Goalies, I need your help and I'd appreciate your assistance. 

The book I am currently writing will have some stories on coaches working with their goalies, good, bad and ugly. 

So please participate and help me out, you might just find your stories in the book! If we use your story, we will contact you to discuss and possibly get additional information. 

In the comments below, please provide a brief story telling us about any or all of the items below:

1. The best experience you have had a with a coach

2. The oddest thing or worst advice a coach has asked you to to change with your game, stance, technique, etc.

3. The thing a coach has said to you concerning your goaltending, that bothered (or bothers) you most and what the result was. (you quit the team, stopped playing altogether, got in an argument, etc.)

New Vaughn Goalie Skates REVIEW

I received my new Vaughn GX1 goal skates about 2 months ago and I am thrilled to say "I LOVE THEM". 

A little background, I have 'bad feet'. I have worn the same Bauer 5000's for a very long time now. This is because everything else kills my feet. I have had several new models and have not been able to wear anything because they just did not fit, so the old 5000's keep coming back out.

The new Vaughn's felt great right out of the box, no heating, just wore them. The only issue was the higher heel collar,, caused a blister above my ankle bone, so I had to deal with that, but he actual boot was comfortable from the first skate in them - which was 4 hours!

All skates will offer protection, but these are incredibly lightweight, the cowling works well with my Velocity pads and the wider lace system feels great. But the big factor in buying a goalie skate is always comfort and these have it hands down.

Anyone wants to ask me anything specific I am happy to answer.

Just to keep everything in the open, Vaughn is a sponsor of our Goalie Schools, however I would never allow that to influence my comments. My track record will prove that, but it's best to keep everything up front.

Puck Handling and Mobility Drill With Fast Return

Good agility drill for the goaltender to work on handling he puck without hesitation and quickly return to the net. Obviously this one requires confidence, skiing ability and strength to drive hard. 

Source: Former Puckstoppers Head Instructor Jukka Ropponen's company, Goalie Pro in Finland

Great Description and Graphics on Breakaway Play

This video does an excellent job of showing most breakaway scenario's and how to properly play them. 

The only additional information I would offer if to be sure and rotate the catch glove down to close of the lower portion of the net when executing a butterfly slide. 

An excerpt from Goaler U's Instructional Goaltending Mastery series.

Detailed Explanation on How To Remain Square to The Puck AND Net

Detailed explanation with good graphics and well laid out information. 

An excerpt from Goaler U's Instructional Goaltending Mastery series. 

Love Goalie Masks? Check This Out

CLICK HERE FOR MASKS 

A New Site Just For Goalie Mom's

CLICK HERE FOR: Goalie Mom's 

Pro Prospects at Work in Camp

There is no instruction here, but pay close attention to how hard these guys work. There is no complaining, no hesitation, no wasted time. They are there to do a job and they do it to the best of their ability. All young goalies can learn from this and work on giving your all at every practice. 

Source: Slapshotgoal - Detroit Red Wings 2013 Development Camp. July 14, 2013 - Day 4

Shooting, And Stick Use

Really well done instruction for handling and shooting. 

Source is: StaubersGoalcrease in MN. 

These guys always produce really solid technical information, that the average minor hockey coach and goaltender can still understand. 

Small-Area Hockey Goalie Drills for Concentration, Tracking and Depth

COACHES, PARENTS and GOALIES Need To Watch This One!! 

The presenter in this video does an INCREDIBLE job of explaining some really important facts about why these drills are great for goalies and what coaches should be looking to work on in them, but his commentary at 2:03 and in particular from 4:40 to 5:45 are dead on and I could not have said it  better. 

I strongly encourage coaches, parents and goalies to listen to his advice and comments at these points in the video. 

The only issue I have with the game footage is that everything he is talking about…isn't happening in the game situation portions. There is no coaching being done during these segments of play. 

Source: GottaloveCT hockey - Presenter Jared Waimon

Lateral Movement From Butterfly - One of the More Difficult Moves To Learn

This is a good explanation of how to execute this very difficult move for younger goalies to learn. The key is in the skate plant and weight transfer. 

There are some common mistakes and elements of the instruction that are lacking and will help in the teaching. 

The goalie must point the skate FORWARD, many goalies turn the skate to point left or right, which cases 'slip out'. 

It is also important to note that the push skate will almost never be as far inward as the initial stationary position shown in the video, but this is the initial teaching point where you want the goaltender to begin learning from. A simple instruction is "place the skate where your knee was." 

Having the goaltender assume the 'loaded' position and then stand up, will reinforce the correct loaded position and help them understand why it is so important to position the skate properly. With younger goalies, I suggest this technique be repeated several times before the butterfly push is attempted and again when the goaltender inevitably starts to slip out as they lose skate position. 

The other issue that commonly occurs is when the goalie leans into the direction they will be travelling, which takes pressure off the push skate and causes loss of 'bite into the ice, resulting in a loss of power and/or speed. The skate also often slips out when the weight is transferred too soon or the goaltender leans forward as you will see at 1:38 of the video. 

Source: Goalrobber - Presenter not named

Post Coverage, Lateral Movement, Butterfly

A detailed and accurate information on movement and post coverage. 

Solid information and well presented. 

Source: WWW.PROHYBRIDTRAINING.COM Zach Sikich 

Our New Pinterest Page - GEAR CONTEST

Visit our new Pinterest page and pin pis of your gear. Regular prizes

CLICK HERE TO VISIT PAGE

Great article on Finnish Goaltending and It's Roots

When I visited Finland in the mid 90's, I understood very quickly why they are so successful. Jukka played a huge part in how Puckstoppers and my own coaching style evolved and I will always be thankful for having the opportunity to have learned from the Finns.

READ ARTICLE HERE

Great Advice For Parents

We All Can Use a Little Perspective Sometimes

This is a good quick read for anyone who has kids.

Coaching and working with kids for nearly 30 years now (and having 3 of my own) I see these things happen every day and I see the consequences of parents who refuse to parent.

We have all made these mistakes at one time or another, but if we don't learn from our mistakes and correct them, our kids are the ones who suffer and grow up with a sense of entitlement, disrespect for authority, a lack of self respect, anxiety issues and more.

VIEW ARTICLE

Simple Movement Drills 

These are simple goaltender drills that need to be done EVERY time you are on the ice. Do not cheat the drills, do not do them half speed or half assed, do it right, do it often and develop your speed AFTER you have the technique perfected. 

Source is: StaubersGoalcrease in MN. 

These guys always produce really solid technical information, that the average minor hockey coach and goaltender can still understand. 

Staying Square to The Puck

Good explanation of how to stay square as the play develops down the wing and how the goaltender stays square and moves with the puck while staying at the proper depth. 

All of the information is correct and well presented, the only caution I would add is that when the puck gets below the circle as at 2:50, the goaltender should back up to the post to prepare for the inevitable pass across or the player driving behind the goal line. 

When practicing this drill, it is also important to immediately gain a solid anchored post position as soon as the pick goes behind the goal line. 

Source: GotttaLoveCTHockey - It doesn't say who the presenter is, but he does a great job. 

Proper VH Positioning 

Price showing the 'Dead Arm' or 'VH' or 'One Leg Up' position (pick a name for it). 

That this is a scripted video and not an actual practice session. This is obvious because Price does a lot of the movement at 1/2 speed and even uses a T Push for the simple movement part of the drill before the pucks are introduced. You can see he even loses his balance at 2:41 when he tries to transition from 'T' to down, this is because he is too upright and wouldn't be using a T push if this were a 'real' situation. 

When the shots start coming, he uses proper technique and does a solid shuffle into the drop - no T PUSH, when it counts, he does it right and there are no holes to shoot for. 

This is a solid move to learn, but should only be used when a player cuts very deep (below the circle) or walks out from behind the net. Far too many goalies are using this technique in the wrong situations and the result is a lot of unnecessary goals being scored. 

It is also an awkward position and requires a lot of work to learn proper balance and a quick transition into and out of - this means a lot of practice is needed to perfect this technique, Price makes it look easy, but it is not. 

It is also very important to note that Price is 6'3" and is using a low glove position, which he CAN get away with because of his height. For goalies who do not have the height to full the net over the shoulders, we recumbent the high glove position to fill this space (see pic below). It is very important to understand exactly what areas you leave open and understand how to close them. This is a stationary position, so you can't have ANY holes. 

Also worth noting, many goalies are moving away from this technique in favour of the 'Reverse VH' or 'Hip Drop' position…more on that later. 

Source: IN Goal Magazine

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Every interaction, every connection, becomes the fabric our lives are woven with. 

I encourage you to take some time to be grateful for what you have, the people who care about you and the time we have. Show someone... better yet, show EVERYONE that they matter, not just over the next week, but for the rest of your life. 

I wish you and your family all the best this Christmas and holiday season and for the rest of YOUR life. 

With each passing year, I become more aware of the true meaning of life and more determined to continue this quest. I am continually grateful and more conscious and comfortable being me, for the incredible experiences I have been so fortunate to live through. I am so grateful for the people in my life, the good and yes, most certainly the bad times which I have learned to embrace as learning experiences. 

Each experience, every emotion, all the trials and tribulations have helped to shape my life and I strive to learn from them all. I wouldn’t be who I am without this combination of experiences. What we choose to take from them, the emotions we choose and the reactions we allow ourselves, define who we are. 

This time of year, most of us find a few moments to reflect on our families and our loved ones. We take some time to be with these people and we try to enjoy the holiday season before we forget it all and go back to our day to day routines. 

We stress ourselves to insane levels, getting ready for the ‘big day’. We worry that the food might not be perfect, the gifts not extravagant enough, if the kids will behave appropriately and if everyone will just get along for the holiday season.

What would happen if we expended this much time and effort into just being attentive and interested in the people in our lives. What if we didn’t worry about the stuff that really doesn’t matter and focused on the things that we will remember forever. 

My hope and goal for the next year is to take the time and make a concerted effort to be grateful every single day and to show those I love and those I just met, that they all matter to me and to express my gratitude for having them in my life. 

I want to take this opportunity to thank YOU for having been a part of my life and for allowing me to be a part of yours. No matter if we see each other every day or how small or insignificant you may think our connection is, we all matter and every moment shapes and defines our overall life experience.

Merry Christmas & All The Best For The New Years Ahead!

Chris Dyson

One on one training, there is no better method to learn and improve your technical game.