InGoal Magazine December 2011 : Page 42
The coach can see at which point on the ice his goalie can actually track and read the puck, and at which point he will just commit down low and just try to block as much of the net as he can. What makes this information so valuable to both the goalie and the coach is it gives them the starting point of which they can build upon, both in terms of working to improve tracking and understand which zones on the ice they can confidently react, and when they need to block. Slowly decreasing the distance will enhance the overall performance of the goalie. Another great way to increase the productivity is to create a game in which the goalie can compete with the coach or against the players. The goalie can earn a point by reading and tracking the puck correctly and will loose a point for every puck he doesn’t read and track properly. All goalies love to compete and challenging them will increase and heighten the intensity of this drill. You can find this and more guide to tracking in Gold in the Net’s volume one of the DVD series, which is available online at: www. goldinthenet.com As simple as this drill is, it is it will enhance the goalie’s tracking skills and prevent him from falling into a situation where he is not paying attention to tracking. Tracking for the advanced goalie It is easy to work tracking techniques into a goalie’s everyday workout, and there’s no reason not to start right away with the warm up. It doesn’t matter if they are playing midget, Junior A, college or even in the NHL, warm-up is a crucial part of a goalie’s development, and the perfect place to begin reading and tracking to prepare for the actual practice or game. Do you ever watch a warm-up before a game and see a goalie standing way out high on the top of the crease or higher, taking shots as the players skate in? If you do, you will also notice that there is very little movement with the gloves. That is because the goalie is out so far there is not much of a target. The majority of the shots are missing the net and the goalie is not getting the most out of his warm up. Pucks are hitting them but there is little or no control of the puck and even less hand movements. So there basically is no tracking or reading of the puck, which can create some bad and lazy habits. For me it all starts with the warm-up. The goalie should be deeper in the net and begin tracking and reading pucks. You will find players will not miss the net as much and you can actually get your arms and body moving into the puck. This is where he will get his eyes tracking the pucks into his glove and blocker. 42 InGoal Magazine December 2011
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