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LYNX RINGETTE
Pierrefonds – Dollard – Ile Bizard
Goaltender Development
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Introduction
Have you ever wondered why anyone would choose to be a goalie? Have you ever wondered what it’s like? This guide will help you gain an understanding of the position. It goes beyond the equipment and touches on how parents and coaches should interact with their goalie. It breaks down the modern scientific and technical aspects of goaltending. It explains step by step how the movements are performed and uses internet videos and photos as teaching aids. Equally important, it covers why and when to use those moves. Knowledge is power- use it to improve your game. Welcome to the world of goaltending. The information in this guide is a compilation of what is being taught by NHL goalie coaches, by goalie schools, and as goalie development by hockey Canada and hockey USA, and what has been learned through scientific studies. The content is separated into chapters, which is further divided using section headings. The sections are further broken down by emphasising each key point. A large version of this symbol will be used in the left margin to mark the most important points:
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Table of Contents
Introduction 2
Chapter 1
The Hardest Position in Team Sports 4
Modern Goaltending 5
Parents and Coaches 7
Goalie Parents 8
Coaching Goalies 9
Chapter 2
Modern Goaltending 11
Concepts and techniques 11
Key Goaler stances 15
Movement Techniques 17
Goaltending skills 20
Chapter 3
Modern equipment 23
Chapter 4
Goalie drills, practices, and warm-ups 27
Goalie specific drills 28
Video and graphical examples of drills 29
Progressive developmental practices 30
Session #1 Basic movements 32
Session #2 Butterfly movements 34
Session #3 FSP and ring-view 36
Session #4 Complex movement drills 38
Session #5 Complex movement drills with shots 40
Session #6 Complex movement drills with shots 42
Chapter 5
Extra drills 44
References 45
Future Topics 45
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The Hardest Position in
Team Sports
No other position spends as much time in the spotlight or has that player’s mistakes lit up on a giant board for all to see.
o why would anyone choose to be a goalie? Because no other position offers the fame, attention and glory, lovingly heaped upon a successful goalie.
Is it all about the attention? No. There are others who seek the position simply because they get to spend the whole game on the ice.
Let’s not forget the gear as well. Nothing draws a crowd of young and old players alike, than the chance to mess around with goalie gear and admire those great painted masks.
Most important of all, many just find it fun to stop the ring rather than run around the ice chasing and shooting it.
Who should be a goalie? Anyone who is excited to try the position. A willing, eager player will always outperform an unmotivated one. The three most common personality types that end up goalies are:
Those easy going, happy go lucky types that don’t get bothered by such things as losing or getting scored on. The problem with the happy go lucky types is that they are hard to motivate. They are just fine with the way things are. Why do they need to practice? Think Martin Brodeur, but without the drive to be the best.
Those that think they can hide in nets because they don’t feel confident enough to play out. They quickly find their hiding spot is actually center stage. Given the
Chapter
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S
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Myth The goalie’s only job is to just stop
the puck Fact
The goalie has many jobs, as does every player
proper tools and support, they will steadily improve. They will do what it takes to avoid being the scapegoat.
Those that thrive on being the last line of defence enjoy the pressure, and love showing everyone how great they are. The last type usually makes the best goalies. The better they are, the happier they are. They want to be the best. Think Patrick Roy.
What quality makes a good goalie? There is no one defining quality. Successful goalies will possess the same qualities found in all great athletes- competitiveness, athleticism, coordination, confidence, strong work ethic, and a willingness to learn.
Modern Goaltending
Once the most neglected position, now studied as a science.
Over the past 20 years, no position has changed more than the art of goaltending. once the goalie was left alone with nothing but their imagination to aid them in stopping the ring, today there are specific movements and positions to be used in each and every situation. Even the equipment has been redesigned to enhance modern techniques and not just protect the goalie.
The modern goalie’s job is no longer to “just stop the ring”, just as a forward’s job is not limited to “just score goals”. A strong modern goalie can influence many aspects of the game both directly and indirectly. The more skills they learn, the better their team will do. The goalie’s job is to prevent the other team from scoring. The best way to achieve that goal is to prevent the opposing team from getting shots on net by:
communicating with team mates
intercepting passes
being a leader on and off the ice
playing the ring outside the crease
being positive and supportive of their team mates
controlling the pace of the game
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Myth The more difficult the save, the better
the goalie Fact
Saves are only hard if the goalie is caught out of position
And if all of the above fails and there is a shot on net, the goalie then must “just stop the ring”- and control the rebound.
The goalie’s most important job is to prevent the ring from entering the net once it is shot. The easiest way to do this is to cover as much of the net as possible by positioning themselves in the Fundamental Save Position, also known as being in the right place at the right time. Being in the FSP is the best way to stop a shot. It is broken down into the following three steps:
1. Centered on both the ring and the net. A line drawn from the center of the ring to the center of the net will also pass through the center of the goalie.
2. Be square to the ring. The goalie’s shoulders are perpendicular to the imaginary line from step 1. The exception to the rule is when the ring is very near, or behind, the goal line.
3. Find the proper depth for the situation. The objective is to be as close to the shooter as possible, without creating better scoring options for the shooter. For example on a 2-on-2, the goalie should move farther out than on a 2-on-1. If the goalie advances to the same depth on the 2-on-1 as on the 2-on-2, then the odds of scoring from a pass followed by a shot, will increase significantly.
Once the FSP is obtained for a given situation, the next step is to choose the proper save, and wait for the proper time to use that save. The closer the ring is to the net, the greater the probability that a butterfly will be used, and the quicker it should be executed. When a goalie consistently maintains the FSP, you will often hear “the ring just keeps hitting her”, and that she “only had easy shots”. A good goalie makes every save look easy. They are never out of position so they never need to make a highlight-reel desperation save. Every drill and technique will focus on achieving the FSP.
For example, this video of 10 spectacular NHL saves all have two things in common. All of the shots were at the center of the net but the goalies chose a movement that was unlikely to result in a save. If they had followed the FSP, they
would have re-centered on the puck using a simple butterfly slide to the center of the net and they would have stopped the puck. The save would have appeared routine and boring, and not made the highlight reel. These saves seem incredible because they are, the choices made by the goalies have such poor odds of
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actually working that when they do work, they appear spectacular. The saves made by these goalies are not saves that are taught in any goaltending school because they are low probability saves that no one would ever expect to work.
Movement is the focus of modern goaltender development. The best goalies are always the best skaters, and the best skaters always make the best goalies. As the FSP is the primary objective of the goaltender, mastering the skills necessary to achieve the FSP is the primary developmental focus. Achieving the FSP requires constant movement, making movement the most important element. Even professional goalies continue to work on basic movement as part of their daily routines. Good goaltenders follow the ring. Great goaltenders are already there.
Parents and Coaches
Parents and coaches should both read this guide in its entirety. Parents and coaches should work as a team to help their goalie.
Coaches should communicate to the goalie’s parents what will be done to help develop the goalie throughout the year. The goalie’s parents should communicate with the coach in private, if they feel the position is not being addressed. Parents must realise that the goalie represents less than one tenth of the girls on the team. It would be unfair to expect the coaches to focus practice after practice on the goalie. The opposite is also true. Coaches that don’t have at least one goalie specific drill per practice are being remiss in their duties. Most practices focus on at least one skater specific drill that does not involve shots on net. The coach must have goalie specific drills ready for those times, and should incorporate specific goalie elements into player shooting drills
Coaches should speak to all of the parents on a team about errant comments. Nothing is more hurtful to a parent than walking up to a conversation in progress and hearing “she better play better than usual or we’ll lose”. Remind parents to be supportive and to avoid all negatives remarks and to keep things positive.
On a two goalie team, it is essential the coach make clear how the duties will be split. The coach must prepare the parents and the goalies for the possibility that they might get pulled in a game even if the goalie is playing well. Sometimes changing the goalie is a signal to the team, and not an indication of the goalie’s performance. Even with advanced preparation, be prepared for a meltdown the first time a goalie is replaced during a game.
There is no one best way to play goal. Hasek and Brodeur come to mind as very successful goalies that used unique styles and excelled at their position. But for each of them, there are dozens of other successful goalies that used the modern butterfly style and share the same key skills. Those core skills are the focus of this guide. If both coaches and parents understand what those skills are and how to improve them, then everyone can work towards that common goal.
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Goalie Parents
The hardest off-ice position in team sports.
You may have seen them before, but not understood who they were. They are the ones looking at the ceiling when the ring enters their team’s zone, or who suddenly close their eyes and hold their breath every time it looks like there will be a shot on net. They are known as goalie parents. They do this because they share the goalie’s responsibility to stop the ring, but feel powerless to help their child make the save. Watching your child not succeed (a poor pass) is nowhere near as painful as watching them fail (allowing a goal). Fear not, for there is a lot that parents can do to help their goalie.
Choose to be supportive goalie parents. Choose to be realistic and remove the pressure from both the parent and the child. Does it really matter if the goalie doesn’t stop every shot? Your child is playing ringette to have fun- the same reason they play any game. For those that like to fall back on the old adage “it’s the principle that matters”, do you really apply similar pressure in all competitive aspects of your child’s life? Do you pressure your child to win at monopoly or to advance to the next level in a video game? Do you get mad at your child when they lose at tag or let in goals in gym glass? How do you react when they make a mistake in math? Do you yell and criticize them for getting 5 x 5 wrong, or do you work with them and help them practice their multiplication tables? Playing ringette and having fun is a life experience, it is not life or death.
Don’t criticize. Don’t be negative. Don’t place individual blame in a team sport. Don’t point out their obvious mistakes. They know that if their stick had been on the ice, they would have made the save and won the game. Either through body language or directly, their teammates have already told them. So have the coaches. So have all of the parents in the stands. So have all of the cheering players, coaches, and parents from the opposing team. They don’t need to hear it from their parents as well. Be their pillar of support, not the straw that breaks their back.
Do encourage them to work hard. Do point out the nice save they made in the first period. Do tell them how proud you are of how much they have improved. Do be the one they know they can fall back on. Do let the coaches do the coaching. Be supportive. Be positive. Be sympathetic. And have fun.
Please feed and rest your little goalie. Professional hockey players eat a large meal 6-8 hours before their games. They also have afternoon naps and then a snack rich in natural carbohydrates 3-5 hours before their games. Feeding a tired child fast food three hours before the game will not help their performance in games or in practices.
Most importantly, parents should leave the coaching to the coaches. Just as every school teacher has their own style, so too, does each coach. The coaches are doing what they feel is best for the kids. Remember, it’s just a game. How upset do you
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get when your child’s swimming instructor does not make your child fully extend their arms while swimming freestyle? Knowing how to swim will have a bigger impact on your child’s life than being able to execute a perfect butterfly. If you don’t get mad at the swimming instructor, why are you swearing about the ringette coach’s practices?
Coaching Goalies
Only the goaltending position itself has changed more than the way coaches now teach goalies.
With great power comes great responsibility. While the goalie may be the center of attention, it is actually the coach that will have the greatest impact on a team, especially at the younger levels. You will inspire them, care for them, instruct them, encourage them, instruct them, help them, push them, and train them. No goalie is too young to start learning and practicing proper technique, as this video shows.
Do not neglect your goaltender. Some coaches use a lack of knowledge about the position as justification for ignoring the goalie during practices. It was easier than spending the extra time and effort to learn a whole new skill set. With the wealth of information readily available through the internet and other resources such as this guide, this is no longer acceptable.
Start with the basics. The same way a coach starts with the basic skills when dealing with new skaters, so too must they start with basic skills when dealing with a new goalie. Before teaching a skater to shoot, you must teach them to skate. Before teaching a goalie to make a save, you must also teach them to skate as a goalie. Whenever you do non-shooting drills for skaters, the goalie should be doing non-shooting goalie drills. When skaters do conditioning drills, goalies should do goalie conditioning drills. When skaters do mobility drills, goalies should do goalie mobility drills. Most goalie drills can be done in the crease area, along the center line, or in the space between blue line and center line along the boards. Goalies spend the game moving around their crease, players skate all over the ice. Let the drills reflect that.
Goalies need conditioning. Almost everyone thinks goaltenders do not need to be in good shape physically. They think that because goalies don’t skate all over the ice, they don’t get tired. They think a goalie who takes a break in practice is lazy. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Even professional goalies do not play in every game and will rarely play two nights in a row, yet every skater on the team is expected to play in every game.
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It is important to note that the conditioning and type of exertion is very different between skaters and goalies. Skaters follow a more anaerobic style workout. That means they are working at a rate that uses oxygen much faster than their body can replenish it. It is a series of sprints that maximize heart rate, with ample breaks to replenish oxygen and let the heart slow down. Goalies should be doing more of an aerobic style workout. They should be working at a moderate level, with very short bursts of intense effort. Studies have shown that goalies with higher heart rates perform better. This is no surprise. Are people livelier after just waking up, or when they are excited?
When planning player drills, think about the goalie. Consider if the drill is up tempo enough to keep the goalie engaged. Make sure the goalie has enough time between shots to properly play each shot and still have time to setup for the next shooter. Equally important is making sure the goalie has enough time to rest. Players spend a lot of time waiting for their turn to do a drill. This gives them plenty of time to recuperate. Goalies that face a constant stream of shooters will get tired and take shortcuts. Before long, those shortcuts will become in-game bad habits. Goalies need proper rest just like players. Either pace the drills at a speed the goalie can maintain, tell the goalie to take a break every 10 shooters, or tell the goalie to take breaks as needed.
Don’t forget to give your goalie specific tasks even in shooting drills designed for players. Have them focus on a specific element, like rebound control or playing the ring.
Use modern teaching tools. A picture is worth a thousand words. Nothing provides feedback like actually seeing the mistake you are making. For example, if a goalie doesn’t realise the hole they keep leaving open, take a picture with your phone and show them. The goalie doesn’t believe she is lifting her stick while doing a drill? Take a video clip. Is the goalie not sure where to stand for a certain drill? Make an “X” with a washable marker on the ice. Have a parent or older sibling come on the ice and take the video clips if you need help. Upload the videos to youtube.com for the goalie to review.
Be positive. Professional players will start each game using confidence building techniques. Early actions, no matter how easy, are rewarded with praise. Teach your team to support each other and their goalie.
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Chapter
2 Modern Goaltending
This section covers the information being taught to all goalies, beginner and professional alike.
o properly teach, the teacher must understand the concepts being taught. This section breaks down everything one needs to know about goaltending. Ring-view and the FSP are the most important concepts to remember. All
techniques and concepts are developed to reach the FSP based on ring-view.
Concepts and techniques
Understanding why goalies do what they do
Ring-view is an important concept for both shooters and goalies. When focusing on FSP, the goalie must do so based on ring-view. What the player sees, and what the ring sees, is not the same thing. Imagine a player getting ready to take a shot at an empty net. Now imagine the same player, in the same situation, but with just a goalie stick right up against the ring. The player still sees an empty net, but from the pucks point of view, all you see is the goalie stick. Aside from powering through the stick, there is no way for the player to score unless the player moves the ring away from the stick until you can see the net from the ring’s point of view.
T
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Myth Bigger goalies take up more of the net
Fact In most situations, even small goalie’s shoulders will be above the crossbar
from the rings point of view
The picture below left, is taken from the player’s point of view. Notice how much room there is above the goalie’s shoulders. In fact, there is room to score all over. Should the goalie have stayed on his feet?
Now examine the picture on the right. There is no room over the goalie’s shoulders. In fact there is very little room anywhere. A slight lifting of either hand will block any high shots. This picture was taken from the same location as the photo on the left, but from the rings point of view. Going down was the proper decision. In order to score, the shooter must make an accurate high shot that is faster than the goalie’s reaction time. Most shots will end up hitting the goalie in the torso, making it look like an easy save. It is in fact an easy save, but only because the goalie used FSP and proper save selection based on ring-view.
These photos illustrate that a larger goalie does not always cover more of the net. This goalie is 6’ tall. From the ring’s point of view, notice how his shoulders are way above the cross bar? A shorter goalie would still not allow any goals over their shoulders. This video clearly shows the importance of FSP and ring-view. As the young goalie challenges the camera, watch the net disappear. Also notice how even his small frame starts to pass over the crossbar, but there is still places to score down low. Another clear indication of why the butterfly is so useful. The video clearly shows that even a small goalie can fill the net when they obtain the FSP.
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Myth That goalie goes down to often
Fact What matters is when the goalie goes
down, not how often
This internet forum shows many different images to help understand ring-view, and what part of the net the goalie is actually covering by staying up or going down. The pinkish images overlaying the net represents the area of the net covered by the goalie, based on their distance from the net relative to the puck. Coaches should take extra time to understand these images to help teach skaters how to score. Coaches, skaters, and goalies, need to understand the closer the ring is to a well centered goalie, the harder it is to score.
Teaching ring-view and FSP can easily be demonstrated by using string attached to the net at one end, and to a ring or stick at the other. The string represents the path the ring must follow to enter the net. The goalie can then see what save selection will work best, and what impact telescoping will have. Pictures and videos will also greatly enhance this teaching method.
Why use the butterfly? Because the majority of goals are scored in the bottom 1/3 of the net, and the butterfly takes away the bottom 1/3 of the net. The photos and video from the ring-view section show the effectiveness of the butterfly. If the goalies had remained standing, ring-view clearly shows us that most of their bodies would have been above the net. Using the chart below, we can see that if the shooter is 5ft away from the hockey crease, placing a wall 22” high at the top of the hockey crease will make it impossible for the shooter to score.
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This means the closer the player is to the goalie, the easier it is to make a butterfly save. Even a youth goalie leg pad with a glove on top (butterfly position) will cover ~18”, making it difficult for players to score in close.
The butterfly stance is the second most dynamic, after the basic set stance. Even when in the butterfly, the goalie’s hands are free to react and their body still covers a large portion of the net. The legs are also free for making kick saves. With practice, the goalie can rotate and slide around the net, maintaining the FSP. Diving saves, one legged kick saves, two pad slides and all other positions, require more effort and time to execute and recover from, than the butterfly.
The closer the shooter is to the net, the more effective the butterfly becomes. The reverse is also true. The farther the shooter, the less effective it is. For shots close to the blue line and at the outside boards, the goalie should remain standing unless it is a low shot. The proper save selection for a low shot is almost always a butterfly, be it butterfly kick, block, or stick redirection.
This video offers excellent examples of proper butterfly technique, positioning, and ring-view. You can clearly see how little room players have to score in many situations.
Looking at the ring is known as tracking the ring. Although this sounds obvious, many goalies instead look at the player’s hands, the player’s body, or the player’s face, to try and guess what the player will do. Studies have shown that goalies are more likely to make a save if they are looking at the ring before the player shoots. The same studies show that less experienced goalies are more likely to not look at the ring.
It is equally important to keep looking at the ring once it leaves the player’s stick. Just as a baseball batter must “keep their eye on the ball”, so to must a goalie follow the ring until they make the save. It requires less coordination to follow the ring into your glove than to try and predict the rings trajectory at the moment it leaves the player’s stick.
If a player is not in a shooting position, it is important for the goalie to look around and be aware of the position of the other players on the ice. The goalie must be aware if there is an open player waiting for a pass. If the player is open, they must communicate with their defence to make sure the player is covered. The goalie
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must also play deeper in the net to protect against that pass. If the player is covered, the goalie should be ready to move out to challenge the shooter.
Hands forward is an advanced concept that builds on ring-view and challenging the shooter. The same way that moving out helps cut down the angle, so too does moving the gloves forward. So instead of swinging their hands up when making high saves, the goalie is to move their gloves forwards and upwards. The hands will travel a shorter distance, resulting in a quicker response. The difficulty is that it is harder to control rebounds when using this technique. Moving the hands forwards increases the force of impact, and makes it harder to judge when to close the hand on the ring. Goalies should only be encouraged to use this technique when they can properly control the rebounds. If they are just swatting at the ring, then they should stick to a more traditional technique.
The Active hands principal encourages goalies to break away from a robotic blocking style of goaltending and remind them to react to the ring. The hands, and feet, should move independently from each other. The goalie should be able to free their hands and catch a rising ring as they are moving or dropping into a butterfly.
Active feet and stick are the companions to active hands. The butterfly is not just about letting the ring hit the goalie. Hard shots that can’t be held onto must be directed up and into the corners using either the stick or the legs.
Key Goaler stances
A solid base is required to build strong and high.
A proper stance allows the goalie to feel comfortable and is a position from which they can execute all saves and movements. While it will vary from goalie to goalie, there are certain key elements. The goalies knees and hips must be flexed; placing their weight on the balls of their feet. The body should not be too hunched over, and not too straight.
The feet are shoulder width apart, or slightly wider. Having an overly wide stance is less effective. The goalie has less power when using their legs and their feet will end up outside the posts when they challenge aggressively. The blocker hand should be slightly ahead of the leg pad, with little to no overlap. The blocker side elbow should be close to the body, not pointing outwards. The stick must be flat on the ice between the goalies feet, and 6”-12” in front of the goalies toes.
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The position of the glove hand is one of much debate. Many modern goalies are taught to use a fingers-up position, as if they were waving at someone. The reason is to take away the top of the net. As the pictures on the left show, from the
player’s view the glove is covering the top corner, but even for this young goalie, the glove will actually be above the net from the ring’s point of view. Although fingers up gives everyone the impression that there is no place to shoot
high glove side, this is a negative factor because the player knows he must shoot lower, and it is in the players favour to shoot lower. As the fingers-up gloves is not covering any net, there is actually more room down low than if the glove was kept in a more traditional position. It is also harder to move the glove down than it is to move the hand up as the muscles of the arm are designed to pull the arm up, not down.
A slight fingers-up position may help on longer shots, but the closer the ring gets to the goalie, the less effective it will be.
Proper butterfly technique involves driving the knees to the ice and not just falling into the position. The stick should remain centered and on the ice at all times. The goalie’s gloves are kept at the top of the pads and their elbows are tucked against their sides so that there are no holes. The goaler remains as tall as possible and avoids a sitting position. The goaler’s stick will usually slide forward when the blocker is moved into proper position. Goalies must learn to use their elbows to stop rings aimed at the top of the net. No goals should be scored through, or under the goalie.
If the goalie butterfly’s on a sharp angle shot, the post-side skate must be either in front, or behind, the post. If the skate is up against the post, it will force the goalie’s body away from the post, leaving the short
side open, as seen in the picture on the left. The picture on the right shows proper sharp angle positioning, but bad stick technique. Notice how the stick is trapped under the pad, preventing the pad from being flush with the ice. That is why the stick must remain out in front of the pads.
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Myth Goalies don’t need to be good skaters, they just stand there
Fact Goalies need to be great skaters to follow the ring and be in position to
make the save
Vertical & horizontal, or post load, is an advanced blocking technique that can be used on very sharp angle situations where a shot is probable. It should only be used if the goalie is large enough to fully block the net when the move is executed at the proper time.
The move is performed by placing the leg closest to the ring vertically against the post. The back leg is placed horizontally along the ice, taking care to make sure the pad remains in front of the goal line. When the catching hand
is closer to the shooter, the glove hand is placed fingers up on top of the vertical pad. The blocker is then kept against the down leg, in a traditional butterfly position, with the stick used to cover the 5-hole. The goalie’s body is kept upright and square to the shooter. If the blocker hand is closer to the shooter, it is kept at knee height, to the outside of the vertical pad, in a manner that allows the stick to cover the 5-hole. The catcher and back leg are kept in traditional butterfly position, taking care to keep the leg in front of the goal line.
When used correctly, there is no chance of a goal being scored. However, it is not a strong position to move out of or to react to shots from. It is important that it is only used in the proper situation: when the shooter has the puck on their forehand, and is between the bottom of the face-off circle and goal line. If used before the player is close to the goal line, there will be room to score over the goaler’s far side. If the shooter is on their backhand, skilled players will be able to change to their forehand and have openings on the far side.
Movement Techniques
Goalies use short, precise yet powerful movements.
Butterfly slides and back-side recoveries are the signature moves of the modern butterfly goalie. They are the movements used by goalies to re-center themselves on the ring that has travelled a large distance after a missed shot or rebound. Most of the time, the goalie should use a back-side recovery. Butterfly slides should only be used if the goalie is absolutely certain that a shot is coming.
C-cuts, T-pushes, sculls and shuffles are the easiest moves required by goalies, but they are also the most important as they are used for all standing movements. Even professional goalies work on them every day. Sculls should be used for all
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forward and backwards movement. Sculls are C-cuts used to move forwards and backwards while the goalie is in the set position.
It is important that goalies work on these skills in every practice. It is also important that they are practiced properly. The goalie performs them while in their ready stance. The stick remains centered and on the ice at all times. The gloves remain in position and the goalie’s body does not bob up and down as they move. The skates should never leave the ice in any of these drills. The moves are done with speed, power, and hard stops. The drills are a means of improving conditioning and skills.
A T-push is used to cover large distances laterally, such as cross-ice passes. It is started by turning the head to focus on the ring. This forces the goalie to rotate their body and angle themselves towards their new desired position. The forward foot is rotated backwards in an arc to be perpendicular to the back foot. The back leg is kept flexed and used to perform a powerful push. The lead foot is used to make a hard stop when the goalie arrives at the desired position. This video provides clear examples of proper T-pushes. Both feet remain on the ice at all times. If the goalie does not feel that they can cover the distance before a shot is taken, the goalie should push to the center of the net and then telescope out.
Goalies should start using it once they are able to fill the net while in the V&H position based on ring view. The above images show openings above the goalies shoulder, but the pictures are taken fromthe players point of view. If taken from ring view, those openings would not be there.
A C-cut is a T-push that immediately leads into the stopping motion. It is used to cover small distances. The goalie’s body should stay square to the ring.
Shuffling is used to cover very small distances laterally. The goalie stays in their set position and remains square to the ring while they use a shuffling step to move laterally with the ring-carrier. Pressure on the lead foot is reduce, but it remains in contact with the ice as the goalie pushes hard with the back foot.
Butterfly slides and knee shuffles are used when the ring remains within 2 feet of the goalie. A butterfly slide is when the goalie pushes with the leg farthest from the ring to re-center on the ring. It will be used while standing to move towards shots aimed at the low corners of the net. It can also be used when already down in the butterfly. The shuffle is used for covering very small distances and is done by quickly walking laterally while on their knees.
A backside recovery is used when the goalie needs to re-center on the ring after dropping into the butterfly. The move is broken down in this video. It is started in the same manner as a T-push; the goalie looks and rotates towards their targeted location. Next, the goalie plants the foot farthest from the ring’s current location.
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The goalie then pushes into a standing t-push and re-centers on the rings new position. The technique is further refined by having the goalie lead with their gloves and stick. By leading with their hands and stick, the goalie’s body is forced to rotate and move to the new position in a proper, balanced position. Failure to lead with the hands often results in the goalie arriving off-balance or not square to the ring and as a result unprepared to make a save.
A backside butterfly slide uses the same techniques as a back-side recovery, but the goalie remains in the butterfly instead of rising into a T-push. While pushing off the back foot, some weight is removed from the leading knee. The pad should remain on the ice during the move. A slight lifting of the knee is acceptable until goalies develop sufficient strength. The goalie’s gloves and stick should also remain in proper position.
It is sometimes suggested that the goalie add a slight backwards motion when performing these moves to create a harder push. This video shows a butterfly slide
with the back-push. It can be described as a pendulum swing, similar to the motion used to start swinging on a playground swing. While it does help increase power, it also adds an extra step that increases the time required to execute the move. This swinging motion should only be used to cover far distances.
Telescoping has replaced challenging the shooter as a positioning technique. Where the goalie was once told to stay far out and challenge the shooter, they are now taught to stay deep in the net until the skater is likely to shoot. The advantages are reduced fatigue and increased likelihood of being in position. Previously, when the goalie was always challenging the shooter, they had to cover a much greater distance to remain centered with the ring. If the ring is passed from one side of the ice all the way over to the other side, the goalie needs to travel a distance of nearly 8’ (edge of crease to edge of crease). If the goalie remains deep in the net, they only need to travel ~3’ (inside one post to inside other post). If needed, they will then move out ~3’ to challenge the shooter. The decrease in distance means the goalie will cover it faster and use less energy. They will spend more time centered between the ring and the net, and therefore spend more time in a position where they are able to make a save. By telescoping as needed instead of always challenging, a goalie will have more energy, arrive at the FSP sooner, and make more saves.
Following the ring behind the net is done by looking over the shoulder, not by turning around to look behind the net. If the goalie is looking behind the net and the ring is past to a free player in the slot, the ring will enter the net before the goalie will be able to turn and prepare for the shot.
The easiest way to follow the skater behind the net is to step off the post towards the center of the net, lean
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away from the ring, and watch over the shoulder. Once the player passes the center point, the goalie should shift their weight to the opposite side and look over the other shoulder. As the player approaches the goal line, the goalie should shift to the post closest to the player. The video breaks the positioning down step by step.
Goaltending skills
Goalies need goalie specific drills to practice goalie specific skills.
Playing the ring outside the crease is a neglected skill. Goalies don’t know what to do if the ring does not enter the crease. They act as though they are not allowed to reach outside the crease to touch the ring. Coaches need to teach their goalies that not only are they allowed to, but in many instances they must reach out and play it. Especially in lower levels, many errant passes end up within the goalie’s reach, but rather than play it to the corner, the goalie stands at the edge of the crease watching to see who will get the ring first- their team, or the opposition. Younger goalies need to practice playing the ring to the closest corner. The defence must also be taught how their goalie will play the ring so that they can get in position. More capable goalies must be taught to pass it to the closest safe player. If they are not sure, they should play it to the corner.
An advanced method of playing the ring with a stick involves reversing the catcher so that the palm of the catcher is placed at the top of the paddle and the fingers wrap around the shaft. Force is placed downwards on the palm of the hand and the stick is pushed forward until it springs outwards. It is a more efficient way of playing the ring because the angle and length of the stick make it unsuited for holding it in the traditional manner.
Rebound control is another important skill. The goalie is responsible for stopping and controlling it. Ideally goalies should trap the ring. Hard low shots need to be directed to teammates or into the corners. Controlling rebounds should be part of all shooting drills in practices.
Throwing the ring is a learned skill, not an instinct. Although it seems as easy as throwing a Frisbee, many young goalies do not have experience throwing a Frisbee, nor have they practiced throwing one while wearing a glove. Young goalies need to practice this skill. They also need to be taught where to throw the ring. If the only player a young goalie can see is surrounded by 5 players of the opposition, they will still try and throw the ring to this player. The coach needs to setup a system so their team knows what to do when the goalie has the ring. The coach needs to assign the defence certain locations to receive the pass. The goalie must be taught that if the defence are not in position, or not free, then the goalie should throw the ring into one of the corners. Coach’s should have their a team system for these situations.
The goalies must also practice throwing the ring in a manner that makes it easy for their teammates to control the ring. Throwing the ring into a teammate’s stomach
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is not a helpful pass. The ring should be thrown high when the goalie is clearing it to the corners to avoid a free pass when there are no defensive players open. Throwing it high gives time for the defence to adjust and arrive in time to fight for the ring.
Communicating with teammates should be taught to all players. Ringette is a team sport and requires that teammates communicate both on and off the ice. The goalie needs to support their defence by informing them of the position of attacking players. The goalie is generally farther from the play than the players, and therefore will see more of the game. The goalie needs to tell their defence when an attacker has snuck into the play behind them. The goalie also needs to communicate options to their defence. They need to tell the defence when they have time to look and make a play. When the defence is pressured, the goalie can help provide options by saying who is free, or where there is room to skate.
The communication needs to be simple, one word directions. If players are not used to on-ice communication, you may need to start with using the players name and following it with the command. Some of the more common words used are:
Backdoor – there is an open attacking player at the edge of the crease opposite the ring
Banging stick on the ice – done to let the team know a penalty is coming to an end. If the opposing team penalty is ending, defence must guard against the long pass. If the goalie’s team’s penalty is ending, they should look for a long offensive pass.
Hurry – when the defending player is about to be pressured by an attacking player
Reverse – there is room to skate in the opposite direction
Support – there is an open defensive player behind, or across from the puck carrier
Time – when the defending player should take the time to look around and make a proper play
Wide – there is an open player on the opposite side
Wing – the defending winger is open to receive a pass
It is equally important that the defence help their goalie by communicating on-ice:
Corner / feet/ wide – location of the ring after a rebound, when the goalie does not know where it is
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Freeze – the goalie should hold the ring to slow down the game for a line change
Ring – the ring is free and the goalie needs to react
Shot – the defence is playing the pass and leaving the shooter to the goalie
Freezing the ring is another important technique. The coach should again decide on a team strategy for when to freeze the ring. It is usually a situation where a line change is desired. Examples would be on a penalty kill where the defending team has been pinned in there zone for some time. Another situation would be when facing a stronger team that has gained the zone after a line change and it is in the first period. The defending team is now stuck in their zone, with the team bench being in the far zone. A line change might be a stronger play than a pass to a tired team mate.
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Myth Goalies are crazy
Fact Since modern gear has made the
position pain free, goalies are now as normal as anyone else
Chapter
3
Modern equipment
Goaltending equipment has evolved as much as the position itself.
hether the gear modernized the position or the position modernized the gear is open to interpretation, the result is not. Gear is no longer developed to just protect the goaltender. It is now developed to
enhance their performance. It is lighter, more durable, more protective of impacts, more anatomically supportive, and designed to be used by a butterfly style goalie. Older gear is not.
Used gear should be considered when equipping a goalie, especially younger ones and those new to the position. Young children will outgrow the equipment before they will wear it out. It is better to buy used gear regularly than to buy gear that is too large, and wait for the goalie to grow into it.
Size matters. It is important that goalies have gear that fits them properly. Gear that is too small will not protect the goalie properly. It will also be tight and restrictive. Gear that is too big will have a negative impact on the goalies performance and increase the chance of injury. Remembering that movement is the key to goaltending, using gear that is too big will work against that key rule. The bigger gear will be heavier and bulkier, slowing them down. The majority of saves are made with the middle sections of the gear because either the goalie is in position and can react to the shot, or they are not, and can’t. Very few shots will simply hit the edges of the goalie’s gear and stay out of the net. Goalie performance and statistics in the NHL have been increasing since the size of the equipment began to be monitored, and later underwent a size reduction. This proves that technique and training is much more important than larger gear.
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Pads are no longer stuffed with various felts and deer hair, nor are they made of leather. They now use synthetic leathers and thin layers of different density foams. Modern gear requires little to no break in as they are no longer designed to break down and soften over time. They are rigid and designed to maintain their form for the life of the pad.
There are many clues to help determine which pad goes on which leg. The company name on the side of the pad should always be on the outside (image below, left). They want everyone to see it; they don’t want it hidden when the goalie is in the butterfly. The thickest extra flaps and padding go on the inside, to protect the knee and leg from making contact with the ice (below, middle). The buckles are on the outside, for convenience and so they don’t grind into the ice when the goalie is in the butterfly (below, left). Lastly, the large bars that run from the top of the pad to the toe of the pad go on the outside (below, right).
A properly sized pad will have the goalie’s knee squarely in the middle of the knee protection when in the butterfly. When looking for pads, bring skates, and skate guards. Try the pads on and see if the goalie is comfortable, and can move around in the pads. Especially for the youngest goalies, pad sizing will vary widely between brands and models. A 24” pad in one model may be too bulky, while a 24” pad in another model will fit just fine.
Modern pads are designed to rotate and provide a flat face when the goalie is in the butterfly position. The pads are equipped with large, thick, supports for the knees. This keeps the knees higher than the feet to reduce stress on the hips and knees. The knee stacks also protect the knees from making contact with the ice. Inner calf wings have been added to help with butterfly slides, and to provide support to stabilize the butterfly.
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To help with the rotation, the way the pads are strapped to the leg has also changed. Pads are now strapped loosely to the leg to ensure that the pads rotate when dropping into the butterfly. The pads are also pre-shaped, with extra long rises above the knee to help close the 5-hole; the space between the knees when in the butterfly.
The toe strap has been replaced with a toe-tie made of string or lace. They are used to prevent the pads from rotating to far around a goalie’s leg. Knots are added to the string where it emerges from the pad to provide slack in the string so it does not pull on the toe of the skate and put unwanted stress on the ankle, knee and hip when the goalie is in a butterfly position. The string is criss-crossed through the openings of the goalies skate, making sure the knots are tight against the toe to ensure it does not slide down and interfere with the blades ability to make contact with the ice. It is then brought around the ankle to the top of the skate and double knotted. The friction caused by constant movement will often undo a single knot. This video shows how to properly use toe-ties.
Blockers are very straight forward. Find one that is comfortable and easily allows the goalie to get a firm grip on their stick, and to pick it up when it falls. All of the extra padding designed to protect fingers from a hockey puck sometimes interferes with a young player’s ability to hold the stick.
Hockey catcher or broom-ball glove? It is recommended that the goalie use the item they are most comfortable with. Knowing what we do about ring-view, we know that the larger hockey catcher will provide, at best, a marginal improvement over the broom-ball glove. Although goalies can throw the ring, or use their stick to play the ring while wearing a hockey catcher, it is not as easy as when using a broom-ball glove.
It is easier and less expensive to start with a broom-ball glove and progress to a hockey catcher. When the goalie is comfortable making the switch, or when the extra protection is needed, the hockey catcher should be introduced. As shots get harder, finger damage is more likely.
A proper sized hockey glove is needed. The goalie needs to properly shoot the ring with the stick, or to pick up the ring quickly and easily.
A proper sized goalie stick is essential to having a proper stance. The stick must allow the goalie’s blocker hand to be in a proper position when the stick is centered between the goalies feet, and placed 6”-12” inches in front of the skates. A poor sized stick will cause the goalie to have an unbalanced stance, affecting all of the goalies movements.
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Myth Goalie’s skates should be dull
Fact To properly perform today’s modern
movements, sharp skates are required
The proper way to hold the stick is to place the hand flush against the top of the paddle. The index finger is placed flat against the paddle of the stick to increase control and prevent the stick from rotating on hard shots.
Goalie skates are designed for goalies. They are not essential, but they do help and should be introduced when the goalies feet are big enough to fit into goalie skates. Goalie skates are not available in the smallest of sizes that player skates are available in. Goalie skates that are too large will hamper the goalie’s movements more than they
help.
Although the extra protection is not needed in ringette, the other features do help. The skate is designed to support the goalie in their basic stance and to help the goalie perform goalie specific movements. The skates are closer to the ice, have lower ankle support, and have longer, flatter blades.
Goalie skates should be sharp enough so the goalie does not slip while performing their movements. If the back leg is slipping out when the goalie pushes, they usually need sharper skates.
Right or full right? A goalie that catches with their left hand and holds the stick in the right hand is called a right handed goalie. These goalies usually write with their right hands as well. The vast majority of goalies are right goalies.
A goalie that catches with their right hand and holds the stick with their left hand is not called left; they are instead called full right, to avoid confusion. Left and right may refer to catching hand, writing hand, or which side the goalie’s stick is on when they shoot the ring. Full right is a unique term, usually known only to those who are full right, and are used to the difficulties of finding full right equipment and sticks.
Hockey goalie pants and chest protectors should be worn when they are available. So long as they are not so large as to hinder movement, they will increase protection and allow the goalie to adjust to the added bulk. While not necessary at younger levels, they will become desirable when the force of the shots get harder.
Hockey masks are extremely cool but not necessary in ringette, especially at lower levels. They are heavier, hotter, more expensive, reduce hearing, and are harder to breathe in, than traditional helmets. The extra protection needed at high levels of hockey makes them desirable despite their shortcomings. This is not the case for ringette.
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Chapter
4
Goalie drills, practices,
and warm-ups
Practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect. A goalie will easily face 10 times more shots in a practice than in a game. Practices are when good habits are formed. Games are when the good habits are applied.
cience confirms that the more often we perform a task, the faster and stronger we become at performing that task. So what we practice becomes all important. If we practice lazily with poor technique, we will become better
at lazily performing skills while using poor technique. The more a practice reflects actual game situations the better the results. Science also proves that if practiced enough, movements will become instinctual; the movements can be executed faster with less active thought. The brain is then free to process and react to other information.
Pre-game/practice stretching is done for the purpose of warming up key muscle groups, not for increasing flexibility. Stretches should be held for only a few seconds with only light pressure. The stretches can be repeated until the muscles are responding properly. Once properly warmed up the goalie should have an elevated pulse and be taking deeper breaths, but not be short of breath.
Stretching for flexibility requires a proper warm-up and then holding the stretch for at least 30 seconds. Each stretch should be done for two or three repetitions. Medium pressure should be used. Mild discomfort is required, but there should be no pain. The possibility of damaging the muscles increases if they have not been properly warmed up by activities like light jogging.
Warm ups should be used for warming up both the players and the goalie in both games and practices. With only 2 minutes on-ice before the game, it is important to make the most of it. As much as possible, stretching and a limited warm-up should be done in the dressing room or halls. A series of butterflies will help get
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the blood flowing. On-ice, the goalie should sprint at least once around the team’s area of the ice and then prepare for shots. The coach should decide on what kind of warm-up will be used. Either have one or two dedicated shooters, or have a limited number of rings for the players to take turns shooting. While waiting for the game to start, the goalie should do some simple movement drills that should be taught in practice, specifically for use in warm-ups.
Goalie specific drills
Hockey Canada recommends beginner goalies focus 75% of their time on movement and positional drills. Save movements should consume 20% and tactics 5%. This evolves to 35% movement, 25% advanced saves and positioning, and 40% tactics, as the goalie becomes more advanced.
All movement techniques can be practiced in the same manner, using the same drills. The same way skaters do the same drills forwards then backwards, goalies will do them using the various movement techniques, be it a C-cut or a butterfly slide.
An example is to move laterally while performing one of the skating techniques; C-cuts along the blue line or with the goalie’s back against the boards. The moves should be done quickly and powerfully, with 1-2 seconds of rest in between movements. The goalie should remain in the set position at all times. The drills should always be done in both directions to ensure equal practice with both legs.
Advanced versions of these drills will combine different techniques in sequential movements. Have the goalie start against the boards in a set position and use sculls to move out ~10’. Then use c-cuts to move laterally ~10’. Use sculls to backup, and then shuffle across back to the starting position.
Another drill would have the goalie start in a butterfly against one post. Use a backside recovery to move to the top of the crease. T-push to the far post and then butterfly slide to the top of the crease. Then butterfly shuffle to the starting post. These types of drills can be used in the crease or inside of the face-off circles while skaters are doing non-shooting drills.
Coaches should enforce proper technique during regular player shooting drills: active hands, feet stick, rebound control, playing the ring, and throwing the ring. The goalie should be taught to throw any rings they catch specific targets on the ice, like the area the skaters are waiting to start the drill. The ring should be thrown in a proper manner. It should be low and in front of a player so that they can receive the pass.
Specific active hands, feet, stick, and rebound control drills should be used when the coach notices the goalie is simply blocking shots instead of reacting to them. Have the goalie work on one skill at a time, such as high glove side or low stick side. The drills should start as simple stationary shooting drills performed at a slow speed. The purpose of the drill is to practice the goalie, not the shooter. The drills should be done while the goalie is standing and while in the butterfly.
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Video and graphical examples of drills
A picture is worth a thousand words, video is worth a million.
These drills from hockey Canada show the limitless ways you can combine the key movements to create drills. The drills are presented here in a graphical video format. USAhockey.com has some great examples of drills with some video examples for movement, fundamental saves, game situations, and team drills. They even offer complete practice plans for different levels of goaltending.
Here are some examples of drills to work on specific skills. The first two videos are for working on the butterfly slide while stopping shots.
The first is an example of a T-push drill, the second is sculls followed by T-pushes
The next video is an example of shuffles combined with C-cuts. The second starts with shuffles and then progresses through other simple movement and shooting drills. The shooting drills are important because they are shown using ring-view. You can see that even though the young goalie is deep in his net, part of his glove would be over the crossbar if he used a fingers-up glove position.
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The following drill is a great example of backside recoveries after a shot. Notice how he looks, rotates, and plants his foot before pushing off.
Another great video showing a combination of all the movement types; t-push, c-cuts, shuffles, covering the ring, backside recoveries.
Progressive developmental practices
This is a breakdown of 6 one hour practices that take the goalies through every skill and technique taught in this guide.
The sessions will start with an introduction to the key skills used by goaltenders. Concepts will be taught in the middle sessions with everything combined in the end sessions.
It is important to remember goalie drills are designed to practice the goalie, not the shooter. Proper time must be given to the goalie to setup and rest in between each repetition. If the shooter is scoring on more than half their shots, they should take easier shots to give the goalie a chance to perform the move properly and to practice stopping the ring.
Sessions 1 and 2 will have the goalies start with the basic stance and move onto the basic skating movements: Shuffles, C-cuts, T-pushes, and sculls. These skills will be used as warm-up drills in every practice. Goalies will practice to track the
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ring behind the net. Goalies will be taught the basic butterfly form and movements: butterfly slides, recoveries, and knee shuffles. Easy shots can be used to make the drills more interesting, if shooters are available. Time permitting, goalies will practice to play and throw the ring..
Goalies’ equipment should be reviewed before and after the practices to make sure equipment is worn correctly, and is the proper size.
Sessions 3 and 4 will start with the usual movement drills and teach the concepts of ring-view and finding the FSP. The concepts will be strengthened with movement, shooting, and tracking drills.
Sessions 5 and 6 will start with the usual warm-up. Advanced versions of the previous drills will be used to work on multiple skills at the same time. Goalies must demonstrate active hands and rebound control. An emphasis will be placed on perfecting techniques.
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Session #1 Basic movements
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Session #2 Butterfly movements
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Session #3 FSP and ring-view
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Session #4 Complex movement drills
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Session #5 Complex movement drills with shots
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Session #6 Complex movement drills with shots
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Extra drills
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Chapter
5 References
Mind The Net Goaltending is a great reference site. They have a lot of helpful articles, videos and drills.
Steve McKichan, a goalie coach in the NHL, has several interesting articles as part of the Future Pro goaltending school.
The equipment manufacturer Vaughn, has a wide selection of articles. Some of them are a little old, but still offer useful information.
This is the goalie section of the USA hockey web site. It has an extensive selection of drills, videos, and other information.
This is the small goalie section of the Hockey Canada web site.
This forum is a very active one, offering a wealth of information. There are many topics that aren’t covered in goaltending schools, like how people deal with letting in bad goals, how parents deal with the pressure, or what water bottle people like best. It is important to remember that it is an internet forum and therefore full of people’s opinions, good, bad, ignorant, or ingenious.
This forum offers extensive images to help analyse position through ring-view. It shows how much net is covered based on how far the goalie challenges, and how far the puck is.
This is a fun video that shows how quickly a goalie must react. It shows that at the NHL level, goalies really do need cat-quick reflexes.
This is a video that shows how goalie pads are made.
This is a video that shows how goalie masks are made
Future Topics
Game day preparation
What good goalies do- reasons for success.
