Goalie Skating Drills
Have a coach do dump-ins and passes to the goalie at one end while the players do passing drills at the other end. Getting a netminder to participate in passing drills teaches them how to confidently handle the puck as well as read bounces off the boards. This is important for when a goalie leaves their crease to play the puck behind the net or in front of them.
Drills that help goalies improve the most are the ones that they will see in games. Use defencemen as part of the offensive attack and be sure to include odd man rush drills into your practices. Chances are these drills will result in a shot on net but not always from the same player or spot on the ice. Goalies will need to stay alert and follow the puck as the play develops.
VariationGoalie performs start drill, reacting to the passes of the three forwards1. Forward on the goal line passes to the forward in the middle, then skates to the near dot2. Goalie reacts by skating to Position 63. Middle forward passes back to the forward who made the first pass4. Goalie reacts by skating to Position 95. Forward on the dot passes across to the forward on the other goal line, then retreats back to his or her original position6. Goalie reacts by skating to Position 17. Goal-line forward passes to middle forward, then skates to near dot8. Goalie reacts by skating to Position 69. Middle forward passes back to the forward who just passed to him10. Goalie reacts by skating to Position 311. Forward on the dot passes back across to the forward on the other goal line (who started the drill), then retreats back to his or her original position
For more advanced goalies, you can do the same drill but allow the players to move around in a triangle more freely rather than passing and shooting from the designated areas. When allowing them to move freely in a triangle passing and shooting, they will be working on their offensive attack while giving the goalie a great workout.
When I started Upper Echelon earlier last year as a full time endeavour, I was very keen on doing completely unique things on (and off) the ice for the goalies that choose to be involved in my program. From the beginning, I knew for certain there was a major development hole in the goalie instruction market. That hole was in a program that addressed the skating skill needs of goalies.
Power skating is a bit of a catch-all phrase that is bandied about easily. Typically power skating is equated with improving speed, power, agility, efficiency, and quickness. For goalies, I think terms like (inside) edge-control, upper body stability, quiet hands, flexibility, stamina, and balance would have to be addressed by any skating program.
In most of my group sessions, I have always incorporated a large amount of time working skating and in particular, goalie-specific skating/movement drills. While I think these drills are very helpful, they are not exactly what I would consider power skating drills. The goalie-specific movement drills give younger goalies a way to learn the basics of mobility in terms of form and the ASD concepts of Angle, Squareness, and Depth. More advanced goalies can work on being able to move quicker and in more control. The added speed and control of doing these drills can make the advanced goalie more competent at tracking or following the high-speed plays of his/her league. However, even in using these drills with those objectives in mind, I would never consider the drills \"power skating\" but more \"form skating\" or something like the \"figures\" part of a figure skating competition.
As a result of this belief, I really felt that one thing that goalie have lacked in their development is a chance to work on power skating. I am very familiar with several power skating programs and while I think all goalies would benefit from partaking in a well structured long-term program with their teammates, I think that even these programs could and should be adapted to the unique needs of the goalie. The major limitations of standard power skating programs is the over emphasis of the forward stride (something goalies use only occasionally), outside edge work and crossovers. This is not to say that goalies shouldn't work on those skills. The forward stride is a great way to exercise and training stride strength. Crossovers and outside edgework will add agility, balance and stability to the goalie's skating skills. But there may be a better mix of drills that target the movements a goalie does more frequently and still stay faithful to the concept of power skating.
1. Create a unique program. The urge to be on the cutting edge can sometimes be overwhelming. It is easy to take a standard player power skating program and put goalies through it. The goalies would get a workout and would improve their skating skills, but would the improve as much as they possibly could in a different program
2. Address skating fundamentals. There are some basic skating skills that all skaters must have whether they are hockey players, goalies, figure skaters, or speed-skaters. Any program can not take any short-cuts to get to the meat or the \"fun part\" of the program. Patience from both the instructors and attendees is essential.
3. Putting together advanced training technique to address goalies' skating and movement issues. This is the meat of any program. Goalie skating skills will emphasize different techniques than players. These skills should make the bulk of the development time and must follow power skating training tenets.
4. Power skating in while down. Here is something pulls in goalie specific movement that everyone would see in most goalie development programs. However, I think that while these programs work movement skills while down only do so to teach or correct technique, but they are not actual power skating. Can down movement drills be adapted to power skating principles to not only improve goalie technique but to also increase power, stability, speed, and agility
5. Dynamic stability with torso. Goalies have a very special problem with movement. They have to move as quickly as the players (and their passing), all the while maintaining their upper body stability. \"Quiet hands\" and \"stick on the ice the whole time\" are mantras that every goalie coach yells at his/her charges. A power skating program for goalies would have, at some point in the development, drills that encourage the upper-body stability with all movements. There is little reason for a goalie to get more powerful, agile, faster, or quicker, if the goalie cannot control their upper body. Player orientated power skating benefits from less restriction in this manner. While there may be a more efficient way to swing a player's arms during the forward stride, this efficiency is usually based on making the best use of the kinetic chain of movement. Goalies, in their perverse position, have to move very quickly and powerfully with their legs, but also have to break the kinetic chain when it hits their upper body.
I am currently in consultation with two famous local power skating coaches hoping to get some extra assistance on this issue. I understand my own biases and if I continue to design a program on my own, I would end up creating a block of drills that would look too much like goalie-specific movement drills.
These drills should be done every practice. You cannot expect a goalie to get better if they are only getting shots in practice with no work on their technique. Some goalies may not be able to do a few of these drills. Start the goalies with the 8 Puck Drill -Up, Crease Shuffle Drill, Crease movement drill and X-Drill. If they are able to do these drills, then you can move on to the next drills listed. Make sure the chest is always square and the head and gloves are stable. Eyes should always be up. Practice Habits: I want to make sure the goalies have great practice habits. When they are in the crease, they are competitive and and trying 100% to stop every puck. When they lose focus and start going through the motions, take a break and regain your breath. But when you are in the crease you are always competitive. These good practice habits will then turnover to games. I will be posting more drills as the season moves on. If their are any questions about the drills, please don't hesitate to contact me. Have a great season!
Wearing equipment that fits properly is very important to allow our goalies to succeed. Here is a great link showing the proper sizing for every piece of equipment you need. The big issues I've seen so far is the goalie sticks are too long, as well as the gloves and blockers are too big for some goalies.
You can start working on some agility work for your energy system development. Progressively adding an element of read and react to the drills, then adding complexity to to the tasks such as following an agility pattern while catching and passing a medicine ball.
The limitations will depend on the injury. If it is an ankle injury, it might just be skating on your own for 15-minutes to start and then progressing to some skating drills at half speed, then stick handling and skating drills, then full speed non-contact drills, then full practice, then scrimmage.
KB Hockey offers one on one and small group goalie training to anyone interested in learning the modern style of goaltending, at any level of play. We do recommend that potential students have proper equipment that will allow them to perform the movements and butterfly techniques that we employ.
Much of our teaching is focused in direct conjunction with mental discipline, which will allow goalies to react to situations properly without getting flustered or desperate. Knowing what to do, reading a situation, and applying the corresponding action are key, and keeping those attributes strong is what our goalie program is all about. 59ce067264