey,
00:40:52
Speaker
We need to be at the rink an hour and a half before your game, your team's doing a warmup and then there's power play meetings and then you get dressed. This is something that is new this year from last year because you made the club team instead of the house team.
00:41:07
Speaker
So this is our expectation. We will be leaving two hours before the game because it's 20 minutes to the rink and that gives us a little bit of time to be early.
00:41:18
Speaker
Um, being, you know, telling them being upfront about, Hey, we are going to be making some diet changes because you said you wanted to pursue high level hockey.
00:41:31
Speaker
So we're going to help you make some changes. Um, but this is our expectation of what you need to do to help us be successful with that, blah, blah, blahh blah, blah. So having those expectations set early and ahead of time can really help keep that open line of communication and keep it positive and productive as opposed to things kind of getting shut down a little bit.
00:41:55
Speaker
Um, that's something that's really important to have between the two parties. And the other thing is be honest with your goalies too, right? Like I know sometimes as, as a parent of a five and a two year old, I know sometimes we can kind of, uh,
00:42:14
Speaker
you know, fib a little bit just for, you know, saying, oh, we can't go to the park today. The park's closed or something like that. Right. um But as best you can, when it comes to ah this sort of stuff, being kind of be honest with them and just say,
00:42:31
Speaker
hey, we can't do that camp this year. It's just, you know, not in the funds or, hey, we can't go play with your friends that weekend. We have a tournament over here or whatever the case is. Like just being honest with why you're making the decisions and anything like that can can really, i don't know, help build that trust and build that line of communication as well.
00:42:59
Speaker
um But yeah, so like I kind of said earlier in the episode, the big takeaway from all of this is just finding ways to get everybody on the same page and to do it early and ahead of time with whatever relationship we're talking about.
00:43:17
Speaker
um that can really help translate to success when it comes to communication with goaltending. So on the ice, off the ice, all of that, if you can set expectations early for everybody involved, that makes it so much easier when you actually get into those situations.
00:43:35
Speaker
So that's kind of um it for what I have there. Again, the big theme kind of touched on it earlier, but the big theme is just making sure you communicate ah ahead of time and early so that everybody is on the same page. And when it happens, when you actually get into that situation, everything's automatic and people know what they need to do.
00:43:58
Speaker
um And again, just having kind of that open relationship ah with coaches, with parents, with teammates, um being collaborative, being productive and being professional in those ah conversations can really help go a long way. So that's something to just keep in mind when you are having these conversations.
00:44:22
Speaker
um And yeah, it just really ends up translating to success for everybody involved, both the team, the goalies, players, coaches, parents, um the better that we can communicate, the the better that all of that becomes.
00:44:40
Speaker
Um, that's kind of all that I have for you guys today. So thanks again for tuning in and listening to me ramble for 40 minutes. Um, if you are watching on the YouTube side of things, if you could throw us a like and a subscribe, that would be very much appreciated. And again, as we touched on earlier, whatever podcast player you're listening to, if we're listening to the podcast,
00:45:04
Speaker
If you could give us a rating and review, share the show, tell all your goalie friends about it. ah we try and give you guys good content every week and something to kind of take away from each episode.
00:45:16
Speaker
um If you guys have a listener question or any feedback or anything, you can go to the diygoalie.com slash podcast, which soon will be truenorthgoaltending.com slash podcast.
00:45:30
Speaker
But there's a form that you can fill out to leave a question, both text and audio. If you have an audio file of a question you want us to play, we can do that for sure. ah You can follow us on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook,
00:45:45
Speaker
and YouTube at the DIY goalie. You can follow us at true North goal tending on Facebook or Y E G goalie coach on Instagram. Um, you can check out the merchandise that we have for sale, as well as our courses online at the DIY goalie.com. com.
00:46:04
Speaker
ah We also kind of offer some services like video breakdowns, mentorships, all of that stuff. So you can check that out on the website. Thanks again for tuning in, guys.
00:46:14
Speaker
It was a pleasure. you guys have a good night and make some saves.