Post Positioning Ankle lock

[InTheZone]

I recently started coaching Atom level goalies, and the following video was shared with me to demonstrate post positioning:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dU7JfU-E7U&feature=youtu.be

As an older goalie, I am not familiar with this technique, but it has caught my interest. I can definitely see the advantages of using this technique in order to explode off the post to reposition yourself for a shot out front, but it also seems to present some danger of allowing some weak goals through the gloves and hole between pads and post, or off the goalie's head/shoulder/back since your torso is away from the post.

Questions:

1. Is this a new technique, or has it been around for a while? What is the proper name for it?
2. Are my concerns for bad goals legitimate?
3. Should I be teaching younger goalies this technique, or stick with the traditional approach to prevent bad goals (both feet closer to goal line)?

[coopaloop1234]

This is an odd question to me since everything they showed in the video seems very natural to stand and seal the post. I'll try to answer your questions in both as a full grown goalie and atom goalie perspective:

1. This is not a new technique. Angling off of the goal line and sealing the post has been around for so long.
2. As a full grown goalie, no. You should easily be able to seal up the posts with your arms and facing towards shooters on the goal line or behind the net allows you to present a larger target to any view point they do have. As well, you should be reacting to shots and be able to seal up and 5hole goals. If guys are coming in and the threat of a quick shot is more prevalent, then you adjust and seal up the post better via a RVH or VH. 

For atom goalies, I can imagine that sealing up the posts may be tougher due to their size, but teaching good habits of staying on your feet for as long as you can and giving them that edge to be able to get into position come a centering pass is a lot more important than trying to get them to get a super tight seal on.

3. You should be teaching both. Goaltending is a very fluid position that requires multiple adjustments based on a ton of factors. The more techniques and familiarity a goalie has for different situations, the better he'll be prepared for a game situation.

[dstew29]

For #2, I think there is always that concern for "banking off the goalie" goals when opposing skater has the puck and on or behind the goal line. I think you can manage this much better on your glove-side post. On the blocker side post seems to present a few more opportunities where the shooter might have better holes or angles to bank it off of you. To me it seems like you should keep a "less-square" relation to the shooter on your blocker side post when the shooter on or behind the goal line. Meaning, the more you square up, or angle your body/pads towards the shooter behind you, the better deflection angles he has to hit the net off of a deflection. The downside is your head and eyes are forced back in a more awkward position to track the play. But plus side is your body position is more square to any potential one timers or passes out in front of you.

[mr_shifty1982]

If the player comes out from behind the net the goalie is screwed with that positioning because you just don't know what options he may take. Just my thoughts. 

[dstew29]

9 minutes ago, mr_shifty1982 said:

If the player comes out from behind the net the goalie is screwed with that positioning because you just don't know what options he may take. Just my thoughts. 

Can you give an example? I'm not seeing the added threat...

[coopaloop1234]

52 minutes ago, mr_shifty1982 said:

If the player comes out from behind the net the goalie is screwed with that positioning because you just don't know what options he may take. Just my thoughts. 

The alternative is to lock yourself into a RVH/VH or a butterfly and severely limit your ability to react to any passes to the slot/lateral plays or you open the upper holes for decent shooters.

It's a trade off.

[mr_shifty1982]

1 hour ago, dstew29 said:

Can you give an example? I'm not seeing the added threat...

In this case, given the situation....now these are professional NHL players and react much quicker.

[coopaloop1234]

5 minutes ago, mr_shifty1982 said:

In this case, given the situation....now these are professional NHL players and react much quicker

But weren't you advocating that the standing post lean in OP's video was leaving the goalie screwed?

[mr_shifty1982]

48 minutes ago, coopaloop1234 said:

But weren't you advocating that the standing post lean in OP's video was leaving the goalie screwed?

Yes, as stated these are professionals and not kids. I'd think that someone learning the position would have a much harder time to reposition themselves given the situation.  Not quick enough. 

[Punisher Goalie]

I think @mr_shifty1982 and @InTheZone are talking about two different things. 

@mr_shifty1982‘s video shows a potential limitation of the RVH. @InTheZone‘s video is about a standing angled-leg post integration technique. 

I actually found @InTheZone‘s video extremely helpful. I’m a relatively new adult goalie and I never thought about my leg angle like that. Reflecting back, I’m pretty sure I have been standing straight up, flat on my skate blade. This video did a great job of illustrating how you can sort of “pre-load” on that inside edge. Gave me a lot to think about. 

[dstew29]

17 hours ago, mr_shifty1982 said:

In this case, given the situation....now these are professional NHL players and react much quicker.

Def agree that a quality shooter can sometimes pick corners on RVH/VH.

What’s funny though is this video shows Bishop in good position to defend but the shot was low and slides up his stick blade and into the top corner. I actually think RVH the correct play for Bish but just sort of a flukey goal.

my point earlier was that I like the standing post lean vs VH/RVH if shooter is a more of a distance behind goal line but not directly behind the net. As shooter travels directly behind the net I think you do convert to more of a RVH/VH to defend him popping out or wrap around. If they keep moving laterally away from you then I think standing post lean (less square) makes a lot of sense to me like in the OP video.

[dstew29]

Good example. Shooter travels away, no longer a pop out, wrap around threat, and Lehner gets stuck in VH. If he popped up he might have had that second to push lateral. This is the NHL so very few are stopping that shot but in our leagues we might have that second or two to push.