A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and if this journey is to improve your goaltending, then that first step is to take a look at your stance. In this post, I will focus on the legs, which are the foundation of the the stance.
Balance is absolutely vital to good goaltending. As a player begins to shoot, it is ideal to be absolutely set in your stance, with your weight balanced over the balls of your feet. If you are too heavy on your toes, you will fall forward into the shot, and much like a head on collision between cars, if you are moving towards a shot, you have less time to react to it. Also, if you are moving forward, it is impossible to move left or right to get your body behind the shot. If you are too heavy on your heels, you will likely end up with your rear-end on the ice, flopping about like a capsized turtle. If you get lucky and the shot hits you, there is no chance of controlling the rebound, or making a second save. The proper balance of weight over the balls of the feet, gives the goaltender the best chance to quickly move into the shot.
The second key to quick movement and reaction time is finding the correct bend of the knees. There is no science to this, because each goaltender is different. The way to find the right amount of knee bend for yourself is to set your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart, then pretend you were going to jump up in the air as high as you can. If you are doing this right, you'll feel some tension in your thighs and rear, and your weight will balance naturally over the balls of your feet. This means that your muscles are loaded (like a compressed spring) and are ready to explode into action. By setting yourself like this, you are ready to drive in any direction with speed and efficiency or snap your knees to the ice for a butterfly save.
By finding balance in the stance, we prepare ourselves to drive into saves as opposed to diving into saves. We set ourselves up for success in not just stopping the shot, but controlling the rebound, and recovering quickly back to the stance. Find proper balance in your stance, and watch your GAA drop dramatically!
Balance is absolutely vital to good goaltending. As a player begins to shoot, it is ideal to be absolutely set in your stance, with your weight balanced over the balls of your feet. If you are too heavy on your toes, you will fall forward into the shot, and much like a head on collision between cars, if you are moving towards a shot, you have less time to react to it. Also, if you are moving forward, it is impossible to move left or right to get your body behind the shot. If you are too heavy on your heels, you will likely end up with your rear-end on the ice, flopping about like a capsized turtle. If you get lucky and the shot hits you, there is no chance of controlling the rebound, or making a second save. The proper balance of weight over the balls of the feet, gives the goaltender the best chance to quickly move into the shot.
The second key to quick movement and reaction time is finding the correct bend of the knees. There is no science to this, because each goaltender is different. The way to find the right amount of knee bend for yourself is to set your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart, then pretend you were going to jump up in the air as high as you can. If you are doing this right, you'll feel some tension in your thighs and rear, and your weight will balance naturally over the balls of your feet. This means that your muscles are loaded (like a compressed spring) and are ready to explode into action. By setting yourself like this, you are ready to drive in any direction with speed and efficiency or snap your knees to the ice for a butterfly save.
By finding balance in the stance, we prepare ourselves to drive into saves as opposed to diving into saves. We set ourselves up for success in not just stopping the shot, but controlling the rebound, and recovering quickly back to the stance. Find proper balance in your stance, and watch your GAA drop dramatically!
Dialing in a balanced stance with Squirt A Champion of California Tomas "TJ" Leet.
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