Again, MTN believes this kind of approach to practice is integral to goaltender development.
The Four 'P's of Practice: Daily Practice Goals
Over the last few years MTN has worked with a number of very hardworking goaltenders from all levels. Of course, a strong work ethic is always valuable in life and goaltending, but is hard work the only thing a goalie needs to get better? In an earlier essay MTN expressed the idea that "perfect practice makes perfect." Many goaltenders will then ask; how can I practice perfectly?
Often the phrase "work smarter, not harder" can be heard and this attitude can help fast track a goaltender's development from one perfect practice to another. In response to the idea of working hard and working smart MTN has come up with:
The Four P's of Practice
Purpose: Before the start of each practice and each drill the goaltender must ask themselves a number of questions. What is the purpose of practice? How can I get the most out of every drill (even the drills that work on defensive coverage or regroup/breakout drills)? How can each drill make me better than I was before? How can I get better everyday? **The purpose of each practice and drill is to make you better as a goaltender mentally and physically.**
Precision : Since perfect practice makes perfect, it makes sense that a goaltender should work to be as precise as possible with skating, positioning, save selection/body control, reading the situation and reading the puck's release. Practice is the time to think about what you want to play like on a game. **The best goaltenders in the world are very well known for precision on a daily basis. i.e. J.S. Giguere**
Power : In the card game that is goaltending power trumps foot speed. Power is the tool that will help a goaltender become precise and patient. Goaltenders need quick feet for save selection and recoveries but should strive to get into position before the puck has arrived. The only way to get into strong position is to ensure that all movements can be made with
POWER and
PRECISION.
**Goaltenders must ensure they are equally powerful with both sides of the body.**
Patience: Since game habits are perfected in daily practices practice is the perfect time to work on strong patience. Even a strong butterfly goaltender must develop the skills to read the release of the shot. Patience is beneficial not only for save selection but also for playing situations strongly. If you have confidence in your precision and power then you must develop patience to make your arsenal strong. Even in today's game there are still times where a good standup save is required. **To work on reading a shot release try this: On any shots from the top of the circles and further out wait try to stand up on shots belly button height, in ready stance, or higher and go down on shots that are below the waist. Very challenging but very beneficial**
The Four P's are a tool that can be used on a daily basis to ensure the fundamentals and advancing of skills takes place. At the very least, goaltenders should set the goal to get better on a daily basis thus utilizing Purpose, Precision, Power and Patience. In order to gain the most from the Four 'P's goaltenders need
the most important 'P'... PASSION!!
