Introduction: Practice Tips for Hockey Goalie Training
Isaropen – Practice Tips for Hockey Goalie Training. Another hard part of good goalie training is figuring out how to use goalies well in games. Goalies aren’t always the main focus in practice, as offensive and defensive drills often take up most of the ice. The goalie may get practice during shooting drills, but they often miss real game situations. Although goalies do some drills, they don’t always feel like real-game scenarios, leaving them less prepared. Sometimes, the coaches leave goalies alone while they focus on teaching the other players in the practice sessions.
Putting together a good practice plan for your goalies will pay off big time on game day.
Goalie Training Tip #1: Smart Warm-Ups
Goalies should be able to warm up at the start of practice, just like every other player. They don’t need to be hit with slap shots every five minutes after they step on the ice.
On the other hand, goalies don’t have to do the same drills as defenders and forwards, and those drills wouldn’t be a good use of their time anyway. But giving goalies some general sliding drills to do every once in a while will help them get better. Making up some easy warm-up drills that goalies can do on their own in one or the other net is a good way to use their time. This will make them feel responsible—they are in a special place and should be proud of it. No matter how these warm-up drills for goalies look, they should force them to move like they would in a game.
You should teach them six goalie drills and give them two or three to do at the start of every practice. Since they might be warm-up alone for a long time, make sure they focus on doing things right instead of quickly.
Goalie Training Tip #2: Even, Consistent Workouts
Why do goalies not get as much attention as everyone else during practices? They might not score the goals, but they sure stop other teams from scoring on you, right? Don’t forget to do on-ice skills with the goalies until the last half hour of practice and then give them 30 minutes of slapshots.
Plan your practices to include drills for placing the goalie, recovering the puck, and handling the puck. You should be able to work your goalies into the practice flow with a little creativity. That way, everyone will get a good workout.
Goalie Training Tip #3: Thoughtful Inclusion
Do you know what this is? For the first shot drill, skaters are lined up in corners at each end of the rink that are diagonally opposite from each other. The middle zone is where coaches or other players are placed. When the drill starts, the first shooter sends a pass to the player in the middle of the ice. The midfielder then returns the pass, and the first shooter skates in for a shot on goal. The person who fired the gun then moves to the back of the other line.
In a sense, the goalie gets to stop a breakout shot. Yes, every hockey game has 1-on-1 shots. It would be more like a game, though, if after taking the shot, the shooter stayed near the center to wait for the next skater’s shot to bounce back. The goalie would have to defend because another runner might try to put the rebound in the net. When there isn’t a defender around, goalies tend to do nothing.
Spend twenty minutes making your drills more structured around the goalie. It will be worth it because the goalie will get more useful work. It’s the same for defensive zone face-offs and other situations. The goalie will be a better player and be able to “quarterback” the defense better when he knows what each player’s job is on each play.
Goalie Training Tip #4: Finding the Right Pace
Goalie recovery drills can be made out of almost any multiplayer shot drill. Speed is important. Allow your goalies enough time to defend against an attack and rebounds, and then move for the next skater in the game. However, if practice goes by too quickly and the goalie doesn’t have enough time to recover before the next group of attackers, they aren’t getting enough good training.
Allow your goalies a real chance to play. Send pairs of skaters in quickly one after the other for the kill. But you also don’t want the game to be so slow that the goalies don’t get enough exercise and get lazy. Try different speeds until you find the “sweet spot” of speed.
Goalie Training Tip #5: Balance and Variation
Goalies can only stop strikes that come straight at them because practice emphasizes the importance of scoring chances. These scoring chances occur in 1-on-1, 1-on-2, and 2-on-1 situations during games and drills. However, a goalie must also defend when the puck is behind the net or in the corners. In a real game, goalies face situations where the puck is in these difficult areas of the ice. A goalie’s whole game will improve by doing drills that test their ability to handle shots from various angles. Drills focusing on behind-the-net and corner plays improve both attack and defense skills effectively.
Goalie Training Tip #6: Creating Game-Like Conditions
There is a general theme of “too much focus on the offense.” One problem is that shooters don’t have guards in practice drills. There are no screens, second shots, or real pressure for the goalie to deal with in these drills. When there is no defense in an offensive or shooting game, goalies usually know where the shot is coming from ahead of time. The situation here is not like a game.
Every goalie needs to be able to keep their eyes on the puck for long amounts of time, even when there is a lot of going on around them. By making the player follow the puck, you can improve their ability to concentrate and plan ahead. In drills where shots are fired at the goalie quickly one after the other, the goalie only needs to pay attention for a couple seconds at most for each shot.
In every drill, make sure that your goalies are put in situations that are like a game at some point.
Goalie Training Tip #7: Developing Game Skills
Goals allowed and shots saved are, of course, the most important and scientifically tracked parts of a goalie’s game.
Because they don’t have to handle the puck very often during a game, many young goalies have trouble with how to handle their sticks. So, they’re more likely to mess up when the puck is in front of the net and time is running out. It’s important to do practice with the goalie stick. As a goalie, you should also work on other skills, such as knowing when, why, and how to cover the puck to stop the play.
Being loud on the ice is another very important skill for any goalie. This is how goalies see every play: they can see how it develops before any other player can. They can also call out screens and show the defender who is open. Every skater should always be loud, but goalies can “call the shots” because of their unique position. Goalies need to build up their courage so they can speak out loud and often.
Goalie Training Tip #8: Clear Instructions
Clear directions will help all players, not just goalies. When you tell a young player, “Don’t let any goals in,” you’re not really telling them what skill to work on. More specific instructions, like “No goals through the arms and legs” or “Nothing through the five-hole,” will help the goalie focus on a certain part of keeping the goal, instead of just stopping everything without thinking about skill.
Goalie Training Tip #9: Bringing the Right Attitude
A lot of young hockey players are selfish. They are only interested in how they do in their own game. Goalies are the same. Make them understand that practicing hard by goalies makes their partners better. Another way to help your goalies become better team leaders is to tell them to challenge their partners on the ice. Goalies who are dedicated to practice not only get better on their own, but they also have a good effect on the whole team.
Goalie Training Tip #10: Be Careful With Unskilled “Help”
A lot of parents are willing to step up and help out on the team. Parents will sometimes step in even when they aren’t asked to. This could be bad for your goalies. As we’ve already talked about, being a goalie is a very specialized job that needs skills that other players (and their parents) don’t have.
At first glance, it might seem like a good idea for a parent to take a few shots on goal when practice isn’t going on. There’s no question that the parent means well. Parental shots that are too fast, too hard, or too high can hurt kids at this point. They’re not the coach, and the teaching staff should try to keep these things under control, if not stop them from happening.
A teacher will often ask for extra help. But the help must be well-informed, especially if the teacher asks a parent to work on certain skills. Just about everything a goalie does is a skill.
Like a catcher in baseball, a goalie does the same thing. There is a lot of pressure and duty in this job. Everyone knows when the goalie fails. Because of this, training should give goalies a lot of attention. Spend money on goalie training gear. Make a set of drills that are specifically for the goalie. Pay as much attention to and value your goalies as you would your powerful offense. Your goalie is more likely to do well on game day if you put more time and money into them.
Conclusion: Practice Tips for Hockey Goalie Training
Effective goalie training requires intentional practice, focusing on game-like conditions and providing opportunities for real-world scenarios. It’s crucial to involve goalies in drills that challenge their skills, such as handling rebounds or defending in corners. Goalies should be given warm-up exercises that help them build responsibility and improve their movements on the ice. Structured drills can ensure they stay engaged, with a balanced pace allowing time for recovery between shots. Including goalies in the team’s overall practice flow enhances their game readiness, while thoughtful inclusion in drills maximizes their performance potential. Practice Tips for Hockey Goalie Training.