Dumb Problem With Knees

[srv2miker 0]

Hey Guys,

Minor problem last night. I go down into a blfy, then have to do a leg extension to stop a puck (opening my 5 hole). Puck bounces straight out front, so I try to pull my knees together, and they won't react fast enough - my leg pulls against the straps but because they're so loose I can bring them together fast/close enough and the puck goes in. Same thing happened later on a tip in drill - flared to stop a puck but a redirect headed for my 5-hole and I couldn't close it fast enough.

My RBKs have to be worn loosely to be effective, so tightening the straps won't help (and when I tightened them a little it didn't seem to alleviate the problem). Is this is technique issue? I'm wondering if dragging my knees together is bad form and I should be driving the motion with my feet or something. Any thoughts?

[Law Goalie 147]

There are a couple of ways to approach this.

The first is to really slam the knee of the extended leg down, then drag that knee over to close up the butterfly; make it a two-part move. The pressure of your knee through the knee-block to the ice will let you control the pad. It's a classic example of learning to use the RBK pads to make saves, rather than the pads conforming to your legs' natural movements.

The second way is a little less intuitive, but very effective. Rather than pulling back the extended leg, you bring the back leg over. This requires that you shift your weight slightly to the extended leg - again, bringing that knee down to the ice - then bring the trailing leg over.

Generally speaking, the second method will be more effective with a tip 'against the grain' (eg. one that's headed for your outstretched toe, then tipped back to your five-hole).

[DeuceNine 1]

Alternative is to stop strapping your pads to accommodate ONE style of play. Strap them so they stay tight enough to work with your entire save selection set, not just rotation factor. Not trying to be a jerk, but really, situations depend on versatility, and not fighting your gear.

[Law Goalie 147]

You may not try to be a jerk, but you've succeeded effortlessly.

He asked about ONE aspect of his game in relation to his equipment. You decided it would be helpful to accuse him of being one-dimensional.

On top of which, if you had any idea of who he is or what his history on this board has been, you'd know he's only been playing the position for a few months. He may well be gifted enough to start worrying about versatile save-selection, but I'd say it's more than a little ridiculous to attack him for not throwing Hasek-rolls.

On top of which, you seem to be operating under the delusion that strapping RBK's tighter along the leg will change how they play. It doesn't. You cannot 'break in' an EPP shank or make it 'move with your leg'. Lefebvre designed it to work ONE way, and the only concessions he has made are very, very minor options to change the vertical flexibility of the pad from the knee-up, to make the boot-channel a little deeper or shallower - and that's pretty much it. Oh, and no such options were available to the OP.