Posts by Matt
Goalmouth Property: Taking Care of your On-Ice Real Estate
Goaltending instruction has come a long way over the past decade or so. Young Mite goalies to veteran college athletes can make pretty butterfly slides and look the part of an intelligent goalie to the naked eye. While instructional techniques have clearly trickled down to the youth level, I see a lack of hockey sense…
Read MorePractice Concepts for Goaltenders
In a previous article I discussed the responsibilities goalies have in drills during practices. This article will deal with practice concepts that carry over into game performances. Goaltenders must be aware of these concepts when practicing so they don’t get into lazy habits that will affect their “automatic pilot” in games. If a goalie repeatedly…
Read MoreMirror, Mirror on the Wall, Who’s the Fairest Goalie of them all?
Yeah, I know your goaltending life isn’t always a fairy tale (sometimes it can turn into a nightmare!), but you have to look in the mirror at times and objectively assess where you are as a goaltender. So whether you are an intro mite, an experienced collegiate/pro or once-a-week adult leaguer, if you want to…
Read MoreI Never Do That! (And other lies goalies tell themselves about their bad habits)
Over the 30+ years I’ve been coaching goalies, I ‘ve developed a pretty good eye for seeing little habits that hurt a goalie’s development. Often when I tell a goalie of something I saw, he or she will say “Oh no, I NEVER do that”. When it’s caught on video, the comment then becomes “Oh…..I…
Read MoreWhat Goalies Can Learn from Charlie Brown and Snoopy
I’ll admit right off that as a kid I was totally into the “Peanuts” cartoon strip. I grew up a shy, nerdy, overweight kid and I learned a lot of life’s lessons from the great Charles Schulz’ alter-ego Charlie Brown and his pet beagle, Snoopy. No matter how many indignities Charlie Brown suffered each day,…
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