beginner goalie

[sonsplayhockey 0]

My son has chosen to go down the dark path. He has played 2 games now as a goalie. About the only thing I've been able to coach him on is to stop diving for the puck and block it with his stick first. Any tips for a beginner goalie? Anything I can do to work with him in the basement? He's fixated with wanting to use the pads to block the shots too. So I want to make sure I don't give him bad habits.

He's 6 years old and has been playing since he was 3.

He does not want to play goalie full time but wants to try it anyway.

I have him in little 22" leg pads now

David

[freq019 0]

I don't know much about goalie as I've only filled in a few times but you could help him understand shooting angles and how to position himself square to the shooter. It might be a little advanced for him but if you can show him rather than telling him about it that may help him understand it better. I think as a beginner that kind of understanding would be very helpful in the long run. Also I'd teach him to cut grass or something because goalie gear isn't cheap ;)

[Langenbrunner15 0]

Tell him to makesure he understands when to go down in full or partial B-fly, it will be a killer if he doesnt get it not go gow dont no-mater what and do a glove save that can be stopped with his chest.

[Fire0nIce228 1]

I'd say being square as much as possible, coming out of the net to take up space, etc. I feel if he wants to go down alot or stay standing alot thats his own style. Teach him to be bigger than he really is. Hope that makes sense lol.

[sundin13 1]

This is probably way too much information but this site has alot of useful information. I know I found it very helpful.

http://www.vaughnhockey.com/goaltending_re...g_resources.htm

[chippa13 1844]

Angles, angles, angles. Being in good position will stop as many if not more shots as being acrobatic.

[kovalchuk71 212]

Ya, with those 95 mph shots those 6 year olds have ;)

[Jason Harris 31]

I coach mini-mites and we let different kids play goalie each week. Virtually every time, the new goalie is stuck back in the net and, at their size, that leaves a lot exposed.

So I'll ask them to get out of the net while I position myself as goalie. I'll then ask them where they'd shoot; they'll point all around me. I'll go out two feet and ask them again. They'll still point to the side of me, but as I go further out, they finally realize there is no place to shoot.

The problem is they need a lot of reinforcement. My daughter played tonight and, unlike one night when I turned around and she was at least twenty feet out of the net because she had heard me say it so many times, for some reason tonight she kept staying right on the goal line. However, she only plays once every few months, whereas your son may be playing every week, so the reinforcement of positioning may sink in better.

What you're trying to convey to them is what Chippa had said: if they are in the right position, they won't make saves so much -- instead, they'll just get hit by the puck.

[Hooah4 12]

Thanks for starting this thread. My son too is thinking about trying goal also. Everytime the other team gets the puck he dashes back to the goal and protects the net.

Good info.

[finkster 0]

In the basement? Why not the living room? In the evening, while my son is watching SpongeBob (ok, it is me watching), I toss tennis balls at him.

He sits in the butterfly, with no pads or stick, and gets a point if he blocks a shot. I get a point if the tennis ball hits the loveseat. After Spongbob is over, the one with the most points is the winner.

[sonsplayhockey 0]

How the heck do you get a 6 year old flexable to sit in a butterfly? He's currently not flexable enough to really get a good butterfly posture. He keeps flopping his torso down to the ground every time he drops into a butterfly.

[finkster 0]

The better question... How do you go about earning the extra cash to buy all of the gear?

My son is 9 and just started to play goalie. He, too, has problems going down into the butterfly. I think part of his problem has to do with his leg pads. We bought him some used TPS pads, which probably have seen better days – but I digress.

I think if your 6-year-old learns to go-down on the puck, rather than just play the sick, he will be well on his way.

[sonsplayhockey 0]

Took in some of the info on the website links and gave my kids some drills at home in the garage.

My 6 year old has been playing half his game in the goal and the other half skating out.

Finally found a great pair of Hespeler 20" pads at Hockeygiant for my 2nd son

who is 4 year old. Here is him at his first game:

http://www.davidditch.com/JrHouse/20060120.../L_IMG_5320.jpg

http://www.davidditch.com/JrHouse/20060120.../L_IMG_5345.jpg

Doing drills in the garage where he can pay attention better seems to really pay off. That way I can have them both skating out during practices which tend to be geared more to the skaters. They are both splitting time in goal during games with each other as well as other kids who want to "give it a try".

[Fire0nIce228 1]

Ha, thats really awesome. He looks like a little Dominator out there! Thumbs up!

[gotdangles16 0]

cute :P

[Allsmokenopancake 0]

Make sure and teach him the best way to break a stick off the crossbar when he gets hung out to dry by the D, for examples look to clips from the caps in the 03/04 season, particularly when Jason Doig and Joel Kwiatkowski were on the ice

[Langenbrunner15 0]

Awsome!! Im a bantam now and its so fun to play with the blue pucks since there so light compared to the orgininal black ones!!

[Nick23 0]

stance and positioning and angles, because at that age kids arent exactly snipers so if huge gaps are not gien to them the score will be considerabely less. So even if his glove is not amazingly quick,he will be able to cover the most possible goal space with his body. But i would definately reccomend a high coach to goalie ration camp, there is a goalie at my team who has so much potentil but not much technique as he has not had enough specific coaching, it would do him the world of good