help with a new 5yr old goalie

[leafs1967 2]

I've searched the forum and done an extensive search on the internet but can't find what i'm looking for. My 5yr old son has just started playing goal a few months ago. He can move pretty well and is absolutely fearless. His only problem is once he drops his stick he just cant seem to be able to pick it up. Is there anything on the market that i can attack to his blocker and stick that would allow him to not loose control over his stick. I've tried making his butt end larger but no joy.

Any help would be great.

Thanks in advance

[Law Goalie 147]

If he's having trouble picking it up even with a huge knob, it's probably because he's trying to grab it close to the paddle (where his hand would normally sit in his stance), rather than grabbing closer to the knob (where the shaft is propped up higher) and sliding his hand down afterwards.

As a technical solution, you might be able to get him used to grabbing the stick closer to the knob by working on poke-checks. Get him used to the movement of sliding his hand up from the paddle to the knob, attacking the puck, and quickly pulling the stick back to return his hand to the paddle. Just becoming familiar with this movement may let him be a little more confident in his stick use generally, to say nothing of how many shooters he'll confound with it. A 5-year old with a good poke-check has an absurd advantage in most close scoring situations, IME.

As an equipment solution, check the finger protection on his blocker: it's very likely that this is interfering with his ability to grab the stick. Any adjustments here will involve either some sewing or simple cutting, but look closely to see how it may be restricting his fingers, and you may just be able to snip one piece free and solve it. However, I would caution that loosening the finger protection on the blocker can lead to jammed and even broken fingers, not only from shots but from forceful transitions to paddle-down -- especially with young goalies, who tend to love and overuse the paddle-down. To see if this is the issue, lie down on the floor with your head right alongside the stick, and have him try to pick it up as usual: if you see the finger protection getting in the way, bingo. You might just be able to snip something off, but try to do it in a way that's reparable.

There may also be some element of the hand protection on the blocker - usually the sidewall or thumb guard - that's interfering with his ability to hold the stick properly; that may be the efficient cause of his stick dropping habit. It would require a fair bit of work, but a repair place could trim back the thumb or sidewall to let the stick sit properly in his hand. At that point, however, it might be easier just to buy a blocker than doesn't present this problem.

[leafs1967 2]

Thank you for your very fast response. I will have a look at that. He's going to be playing his first game in goal tomorrow in his under 12's league. If all goes well he'll get to play the last 10 mins or so.

[Justin Liedloff 13]

Excellent advice as always Law!!

Another thing to consider is his technique in trying to pick up the stick. My experience has seen many young goalies trying to pick up the stick with a straight down motion, which makes it impossible to get the stick, as the blocker board makes contact with the ice before the fingers ever can.

Check to make sure he is angling his blocker board in such a way as that it doesn't contact the ice first, thus preventing him from grabbing his stick. The best way to accomplish this is to act as if he is placing his hand, palm down, directly on the ice. This will allow him to grab the stick, without the blocker board engaging the ice first.

Also, Maltese Hockey used to make a "stick leash" that was clipped to the blocker hand, and wrapped around the butt end of the goal stick. I'm not sure if they still make it, or if it would be legal in his league. I tend to think that, at his age, the league would be lenient as to its use.

[deej 19]

Minideej (who's 7) says he puts his blocker onto the ice, then tilts his fingers onto the shaft, rather than tilt first. He has only seemed to have a problem once where it kept slipping back out of his grasp.

[leafs1967 2]

Thanks for all of your auggestions. He played in hia first game yesterday. Played the last 5 mins of the game and did really well. Think we've got the problem of gin picking up hia stick sorted out.