Eric Carlson wrote:
 
>Another goalie question I've heard discussed in the past with no particular
>answer is how do you coach them?  Anybody know or have comments?
 
This should be a fun discussion! ;-)
 
I've only coached mites through high school.  I can't imagine coaching some
of the fragile personalities of the pros.
 
Goalies are cocky and weird. (I'm generalizing, and I'm a goalie.  No
flames!)  We all dream of making that split save that looks so spectacular
on the highlight film or the cover of the Hockey News.  Coaches need to
bring goalies back to reality.
 
Head coaches must ensure that goalies don't stand around doing nothing while
the skaters are working.  This is the biggest mistake I see in the youth
hockey programs.  All the kids are shooting at the boards or an empty net.
Shoot at the freaking goalie!  Everyone's game improves that way.
 
Mites are easy.  Work on basics:  *Skating*, stance, movement,
stickhandling, the game.
 
High school is a little tougher.  Still, there is no excuse for not working
on basics.  Here's where you *really* start to see if someone really wants
to be a goalie.  Basics, basics, basics.
 
But then, we start to see some personality come through.  Whiners emerge.
Laziness shows up.  Cocky gets out of control.  Coach needs to become a
little bit of a psychologist.  What fires up a goalie?  What deflates his ego?
 
Did I mention working on the basics?  :-)
 
Coaching goalies probably isn't too much different from coaching others in
terms of finding out how to motivate a player to develop and to play his/her
best.
 
Anyone have experience coaching college goalies?
 
Jill.
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Jill Maser                                           [log in to unmask]
Director, Operations Analysis                        phone:  (215) 898-1007
University of Pennsylvania                           fax:    (215) 573-2069
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