Issues with Game/Body Mechanics

[WizYuan]

Hey all,

Just seeking some opinions and corrections in my game. I'm 5'6" 200lb and am getting beat in corners and mid blocker, especially far side.

I noticed if the shooter shoots on glove side towards blocker, I lean towards the glove side but reach out blocker and can't correct it for the life of me.

As well, I tend to play in a blocking style but any shots that go up high I have a habit of chicken winging it (elbow) which leads to the red light.

Lastly, shots have been over my shoulder and under crossbar. I do find myself challenging out. In height reference, in my butterfly position the crossbar makes contact about 3/4 ways up my mask.

What do you shorter goalies or experienced coaches/netminders can recommend on giving my game that extra edge? The only highlight of my season has been a 0-0 T.

Thanks!

[TheGoalNet]

Do you play men's league at the current time? What opportunities do you have for practice at the current time?

[bunnyman666]

How deep are you playing? 

I tend to make a lot of shaft saves, myself.  My blocker side is a lot stronger than my glove side, frankly. I am also in the under 6’ club at 5’8-ish”. 

If it were me, I would go to a stick and puck and see if you could not set up a camera facing you to help make adjustments. It’s hard to unlearn some of the most intrinsic moves that end up being counter intuitive.  

I am certain there are others who are much better who could help nip this in the bud for you. 

[Mroy31]

Active hands and puck tracking is what generally comes to mind in situations like this.  I'm 6'1" and still get burned over the shoulders after whiffing on a chicken-wing because my hands got lazy.  Working on hand-eye and puck tracking can help cover up some of the over the shoulder shots.

http://www.goalietrainingpro.com/goalies/eotw-hand-eye-coordination-drill-to-make-any-goalie-better/ is one fairly easy example of something for hand-eye

Another thing I've started doing that Maria has recommended is when you're doing any kind of off-ice exercises like lunges, shuffles etc., tie a workout band around your waist and hold one end in your glove hand so that your muscles are working to hold your hand in your glove up position.  Doing that regularly can help your muscle memory to keep your glove up and out even when you drop to the butterfly.

Look up some highlights of Frederik Andersen (yes I'm a shameless Leafs fan, but checkout how that guy makes glove saves).  He's like 6'4" but he still makes glove saves extending his glove forward even on clappers where he's had to come across from the other side of the net.  He's tracking the puck so well that he actually meets the shot out in front of him with his hands.  

[cwarnar]

I'm only 5'9" and play very aggressive... sometimes it costs me goals as I know I should be playing deeper.  

Is it a stance issue?  Another thing that can contribute to blocker issues is your stick height.  I normally use a 1S... for 1 pick up session I wanted to give my back up stick, a Warrior CR3, a spin.  Its a little shorter and I noticed I gave up a ton of blocker side goals, thinking "Normally I make that save."  I use pick up as practice time, I pick 1 aspect of my game (last time it was utilizing more RVH to get comfy with it) and I exclusively try and work on that one thing.

[Punisher Goalie]

1 hour ago, WizYuan said:

Hey all,

Just seeking some opinions and corrections in my game. I'm 5'6" 200lb and am getting beat in corners and mid blocker, especially far side.

I noticed if the shooter shoots on glove side towards blocker, I lean towards the glove side but reach out blocker and can't correct it for the life of me.

As well, I tend to play in a blocking style but any shots that go up high I have a habit of chicken winging it (elbow) which leads to the red light.

Lastly, shots have been over my shoulder and under crossbar. I do find myself challenging out. In height reference, in my butterfly position the crossbar makes contact about 3/4 ways up my mask.

What do you shorter goalies or experienced coaches/netminders can recommend on giving my game that extra edge? The only highlight of my season has been a 0-0 T.

Thanks!

I’m short (5’8”) and relatively new to playing goal compared to a lot of people here, but I found that concentrating on head tracking helps a lot with the leaning issue you are talking about. I find that if I really focus on keeping my eyes/head locked on the puck a lot of things seem to follow automatically from that.

As someone else said, get yourself on video if you can. That’s the best way to self-analyze plus if you post here the users are really generous with their time and will give you lots of feedback.

[Chenner29]

1 hour ago, Mroy31 said:

Look up some highlights of Frederik Andersen (yes I'm a shameless Leafs fan, but checkout how that guy makes glove saves).  He's like 6'4" but he still makes glove saves extending his glove forward even on clappers where he's had to come across from the other side of the net.  He's tracking the puck so well that he actually meets the shot out in front of him with his hands.  

It's not just a solid skill set that lets Andersen do that.  It's how goalies are taught to use their hands these days.

@WizYuan, Here's a solid introductory video on "box control."  I posted a write up about this in another thread, but essentially it is possible for the goalie to manipulate the amount of net available behind him through intelligent use of his hands in front.

The key is to have your gloves out in front of you with a slight forward lean at the hips.

[BadAngle41]

Is it just me or are almost all goalie coaches significantly smaller than the guys they coach??? Maybe it's because us little guys have to study the game and find ways to make up for our lack of size... then we pass along the wisdom to these tall glasses of water... which forces the NHL regulate equipment sizes... which makes it harder for smaller goalies. #Ironical

     

[Chenner29]

10 minutes ago, BadAngle41 said:

Is it just me or are almost all goalie coaches significantly smaller than the guys they coach??? Maybe it's because us little guys have to study the game and find ways to make up for our lack of size... then we pass along the wisdom to these tall glasses of water... which forces the NHL regulate equipment sizes... which makes it harder for smaller goalies. #Ironical

The trend for the past few years at high levels has been towards bigger, taller goalies.  Besides a few exceptions here and there, the smaller guys are slowly being weeded out at the competitive level.

[coopaloop1234]

I mean, 6'2" at the competitive level is getting to be "on the small side".

Just watch a game where Halak plays who is "5'10". He look tiny compared to the average size.

[Fullright]

On 2/9/2018 at 2:30 PM, Chenner29 said:

The trend for the past few years at high levels has been towards bigger, taller goalies.  Besides a few exceptions here and there, the smaller guys are slowly being weeded out at the competitive level.

Pretty short sighted but that is indeed the trend for a long time now. And once some one does something, the rest of the teams at just about any level follow suit. Meanwhile, Jeff Lerg is pretty damn good at 5'6". Personally, I'm 5'5" and even though I suck,  I dont get beat up top any more than the bigger goalies on the other end of the ice. Clearly, I have a bias but I can live with it.

[BadAngle41]

2 hours ago, Chenner29 said:

The trend for the past few years at high levels has been towards bigger, taller goalies.  Besides a few exceptions here and there, the smaller guys are slowly being weeded out at the competitive level.

I know... I'm just saying it's funny that the same trend hasn't seemed to hit goaltending coaches yet (if it ever does.) 

[coopaloop1234]

9 minutes ago, Fullright said:

Pretty short sighted but that is indeed the trend for a long time now. And once some one does something, the rest of the teams at just about any level follow suit. Meanwhile, Jeff Lerg is pretty damn good at 5'6". Personally, I'm 5'5" and even though I suck,  I dont get beat up top any more than the bigger goalies on the other end of the ice. Clearly, I have a bias but I can live with it.

Standing for every shot helps

[insertnamehere]

11 minutes ago, Fullright said:

Pretty short sighted but that is indeed the trend for a long time now. And once some one does something, the rest of the teams at just about any level follow suit. Meanwhile, Jeff Lerg is pretty damn good at 5'6". Personally, I'm 5'5" and even though I suck,  I dont get beat up top any more than the bigger goalies on the other end of the ice. Clearly, I have a bias but I can live with it.

It's too bad Lerg will have never gotten a shot at the highest level. Amazing college career, if he'd have been a half foot taller I bet he'd be a household name. 

[Fullright]

Wiz, without seeing you doing your thing, it is hard to give any pointers. With that out of the way, you have advantages perhaps you don't realize over the bigger guys. They all stem from your skating and your mobility. Is your skating good? Is your balance on the balls of your feet? The chicken wing probably comes from being a little off balance favoring one side over the other. If your balance is even on both feet, it is much easier to get your hands up. If you're elbowing the shot, it is probably from having your balance more one side and a little pitched forward on your toes. There's nothing wrong with having a blocking approach. You just have to know when to set your block by reading the play as it unfolds. That comes with time. Being on the smaller side, you have to be able to move. Bigger goalies fill more net; nothing more than that. Since you fill less net, you have to be on balance, read the play, square up at the proper spot, and then set your block. A really good example here is Imperative. He is not a blocking goalie but his balance and ability to get square is about as good as it gets. Willy is another good example. He is not necessarily a blocking goalie but he does do it from time to time and is extremely proficient at it.  Be patient with yourself. It will come; just work at it.

And don't worry about not being 6' whatever. After all, you cant change that and besides,  if a 6' whatever guy gets beat up top by being on his knees, he essentially gave away his physical advantage by going down. The down game works obviously but if being down was all it took, there'd be no need for any one to ever be on their feet. If you're in shape, you might be able to get from point A to point B faster than a big man who is a little less mobile and simply sliding from A to B. 

P.S. No, I am not arguing that standup is the way to go. You have to be able to go down but at your size, you need to be able to move using your speed and your skating.

P.P.S. This is a friendly group here. The fellas here will help you and they tolerate all types, even dinosaurs like myself.

[WizYuan]

23 hours ago, TheGoalNet said:

Do you play men's league at the current time? What opportunities do you have for practice at the current time?

I play mens league. I generally get about 1-2 times a week, one of them being a shinny. I also goalie coach for two teams so I'm practically on the ice about 5-6 times a week (dressed as coach/shooter). Watching the midget boys I coach assisted my my game in terms of observing and correcting minor habits. There's not really any opportunities for practice as the shinny is there to help new players gain game sense and any time I fill in to goaltend during the practices for the Midget/Peewee boys should be more for their development instead of my own (which I believe should be too).

23 hours ago, bunnyman666 said:

How deep are you playing? 

I tend to make a lot of shaft saves, myself.  My blocker side is a lot stronger than my glove side, frankly. I am also in the under 6’ club at 5’8-ish”. 

If it were me, I would go to a stick and puck and see if you could not set up a camera facing you to help make adjustments. It’s hard to unlearn some of the most intrinsic moves that end up being counter intuitive.  

I am certain there are others who are much better who could help nip this in the bud for you. 

I don't generally play deep, but I play probably up to the rectangle due to my lack of ability and trust in cutting across to protect cross-crease opportunities.

23 hours ago, Punisher Goalie said:

I’m short (5’8”) and relatively new to playing goal compared to a lot of people here, but I found that concentrating on head tracking helps a lot with the leaning issue you are talking about. I find that if I really focus on keeping my eyes/head locked on the puck a lot of things seem to follow automatically from that.

As someone else said, get yourself on video if you can. That’s the best way to self-analyze plus if you post here the users are really generous with their time and will give you lots of feedback.

I would definitely get some videos of myself had I not given my action cams for the midget boys to use for their self-analysis.

12 hours ago, Fullright said:

Wiz, without seeing you doing your thing, it is hard to give any pointers. With that out of the way, you have advantages perhaps you don't realize over the bigger guys. They all stem from your skating and your mobility. Is your skating good? Is your balance on the balls of your feet? The chicken wing probably comes from being a little off balance favoring one side over the other. If your balance is even on both feet, it is much easier to get your hands up. If you're elbowing the shot, it is probably from having your balance more one side and a little pitched forward on your toes. There's nothing wrong with having a blocking approach. You just have to know when to set your block by reading the play as it unfolds. That comes with time. Being on the smaller side, you have to be able to move. Bigger goalies fill more net; nothing more than that. Since you fill less net, you have to be on balance, read the play, square up at the proper spot, and then set your block. A really good example here is Imperative. He is not a blocking goalie but his balance and ability to get square is about as good as it gets. Willy is another good example. He is not necessarily a blocking goalie but he does do it from time to time and is extremely proficient at it.  Be patient with yourself. It will come; just work at it.

And don't worry about not being 6' whatever. After all, you cant change that and besides,  if a 6' whatever guy gets beat up top by being on his knees, he essentially gave away his physical advantage by going down. The down game works obviously but if being down was all it took, there'd be no need for any one to ever be on their feet. If you're in shape, you might be able to get from point A to point B faster than a big man who is a little less mobile and simply sliding from A to B. 

P.S. No, I am not arguing that standup is the way to go. You have to be able to go down but at your size, you need to be able to move using your speed and your skating.

P.P.S. This is a friendly group here. The fellas here will help you and they tolerate all types, even dinosaurs like myself.

I feel that my mobility is extremely good (I have a tendency to overpush cross-crease = out of position) but my edgework is probably mediocre to decent at best. I feel that if I don't cover lower-mid glove-side (above the pad), I get burnt which is why i do that. What approach should I take to my glove? As a blocking-style goalie, my webbing is downwards. Would putting webbing upwards and cuff on top of the pad be a good correction to build muscle memory?

Thanks everyone for your insight. I feel that my mobility is better ever since getting a SAM profiling on my skate but the guy gave me 3/8s and kept tripping over basic movement. We'll see as I only had one game with them (and got burnt 10+)

[Fullright]

The over push shows you have strong legs and probably explains your confidence in your mobility. Good place to start....easier to pull a rope than push one. Catching your edge so you don't over push will correct the over slide. That comes with reps and seeing good goalies do it. IPv has done a good job of working on it. Hills is extremely good at it and Punisher is good at it despite his modesty. So you have three guys here who are good illustrations of the technique. You might want to check out their films here in the Video section.

Your glove pointing down is just asking for a broken hand if I am following your description. You'll hear all kinds of arguments about fingers up or fingers out to the side. Blah blah. No matter. The thing you want it to have the inside of your glove exposed to the shooter irrespective of whether you hold it out to the side or hold it fingers up. Try a couple different positions for it and see what works for you. Since your mobility is a strength, hold it so when you are in your stance, you're on balance. I know I am going again about balance but once you start playing players with harder and faster shots, you cant do much until your balance is sound. Having it established will help you not only stop shots but also be able to use your hands like the other fellows outlined together with protecting yourself. There's a lot of really good goalies here playing different ways. A very good tool here is the video section. Sometimes it makes more sense to see it rather than reading it. It will come if you keep working at it.