Starting in Goal as an Adult

[badger_14 601]

For those newer goalies here, how many clinics and/or pickup games did you guys play before getting on a team? I know everyones ability varies, but Im just trying to see how others approached it.

I've been playing for about two months ... I think I'd be seasoned enough by June or so. Actually I might be now, but I'm still getting used to the goalie skates, and I want to give it a bit more time. So four, five months?

Here, though, 'novice' leagues aren't ... necessarily all that novice, and there's not always fantastic parity. When I played in an organized pickup (the company calls it No Commitment Hockey) that was listed as 'novice' there were some very not-novice skaters there. Goalies are kind of a scarce commodity and even in D level hockey, the goalies are pretty experienced because they grab who they can. For me, that means I feel like I need as much non-league experience as possible, because there's not likely to be any leeway to mess up when I do get into a league.

I'm playing as a sub for a D/novice league tonight so we'll see how that goes.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Our organised pickup is definitely not novice despite the name, but hey you just get better that much faster.

[beedee 227]

Well I might jump in a low-level "copper" division game this Saturday at my rink. Some guys have been very encouraging in this goalie sub group i'm in on FB.

[badger_14 601]

Our organised pickup is definitely not novice despite the name, but hey you just get better that much faster.

The one I was at was a mix of very-novice trying to get their feet under them, and ex-high-school players sandbagging down, the latter just stripping the puck and carrying it coast to coast the whole game. As a goalie I was annoyed, from a skater's POV, I would've been furious and discouraged. There's 'better players challenging you' and then there's 'why am I paying $25 [as a skater] for this?' Especially when the company has several dozen different no-commitment skates, plus leagues, at every skill level, per week.

Well I might jump in a low-level "copper" division game this Saturday at my rink. Some guys have been very encouraging in this goalie sub group i'm in on FB.

Definitely! No place to go but up. Especially if you don't pay. Only your pride will be hurt and maybe the skaters will get frustrated.

I think someone on here (LawGoalie?) said at one point that you shouldn't join a real game until you can reliably turn away at least half the shots that come at you, and I think that's pretty reasonable. You might suck but you won't get completely buried, which is good for your own confidence as well as not getting an earful from the guys in front of you.

[beedee 227]

thanks badger. i seem to do alright during drills and scrimmages regarding saves, I would say Im definitely above the 50% mark. Dont get me wrong, not saying Im great but Im also not Bambi on ice either.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

The one I was at was a mix of very-novice trying to get their feet under them, and ex-high-school players sandbagging down, the latter just stripping the puck and carrying it coast to coast the whole game. As a goalie I was annoyed, from a skater's POV, I would've been furious and discouraged. There's 'better players challenging you' and then there's 'why am I paying $25 [as a skater] for this?' Especially when the company has several dozen different no-commitment skates, plus leagues, at every skill level, per week.

I think someone on here (LawGoalie?) said at one point that you shouldn't join a real game until you can reliably turn away at least half the shots that come at you, and I think that's pretty reasonable. You might suck but you won't get completely buried, which is good for your own confidence as well as not getting an earful from the guys in front of you.

That's probably a pretty good watermark, actually. (Then again LG obviously knows what he's talking about so that's no surprise)

And yea, that would really suck in a pick-up. Ours is probably about D4/D5 level with some D3 guys mixed in. Luckily the more skilled guys spend most of their time trying to set up the less skilled plays. And theres a shitton of passing, I don't even remember the last end to end rush I saw. One guy cherry-picks but he has no skills so I end up stopping him on his breakaways most of the time anyway. The guys give him shit but he acts like they're joking...

I usually disregard goals that were legitimately good (can't complain about not stopping a crossbar-down wrist shot mid-stride....) and then count the rest in my head. If I keep it under 10 in the 90 min session I'm pretty happy with that.

[badger_14 601]

Tonight's group was much more even in skill level. I'm still sorting out the goalie skates, but it's a lot better. Of course I am still a novice and play like one. First damned goal of the night was a bank in off my own teammate's skate. Ugh.

One of the other players stuck a GoPro to the glass and puts the videos on youtube, so I'll hopefully look at that in a few days when I need to feel shame.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Are the goal skates really so different for you? Once I'm in the crease I don't even notice them (aside from my ability to sit on my heels to give my toes a rest, which is nice)

[beedee 227]

im in the same boat as OR. no issues switching back to goal skates after skating out. i do think i will switch out my wax laces for regular cloth though on my goal skates.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Going back to player skates I found much harder.

And I agree I prefer cloth laces for my goal skates. The gorilla waxed (which aren't really waxed at all...) are perfect.

[badger_14 601]

Are the goal skates really so different for you? Once I'm in the crease I don't even notice them (aside from my ability to sit on my heels to give my toes a rest, which is nice)

I'm skating on them a lot better actually, now that I think about it. I think the major problem is 'new skate stiffness', since it's only the fourth time I've skated in them.

I always seem to feel a bit wobbly the first few minutes out on ice, which I suspect is due to being used to 8 or 9 years of stiff, heavy player skates.

[beedee 227]

i popped my beer league cherry this afternoon! we lost 5-2, but i can honestly say that 3 werent entirely my fault. gave up one in the first on a 2 on 1, it was the fourth shot of the game. the second i gave up 4, yikes.the second goal i had under my glove, trapped on the ice and the forward shoved at it and poked it in...D was nowhere to be found. 3rd one was on me, a two on one that i read well but didnt get my blocker over in time, 4th goal was a bad 5-hole, my stick was on the ice but i must have slightly lifted it. 5th and final goal was a rebound that came ofd the end boards and no D was there to tie up the guy in the slot and he got his stick on it and chipped it over my shoulder. I held them scoreless in the 3rd though! Even stuffed a breakaway, below is a link to a video of the breakaway!

All in all I had a blast, it was lower level but the other team had some sandbaggers. I was nervous all day but once I took warmups the jitters went away! Cant wait til my clinic on Monday and Wednesday night!

https://instagram.com/p/2M6kiruoTw/

one more link in case the instagram one didn't work:

https://www.facebook.com/bret.davidson/videos/vb.720394257/10153428724084258/?type=2&theater&notif_t=like

Edited May 3, 2015 by beedee

[IPv6Freely 2092]

I held them scoreless in the 3rd though! Even stuffed a breakaway, below is a link to a video of the breakaway!

https://instagram.com/p/2M6kiruoTw/

Dude, great stop! way to get across!

Sounds like you have enough to be happy about and also enough to play in your head for improvement. That's all you can ask for in your first time out. Keep at it!

[beedee 227]

Thanks OR! My wife took a lot of video again so I have watched and taken note of where I can improve. Just saw the scoresheet for the game and I faced 29 shots.

[beedee 227]

i forgot to mention that couldnt have asked for a nicer team to sub for, at the end of the game they hand out a momento (like what many nhl and minor league teams do) to the most deserving player for that game and they gave it to me! theirs was a rad WWF championship belt, I was touched that they did that for me, they were also saying how they couldnt tell that I was playing my first game ever as a goalie! What a great very first game in goal it was!

[beedee 227]

Alright guys, please go easy on me, here is some video from my very first game in goal (same game as the breakaway video I posted above). I have only had 3 clinics under my belt before taking the plunge. Only 1 clinic had a small lick of goalie instruction.

First two clips are of two goals (not consecutive shots). The first one, I don't think it went 5-hole, but Im not too sure to be honest. Second one I was too slow to get over to the near post…and there weren't any of my team I was subbing for picking up BOTH guys wide open in front.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iow_3516Qc&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iow_3516Qc&feature=youtu.be

Edited May 5, 2015 by beedee

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Dude, looks good!

Keep that chest up or your back is going to hate you though :)

But seriously you look just fine all things considered. Just keep up the hard work!

[SirJW 207]

How are all your knees holding up? I think if i tried to butterfly at 49 it would be tough.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

How are all your knees holding up? I think if i tried to butterfly at 49 it would be tough.

No problem at all what so ever on the knees. You have a big comfy landing block on your pads, and combine that with some knee pads and you're not even going to feel it.

The only real issue I've had has been my hips and hamstrings. I never realized how bad my flexibility was. As a kid it was tremendous. My personal trainer stretches out my hamstrings for me and he said I barely clear a 50 degree incline with either leg. It's really bad. Need to get on that Maria Mountain 15-day butterfly challenge!

I also had lower back discomfort for a while at first, but I had that when I first started as a player too. When I first started into hockey and was doing beginner skill sessions I had to hold onto the boards after every time down the ice because my lower back hurt so bad. This was nowhere near that, but I knew it would go away once I got used to the stance a bit more. No issues there, anymore.

I'd guess the knees are more of a damaged over time kind of thing, if anything. But in all reality from what I can tell its your hips you need to worry a lot more about.

[Hills 712]

Alright guys, please go easy on me, here is some video from my very first game in goal (same game as the breakaway video I posted above). I have only had 3 clinics under my belt before taking the plunge. Only 1 clinic had a small lick of goalie instruction.

First two clips are of two goals (not consecutive shots). The first one, I don't think it went 5-hole, but Im not too sure to be honest. Second one I was too slow to get over to the near post…and there weren't any of my team I was subbing for picking up BOTH guys wide open in front.

So just a few tips. As OR said keep your back Straighter, your stick is actually resting on its heel because you are bending over so much.

Second when you are going down, don't just drop down. You want to DRIVE your knees down. Right now you are just falling down onto your pads which makes 5-hole shots really easy. But this is something a lot of goalies have issues with but is something you should try and remember.

[badger_14 601]

It's definitely the hips for me, too, and I'm already a very flexible person. If I don't stretch out properly, my right leg stiffens up completely because the hip flexor just. Won't. Move. And then the muscles spasm around it and that's no fun at all. When I go and work out, about a quarter or more of my time is just stretching and flexibility, just to keep things loose.

What's hard on the knees is those shots that slip through that one tiny gap between my pants and my pads ... (yes, I know I should get kneepads, but I also want a pet miniature unicorn and neither of these things are going to happen right now.)

BeeDee - you look good! Yes, you do need to keep your stick down when you're in stance, for sure, although you do seem to keep it down when someone's coming at you. Your chest protector looks huge - is it really that huge, or is it just the angle? Can you move well in it? Like Optimus says, back straight and chest up - settle your body like it's in a chair at a fancy dinner, butt down and chest high. It'll be murder on your thighs for a while. Something my goalie coaches have us do is, right at the start of the game, get into stance right against the boards so you can feel where your body settles. Sort of like tapping your posts to get aware of where you are in the net - same principle, bodily awareness. The coaches have us practice lots of shuffles and even just side-steps - down the red line, back the red line, down and back. Slaloms, same thing. The other week the coach had us do the Iron Cross -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBr0RI8Idk0

Edited May 5, 2015 by badger_14

[beedee 227]

Dude, looks good!

Keep that chest up or your back is going to hate you though :)

But seriously you look just fine all things considered. Just keep up the hard work!

Thanks OR, I plan to keep on trucking! I am really wanting to learn the position, this new venture has renewed my passion for playing the game!

How are all your knees holding up? I think if i tried to butterfly at 49 it would be tough.

My knees are doing fine actually, I just turned 40 in November. I definitely need to stretch more and I think I over did it last week, played 4 times in 7 days. I am feeling a slight strain behind my left knee, so I have been taking it easy since Saturday. I'm hoping it feels better by tomorrow night, as I want to do the Wednesday night clinic at KHS!

So just a few tips. As OR said keep your back Straighter, your stick is actually resting on its heel because you are bending over so much.

Second when you are going down, don't just drop down. You want to DRIVE your knees down. Right now you are just falling down onto your pads which makes 5-hole shots really easy. But this is something a lot of goalies have issues with but is something you should try and remember.

Thank you Hills! I totally see what you mean, and I think that is how that first goal got by me in the video, my stick was down, but it was resting on the heel, leaving most of it up off the ice! I hear ya on the butterfly needing to be driven into, I'm sure in time I will get that down. Really appreciate your pointers, thank you.

BeeDee - you look good! Yes, you do need to keep your stick down when you're in stance, for sure, although you do seem to keep it down when someone's coming at you. Your chest protector looks huge - is it really that huge, or is it just the angle? Can you move well in it? Like Optimus says, back straight and chest up - settle your body like it's in a chair at a fancy dinner, butt down and chest high. It'll be murder on your thighs for a while. Something my goalie coaches have us do is, right at the start of the game, get into stance right against the boards so you can feel where your body settles. Sort of like tapping your posts to get aware of where you are in the net - same principle, bodily awareness. The coaches have us practice lots of shuffles and even just side-steps - down the red line, back the red line, down and back. Slaloms, same thing. The other week the coach had us do the Iron Cross -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBr0RI8Idk0

Thanks Badger. Each time out I feel like I am getting better at keeping the stick down, and like Hills said, once I get that back up and straight, it will help me keep the stick flat on the ice. Regarding the C/A, I am not too sure of the size, it is either a medium or large. The side angle definitely shows that it is kind of bulky, being that it is the first one I've ever worn, I'm not too sure if I should be able to feel more mobile in it than I am. Although I do think I should be slightly more mobile that I am in it. I have looked everywhere on it and couldn't find a size tag. I got it from a buddy whom is maybe an inch taller than me, so I am leaning towards a medium?

Here is a pic of the gear I am using, except I am not using that glove and blocker. The C/A is an older Bauer Supreme, not sure of what exact model though.

[badger_14 601]

It definitely doesn't look as bulky from the front.

Equipment can be so variable in sizing - I tried on a senior medium bauer once, and it was a tight squeeze, but I was swimming in a medium CCM. I actually ended up in an intermediate XL in the CCM, I could've gone with senior small but my arms are kind of stubby.

If it feels like you can get around okay, turn your head, see everything going on, not get tangled up trying to go up and down, it's probably fine. The upper arms look extra beefy, so it's probably just the way the model looks.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

What's hard on the knees is those shots that slip through that one tiny gap between my pants and my pads ... (yes, I know I should get kneepads, but I also want a pet miniature unicorn and neither of these things are going to happen right now.)

Good god man! Get some knee pads! That gap is way bigger than you think it is when you're in the butterfly.

[psulion22 402]

I was taught that your hips, waist, and upper body should be in the exact same position when you drop into a butterfly as when you are in your stance. To accomplish this, you have to have your feet wider than your shoulders and a deep knee bend. If you keep your back straight (sitting in a chair as Badger said), then you will bring your knees together and down to the ice, and theoretically everything from your waist up shouldn't move. You should be driving your knees down to the ice, not just dropping and relying on gravity (as Hills said) and your knees should move in an inward, not forward, direction. Picture it this way, if you get in your stance with your feet on the blueline, when you drop your knees should end up on the blueline, not in front of it. This will improve balance and closing the 5 hole. It is also important because you have to keep your back straight and shoulders back to be able to do butterfly pushes and get around the ice once you are down.

Beedee, you look good. The first goal, other than dropping forward instead of down, your depth was a little shallow. You could have been at the top of the crease there. At that spot with your stick on the ice, there wouldn't have been anything for the guy to shoot at. If you think about what I just posted, and look at how you drop to make the save, you can see how your knees went forwards. That essentially created a hinge where you dropped "over" the puck - as your knees went forward, your pads ended up almost parallel to the ice, and the puck went under the pad. That's why you couldn't figure out if/how it went 5 hole. In your mind you dropped quickly (which you did) and your pads should have been there in time. But the direction of your movement meant that your pads were there, but not on the ice.

The second goal, was as you said, you just didn't get over in time. But you made one fundamental mistake that is what caused the problem. You got up on the wrong foot. The puck went around the net to your left, but you got up with your left foot. That means you were heading the wrong direction and had your weight on the wrong foot to get moving where you needed to go. Then you had to switch feet and stand all the way up onto your right, so you could move left. Watch the video and you'll see what I mean. Practice standing up on both feet using the foot that puts you the direction you want to move. A good way to practice this is to get up on the foot you want to go every time you get up, so on whistles for faceoffs, get up on the foot the moves you towards the faceoff dot.