Advanced Goaltending
December 8th, 2009
Originally found at www.laxnews.com
Written By Alex Smith
In my last article for Laxnews.com, I discussed some of the basic fundamentals that any goalie needs to master in order to take their game to the next level. Some of the important points were the ready position, the arc, communication, attacking the ball and clearing/riding. Any goaltender that is able to develop their own style while mastering those fundamentals will have a fun and successful goaltending life. Of course there is more to the story than just fundamentals.
Great goaltenders have the ability to rise to the occasion and take over a game. Some you barely notice at all as they calmly snatch shots out of the air while some are more demonstrative and flashy. Some are athletic outside of the goal and love to take control of the ball in their stick while some simply quarterback their team’s clearing game. Taking style out of the equation, a couple things that all great goaltenders have in common are their leadership and presence in the goal. Advanced goaltending comes after you have made the fundamental parts of the game routine and second nature. From there, you can move forward to making saves you aren’t “supposed” to make and doing it easily. Some of the advanced techniques I will touch on in this installment are using different techniques to play different shots, moving from post to post, reacting to crease feeds and making one on one saves.
DIFFERENT SHOTS/DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES
Facing an outside shooter on a man-up situation is a lot different than reacting to a quick fast break and open man on the crease. Shooters use different shots depending on where they are on the field and the situation they are in. Someone who catches the ball on the crease does not have the time and room to cradle and hang their stick. Think about this as you take shots in practice and games. As a shooter adapts their technique, a goaltender needs to as well.
While most of the time, our arcs are pretty standard, one time when a goaltender can afford to “come out” and take angle away is when a big shooter from the other team starts to wind up from the outside. A philosophy that I used after reading an article by the Goalie Man, John Weston is the concept of “getting to 6.” Visualize your arc. The standard practice is to have five spots that you put in good position to make saves from different shots on the field.
The concept of “getting to 6” means that as a shooter begins his wind up, we are going to jump out to “6th position” to take away angle. “6” is any place on your arc that is higher, or further out, than you would normally stand, up to two steps higher. This could mean anywhere from high on the arc straight up, to an angle or on the pipe. We have to remember to get completely set at “6,” but obviously the more you are able to come out, the less net the shooter will have to look at. Make sure you are not lunging or off-balance at “6,” otherwise it will be difficult to react and make a move. (Conversely, for goalies who like to wait back on their line, this concept may not work for you. Don’t worry! Everyone is different, these are just my suggestions.)
Another type of shot that we will commonly see is when a player is running down the alleys. It’s common for a goaltender to “overstep” as a shooter runs down the side. Resist this urge and “give the shooter a step.” You are on the inside track and have significantly less distance to cover than the shooter. Giving the shooter a step means that you are going to let them take one step further than your mind wants you to. You turn your hips and shoulders to stay square to the shooter, but you don’t want to overstep that angle. A good shooter will wait for a goaltender to take a step and then blast the shot while you are off balance. If you are able to outwait the shooter, you are in control and you have a better chance at making an easy save.
I will cover saving crease feeds and one on one shots later, but remember that different shooters and shots require different saving techniques. I like to maybe stand up a little bit taller when a shooter is coming in at a very low angle. This is so that I don’t give up much to my five-hole, which might be fairly large on a shooter from further out. I can also begin to “read” shooters as a game progresses to try to find their tendencies. Coaches and other teams are watching you to find your strengths and weaknesses, so you have to do your homework too! Know which guys on the other teams like to be open inside and finish. Know which guys like to drive and feed. This will not only help you as a goalie, but it will allow you to help your defense.
MOVING FROM POST TO POST
Moving from post to post is one of the key components to saving close in shots and fast break opportunities. As I mentioned in my previous article, the post is the goalie’s best friend. We should all do our best to not get beat to the inside pipe, no matter what the situation. There are times when we have to get from one side of our arc to the other cleanly and confidently, especially on the tail end of a typical fast break.
To do this, we have to resist the urge to follow the path of the ball on our arc. Think about it for a second. If you are covering up the near pipe on a shooter to your right side down low, when he feeds that ball across the crease to the left side and you step outwards on your arc, there is very little chance of you getting back to the other pipe to make that shooter go around you. Also, it’s a longer distance when you have to go “around” your arc.
Instead, what I try to do is to actually step INSIDE the goal and then back out on the other side. This technique requires a lot of practice and visualization. Imagine again that we are covering up the right side post against an attackman down close to the goal line. As he feeds the ball across the goal mouth, we are going to step with our INSIDE (right) foot back into the goal. We will then pivot our hips, step strong with our left foot to the left pipe and then finally bring the right foot back out on top of the goal line. This sounds a little awkward, and truthfully it is at first.
But after practicing for a little while, you will see how much quicker you can get from pipe to pipe. This is a good thing to practice while your coach is teaching your offense something and you have a little down time. Get from pipe to pipe over and over, visualizing yourself tracking the ball. Remember to keep your hands up! You don’t want to finally get to the other pipe and then have the shooter simply throw one over your head because you didn’t have your hands up when you got there.
CREASE FEEDS
Facing crease feeds is one of my favorite parts of the game. It allows you to use all of your techniques at once and to make strong, athletic saves that can change the game. Footwork is the key and is something you should think about anytime you have to face a shooter on the crease. Remember, it’s okay to use different techniques depending on the feed. If it comes from behind, you really have to position your feet so that you can turn and get in position quickly. If it comes from up top, you may be able to sneak out a little bit before the shooter turns around to take away angle. Be creative and have fun with this part of your game. It is difficult, but certainly can turn a good goaltender into a great one.
As I said, getting from pipe to pipe will really help you make saves on quick sticks and fast release shots. As goalies, we want to get from one spot of our arc to another as quickly and confidently as possible. When we get there, we want to be balanced and in our ready position with our HANDS UP. You can work on this without a shooter. Just visualize the game happening and moving on your arc. Pretend someone is about to shoot, but they pull it down and feed across the crease. Get from any one spot on your arc to any other, ready to face a shooter. This will pay big dividends as you continue to improve. As you practice, you will find that you will be able to move on your arc with your eyes closed and without “tapping” the pole to figure out where you are. This means you are improving! Keep it up.
On feeds from behind the goal, I always like to be one step away from being on either pipe. Depending on your size and athletic ability, this will change the way you play the feed. I like to face behind the goal at a 45 degree angle depending on which side of the field it is on. Then when a feed comes, I can open up to the ball and already be in position. Remember to never take your eyes off the ball as it comes into the crease.
ONE ON ONE SAVES
Saving one on one shots is one of the most demanding and challenging parts of playing goaltender. The game of lacrosse is inherently offensive and there will be times when the defense breaks down and leaves you staring at the other team’s best player with no one between him and the goal.
This is where some goaltenders make their money, so to speak. Speaking in percentages, most goalies want to save 60% of all shots they face. You should be able to gobble up about 75-80% of the outside shots you see. Figure you should be able to save about 65-70% of mid-range shots and 45-50% of close in shots with defenders playing the shooter.
One on one saves are completely different because any self-respecting attackman or offensive player should be able to punch home almost every shot they get in a one on one situation. If you are able as a goalie to save 5-10% of these types of shots, you are performing competently. If you manage to stop 10-15% of these shots, you are giving your team a significant lift and literally taking points off the board of your opponent. If you can somehow stop 25-20% of these shots, you will likely be getting a free education at a very nice university! Do your best in these situations, but don’t get down on yourself. They were SUPPOSED to score, most of the time.
Regardless, we can do a couple of things to give ourselves a chance on these types of shots. One of the things I notice with young goaltenders is the tendency to lunge at the shooter. When you lunge, you are opening up huge holes in the net and giving the shooter the chance to fake and get easy scores. Instead, stay balanced and in your ready position.
I’ve found that often the best thing to do in these situations is to trust your arc, trust your ready position and stand tall. Once in a while, the shooter will simply peg you with the ball. Most other times, especially at higher levels, if you stand tall and still, you give yourself a chance to read the shooter’s stick and attempt to make a quick reaction with your stick, body or feet. Plus, if you can outwait the shooter, you can sometimes force them to shoot wide or hesitate, which will allow a trailing defender to get a stick on them.
Coaches at younger levels will often tell their goaltenders to match “stick on stick” in a one on one opportunity. This is fine at the younger levels, but as you progress, the shooters will be able to twist the ball and shoot at different angles, making the “stick on stick” technique a little difficult. However, above anything else, trust yourself and stay big. They’re supposed to score! And if they don’t, that’s why we get all the girls at the end of the game . . .
CONCLUSION
Goaltenders are special people. It takes someone with a certain sensibility to want to get in the nets and face a hard rubber ball that could be traveling up to 95-100 mph. It’s always important to remember that lacrosse is an offensive game. Making certain saves is a luxury to your coach and team. If you do your best and work hard, there is nothing more anyone can ask of you.
One of my favorite things to tell myself as I do off-season work or face shots in a work-out is to “give yourself a chance.” When things start to break down, get back to basics and find your ready position. Make sure your arc is on point. Then, getting advanced is just a matter of practice.
