Goaltending Guidebook By Tim Barker Goaltending Coach and Advisor
Table of Contents Section 1 What Type of Goalie Are You? Section 2 Save Techniques i) Basic Stance ii) Post Position iii) Butterfly iv) Extended Butterfly Catcher Side v) Extended Butterfly Blocker Side vi) Playing Puck Behind the Net vii) Stickhandling viii) Playing Screen/Tip Shots ix) Poke check x) Playing the Breakaway Section 3 Warming Up the Goalies Section 4 Goaltender Specific Drills
Section 1 - What Type of Goalie Are You? There are 3 main goaltender styles that have been used over the years. Each one has its pros/cons but as you ll see in the below table developing a goalie who can incorporate both the ability to get down to a low shot and stand up on mid to high shots is ideal. Playing Style Pros Cons Butterfly This is the most common style used by goaltenders and it is almost exclusively taught by most instructors. Stand Up This style hasn t really been used since the 70 s. Hybrid This is the ideal style to teach. It allows a goalie to combine the strengths of the butterfly style and the stand up style. Goalies employing this style are more capable of stopping low shots. Goalies employing this style cover a lot more of the net and are usually in position for getting high shots. When goalies effectively learn and master this style they can have the ability to react to low shots and low dekes while standing up and challenging for high shots and taking away high corners. Goalies are susceptible to high shots and being out of position for rebounds. Recover can also be compromised as many goalies once they go down stay down! Because of the emphasis on playing from the knees this goalie style is most prone to knee, groin and hip injuries. Goalies are also more prone to head injuries as pucks that generally hit stand up/hybrid goalies in the chest are hitting the butterfly goalies in the mask. Goalies are very susceptible to low shots hitting the corners and 5 hole shots. Goaltenders also tend not to be able to move quickly or adjust to goal mouth scrambles. Not many cons but this is the most challenging style to play (but most effective) and requires a lot of concentration / focus and practice.
Section 2 Part I : Basic Stance Keys Points: Eyes forward, focusing on the play. Stick is positioned in front of five hole flat on the ice. Try to keep stick from lying at an angle as this will cause the puck to become airborne and unpredictable. Blocker will automatically be in best position with front facing the play if stick is kept as upright as possible. Glove Hand is open facing the play and slightly forward. By having catcher slightly forward it forces your shoulders to be square to the play.
Section 2 Part II: Post Play Key Points: Goaltender has completely covered short side and should puck be passed quickly across crease he is one quick push from covering low far side. In addition should puck come out to high slot or blueline this standing post position allows him to quickly come set at top of his crease to make save in one push motion. Goaltender is down on his knees exposing top corners. In addition if puck is passed out to slot goaltender will be vulnerable to high shot. Also in this down position if goalie has to come out quickly to challenge a shot from the wing or slot he must make two moves: He has to recover to his feet and then push out whereas with first image goalie in one quick push can be out to cover shot and not give up high corners.
Section 2 Part III: Full Butterfly Key Points: Blocker positioned just above pads (note when stick is in proper position this automatically brings blocker up to proper positon facing puck full on. Knees are forced together which creates a tight seal. Stick flat on ice center of pads. Legs are kept at an angle as this promotes puck direction going to corners away from danger area. Glove hand is open, slightly forward on top of pad.
Section 2 Part IV: Extended Butterfly Catcher Side Key Points: Glove side Leg pad is slightly bent to allow for puck to be directed off the pad to the corner Stick is covering the five hole and slightly bent toward the catcher side boards so puck is directed to corner away from danger areas. Glove hand is open on top of pad slightly forward which promotes good balance. never have your glove hand dropped behind pad as this will pull you back and your center of gravity will be lost and you won t be able to recover.
Section 2 Part IX: Playing the Breakaway No matter what age group goalies play at they will at some point face a breakaway. In order for a goalie to successfully defend a breakaway he has to have a strong foundation in the following: A) Footwork/Mobility (Strong C cuts/pad Pushes are vital to a goaltender being able to challenge and move with the deke) B) Position with respect to the puck and the net (i.e. angle play) C) Have a very calm/still crouch position ready to react to a shot up high or down low. To successfully defend a breakaway there are two (2) major steps involved. Step 1 Initial Challenge As soon player breaks in the goaltender must make an initial push out to cut down the shooting angle. Important to remember that upon the initial pushes out you want to end up with your strong skate in a position for the initial backwards push which allows you to time your backwards movement with the shooters advance. The key in this is to make sure the puck (not the player) is centered to the goalie s feet. If a player decides to shoot the goalie should be out far enough that he covers his entire net. Keys to Remember: You only need to challenge to the point where you ve take away the entire shooting angle. With this in mind taller goalies generally don t have to travel as far out as a smaller goalie as they cover much more of the net. Remember for every step you take towards the shooter you must be able to move back just as quickly should the player decide to take the puck direct to the net (deke).
Step 2 Make the Player Go Where You Want If a goaltender plays a breakaway correctly he can control where the player ends up. By coming out and challenging the shooter as shown in the first picture a goalie takes away the available net and forces the player into another option which is the taking the puck to either side of the net (i.e. deke). This is where all the work on lateral movement comes into play. Once you have a player to a point where you ve taken away the net the player has not choice but to take the puck to either corner of the net and literally try to outskate the goalie. Once you ve got the player committed to the deke it s imperative you continue to match his speed backwards with the idea that once you hit a point at the top of your crease you ll be reacting to whichever side he moves with your extended butterfly or pad slide. Keys to Remember When moving backwards in your net with a shooter keep your upper body still as any unnecessary upper torso movement can throw off your balance and open up a high corner. It s important to pay attention to the speed of the player. If you move back to fast you ll be too deep in your net and open up corners for him to shoot at. If you move back to slow the player will literally skate around you and have an open net available to him.
Section 2 Part V: Extended Butterfly Blocker Side Key Points: Blocker side leg is slightly bent to promote puck being directed to corner (a straight leg would put rebound directly back out to slot danger area ). Extended blocker side pad should be sealed to ice as much as possible to prevent puck going under pad. Stick position is critical. Stick should be positioned in front of five hole initially and as goaltender moves his extended pad to push shot to corner stick should move with the pad. Ideally the stick should make contact with the puck and the pad should back up the stick.
Section 2 Part VI: Playing Puck Behind the Net From time to time in a game it will become important for goalies to be able to effectively stop a shoot in and either set the puck up or pass it to there defenceman. Similar to the poke check this is a skill generally introduced at the intermediate goaltender level (ideally at the peewee age group). The key to this technique is the following: A) Strong C-Cut / T-Pushes to get goalie to back of net to intercept shoot in. B) Complete seal on the boards including most important factor keeping stick on ice goalies must keep the puck in front of them. C) Maintaining focus on play so puck isn t missed D) Goalie has to anticipate what he ll do with the puck once he has it and absolutely no hesitation.
Section 2 Part VII: Playing Puck with The Stick From time to time in a game it will become important for goalies to be able to handle/control the puck with their stick and be able to either shoot the puck off the boards/glass to get it out or be able to pass the puck to either a defenceman or forward. Similar to the poke check this is a skill generally introduced at the intermediate goaltender level (ideally at the peewee age group). The key to this technique is the following: A) Stick blade is on the ice at all times. B) Stick is controlled with both catcher and blocker. C) Goalie must have his eyes up on the play so he knows where the puck is going to go. D) When training it s important to focus on being able to handle the puck without looking at it.
Section 2 Part VIII: Playing Screen / Tip Shots These drills are designed to help the goalie improve the following: A) Ability to deal with traffic in front B) Quickness ability to pick up tip shots C) Covering up as much net as possible to compensate for partial or no direct view of puck D) Eliminate pucks being tipped in on shots from the point. Stopping What You Can t See We ve all seen the scenario where a team jams the front of the net in an attempt to block a goaltenders view of the shot and/or tip the shot at the last second. Many goaltenders struggle with the concept of handling traffic and being able to see though or around players positioned in front. In a perfect world, the defenceman physically moves the forward through the crease to the side so the goalie has a direct view of the shot. Unfortunately depending on the size/skill level of both the defenceman and forward competing for that small piece of real estate many times goaltenders are left fighting for the same spot.
Playing the Screen All to often goalies get distracted while trying to track the puck movement so the number one key really is for that goalie to continue to position himself at the top of the crease, keep his stick on the ground and be as low as possible. His hands should be forward and facing the play just as if he was stopping an unobstructed shot from 20 feet out. All too often goaltenders get their hands/stick tied up with a forward and all too often the shot sneaks through. Always move in your crouch. Remember shots come from anywhere especially when a screen is in place. Remember the forwards job is to take away your view from the puck and put you into a distraction state where you get frustrated and forget the basics. Your job is to position yourself as high in the crease as possible and ensure you have all your weapons (stick/gloves) in the right position so you can stop the puck even if you can t see it. Playing the Tip Shot Similar to playing a shot you can t see the idea is very simple. Come out as far as you can and be aligned to the puck. The basic principle is that the further your can project your position in the crease the less net is available for the forward to tip the puck into. The idea is that if you can close the distance between you and the forward tipping the puck then you can cut down the angle of trajectory for the puck coming off the forwards stick. Instead of pucks being tipped into the high corners they can be taken off the goalie s chest/shoulder. Drill # 1 Handling the Screen Take 10 pucks and put 5 pucks on corner of blue line (5 pucks per defenceman). Position a forward five feet out directly in front of crease. Shots will alternate and goalie has to fight to puck up the flight of the puck and make the save. Once goaltender is showing some level of success you can start to vary distance and speed of shot and even introduce passing the puck along the blueline between the defenceman before they shoot so goalie must track and move to find the puck. Drill # 2 Handling the Tip Shot Set up is same as Drill # 1 only in this scenario the forward will try to tip the shot past the goalie. Shots should start out at half speed and always low/on ice. Once the goalie develops some success and understand his positioning for these tip shots you can increase speed of shot and go high or low.
Warming Up the Goalie One of the most forgotten aspects of game/practice preparation is to properly warm up the goaltenders. The entire purpose of taking a goaltender through a warm-up procedure is to: A) ensure his body is physically ready for action B) he s confident and positively engaged/focused. Before the Ice: Off-Ice Stretching - Goaltenders should do a series of basic stretches (this can be done as a group with the team or by themselves) in which the key areas (groin/hip/hamstring/calf/back/neck) are stretched/conditioned for more intense workout. Eye to Hand / Mental Preparation After goaltenders put on their lower gear they should find some space to do some eye to hand work with a bounce ball (either with or without their catcher/blocker). These exercises not only strengthen the eye to hand coordination but also assist in the mental preparedness to focus and react.
On-Ice Routine: It s important to remember that pre-game warm ups are designed for all players to get a comfort feeling and warm up their muscles/joints for more demanding workouts (ie. game/practice). With respect to goaltenders it s important that they leave the warm-up with a sense of confidence and most importantly injury free. Ideally when the goalie first steps onto the ice they should do a brief skate followed up with some minor stretching off to the side. Again focusing on back/hips/groin/hamstring. Once goalies are properly stretched I recommend starting with them at the top of the crease and one shooter positioned about 15 feet out center of the slot. Have the shooter take 10 pucks and simply at half-speed shoot the pucks to either hand (catcher/blocker) as this builds eye to hand confidence. This drill can be repeated with shots this time coming low to either side allowing the goalie to work his stick and pads. The principle behind shooting pucks at reduced speed is you want your goaltender to get comfortable/confident by making the appropriate save (i.e. catching the puck or redirecting puck to corner using blocker/pad/stick). One Final Note Many times goaltenders have been injured in warm-ups because of A) lack of proper stretching B) getting hit by a puck especially high on the shoulder/head area. When warming up your goaltenders keep shots down unless you re specifically warming up the catcher/blocker and that should be done with care at a lower speed.