InGoal Magazine December 2011 : Page 38
Working with Goaltenders in Practice ByMitch Korn N o one player can affect a team’s bottom-line results more than the goaltender. Yet too often that position gets too little consideration in practice. Coaches need to be aware of their goalie’s needs when planning a practice. They can’t become moving shooter tutors for the rest of the team. The coaches and the goaltender need to communicate consistently to maximize development. They need to develop a mutual understanding, and it needs to go both ways. While it’s true the drills that dominate most practices do little, if anything to target their specific skill set, the goaltenders must also understand it can’t always be about them. The other 14 to 18 players should not be “sacrificed” for two goalies, and the puck-stoppers have to take some responsibility for their own development too. All that said, there are some things that coaches and parents can keep an eye out for to ensure the goaltender doesn’t get lost during practice time, and some things the goalies themselves can do to ensure they get the most out of each session: Goaltenders need proper warm up shots Too often the players come in too close, too soon in a session and start blasting away, showing no regard for the goalie’s desire to “see and feel the puck” as they mentally and physically prepare for practice. And throwing long-range “floaters” towards the net does no good either. I always say: “Shoot hard, but from further out,” with the top of the circles or higher a good guideline. Your goalie will practice better the rest of the way if they get a chance to properly warm up. Communication between coach and goaltender is one key to improving a goalie’s game. Nashville Predators Goalie Coach Mitch Korn chats with Anders Lindback during practice. 38 InGoal Magazine December 2011 Goaltenders, particularly developing ones, need time to reset The need for enough time between shots starts in warm-up and continues in practice,
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