Advice for dad

[puffer33]

My son is 8 and while this is his his 4th year playing hockey, its really his 1st as a goalie. He is adament that he wants to be a goaltender. Me, I was a defenceman and all I know about goalies is that you don't screen them and tick them off our you might feel as much pain as the opposition. Seriously I need some help.

My son is now into goalie skates and is a very good skater, especially backskating. He has good balance and is very confident when he plays. He tends to go down on a lot of shots and has developed using the paddledown technique. No one really showed him this he more or less just adopted it. He plays Novice 2 (8-10) and is on a developmental travel team, getting two practices and 2 games a week.
During practice we work at getting him to come out of the net a bit and to cut down on his angles but in games he seems to retreat to the safety of the net and sometimes gets goals scored high.. I have looked at some goalie guides but I realyy can't find anything for a new goalie and goalie dad.

Any help would be appreciated

And does it get any easier watching a son be a goalie as they get older? He really enjoys the position but it tears me up inside to see him in such a pressured position.

Thanks for the time.

[ctcrease]

I am not sure if it gets easier to watch as they get older.

My advice to you is to keep working on similar things with your son and make sure he is having fun while doing it. I would recommend getting him out of the paddle down tendency as it doesn't work in Atom and Peewee. Make sure he learns to stay on his feet until he sees a need to go down rather than just dropping because he thinks he should be doing something.

The stuff you work on in practice takes lots of reps to be seen in the games. It will come.

At this age, teaching is very fun and you can focus on things of such simplicity that you really should be fine doing the things you are doing. Just don't be unreasonable with your expectations. He is going to mess up lots. It is OK. That is how we learn.

[Alec M]

I've never tried to teach anyone how to play goal, but there is one thing I wish I was taught more of when I was younger, and that's angles.

To this day, when I'm not concentrating, the first bad habit I fall back into is playing too deep in the net. I have been able to have success changing from a "stand up" style, to a butterfly, to a pro-fly as far as my movements are concerned, but I still catch myself making mistakes on angles.

I'm not sure why I find it so hard to change compared to everything else, but I do. Perhaps positioning and angles are more subconscious than everything else, I don't know. It also seems like a good place to start because having good angles is important for any goalie, no matter what style he eventually finds himself playing.

I know for kids that having fun is the most important part, and a lot of people don't want to overwhelm a kid with the science of playing goal. I do still wish I had done more work on angles when I was starting out. That's all I can say. I'm sure someone with some more concrete advice will step in soon.

[puffer33]

Appreciate your reply!
My son tries to stay on his feet as much as he can (even though he's big Roy Fan) but I find that sometimes he tends to anticipate the shot and can't yet seem to react. He has been asking me how to judge high and low/shot vs. deke off of the shooter and I just don't know. Any sugestions in this area. Also, any basic proven drills for a young goalie?

Thanks

[fusion]

Originally Posted by puffer33

My son is 8 and while this is his his 4th year playing hockey, its really his 1st as a goalie. He is adament that he wants to be a goaltender. Me, I was a defenceman and all I know about goalies is that you don't screen them and tick them off our you might feel as much pain as the opposition. Seriously I need some help.

My son is now into goalie skates and is a very good skater, especially backskating. He has good balance and is very confident when he plays. He tends to go down on a lot of shots and has developed using the paddledown technique. No one really showed him this he more or less just adopted it. He plays Novice 2 (8-10) and is on a developmental travel team, getting two practices and 2 games a week.
During practice we work at getting him to come out of the net a bit and to cut down on his angles but in games he seems to retreat to the safety of the net and sometimes gets goals scored high.. I have looked at some goalie guides but I realyy can't find anything for a new goalie and goalie dad.

Any help would be appreciated

And does it get any easier watching a son be a goalie as they get older? He really enjoys the position but it tears me up inside to see him in such a pressured position.

Thanks for the time.

Aite,
If you want him to have a good b-fly...
Then stretch with him every night, you know regular "before" game stretches...
Encourage him...
Get him into some camps...

[PenguinMan]

Originally Posted by puffer33

Appreciate your reply!
My son tries to stay on his feet as much as he can (even though he's big Roy Fan) but I find that sometimes he tends to anticipate the shot and can't yet seem to react. He has been asking me how to judge high and low/shot vs. deke off of the shooter and I just don't know. Any sugestions in this area. Also, any basic proven drills for a young goalie?

Thanks

judging a high/low shot is tough for a lot of beginning goalies; I should know, I was (am, if you prefer) one. I find that the only real way to tell high versus low is just to see a ton of rubber from good shooters. Some tipoffs include when the puck is on edge, a high followthrough on the shot, pronounced wrist action (this one can be misleading, in the normal pickup group a few guys lift the puck by twisting a ton but one has a wicked wristshot and he twists to get the speed, not height), and where the shooter is looking.

As for deke versus shot, I usually go with watching the feet. When I play out, I personally tend to deke when my feet are not moving and I am just gliding in. A shot from such a stance is not very strong and even a late reaction to a shot will result in a great deal of coverage. Also, if the guy's noggin is pointed straight at the ground, he's gonna deke. Again, this is something that one gets better at only through seeing a ton of rubber. A side note: if your son is particularly astute and aware, he might be able to pick up where most deke shots come. At his age, dekes on the backhand will rarely get very high off the ground, so getting a pad to the post will probably solve a good deal of his problems. As he ages, he should be prepared to get his arms out front and high as backhands are usually roofed.

[Warrior Goalie]

If we don't do it, it won't get done. I'm the dad of an 11yr. old PeeWee goalie. This is his first full year in net and if he didn't have an iron will and brass balls,* he'd be back carrying pucks up and down the ice, with the rest of his mates. Why, because he gets almost no real goalie coaching on our town travel team. He spends half of every practice scooting around the cones in his pads, then he's the human version of LeGolie for the last half of practice. I played Div.1 hockey many moons ago, but my on ice days are over, due to a rapidly deteriorating lower back. I coach him using videos that I take of his practices & games. By the way, check out Mont's video "No Shooting Allowed" in the Doctor on Ice section, it's thing of beauty and a great teaching tool for young & old. There's a ton of great info in that short video, yet Mont doesn't stop a single puck.

Make sure your son has equipment that fits him well & he's comfortable with. Stay away from any one style of goaltending, he's too young. Make him the best skater on his team. If you can, take videos of games & practices- there's a wealth of info there if you look. You'll spot bad habits & good tendencies. And tell him to communicate with his teammates in front of him on the ice. Especially those turkeys who play defense, who will forever be screening him, unless he tells them to get the hell out of the way.

GOOD LUCK !!!

* after reading this description of my son, I wonder how I'll ever know when a shot clangs off the post, or off him !

[JohnnyOne]

Originally Posted by puffer33

And does it get any easier watching a son be a goalie as they get older? He really enjoys the position but it tears me up inside to see him in such a pressured position.

Thanks for the time.

My sons are not goalies but the goalie's dad's on my kid's teams get all worked up nervous and the like during games. It's kind of funny to watch the guys stress out like that. Probably not what you want to hear but let the kids live their dreams; they only get one chance. When your old and your son's kids are in hockey he will remember all that you did for him and be fond of the memories and what else could be better than that so it's worth all the stress you endure now.

[puffer33]

Originally Posted by JohnnyOne

My sons are not goalies but the goalie's dad's on my kid's teams get all worked up nervous and the like during games. It's kind of funny to watch the guys stress out like that. Probably not what you want to hear but let the kids live their dreams; they only get one chance. When your old and your son's kids are in hockey he will remember all that you did for him and be fond of the memories and what else could be better than that so it's worth all the stress you endure now.

JohnnyOne

appreciate the supportivewords. It is al about my boy. I just want him to have a good time but it is nerve racking. My biggest task is not letting on to him and making him nervous. Right now I seem to behiding it well and he's having a great time.

Cheers

[lando griffin]

My son just turned 15 and is a freshman in HS. This year he is the only freshman seeing any varsity time (primarily practice, but has about 7 varsity level tournament, mop up appearances).

I have been his only goalie coach from day one and here's what I've learned.

Get an idea of the coaches practice plan. Too often I've seen goalies just wasting time standing around (be it full ice or half ice practices). In a coaches view, goalies are targets, nothing more, nothing less. (IN reality, it is simply a numbers game...13 skaters v. 2 goalies) Yet, when the game is on the line, and the team loses, it's the goalies fault. (sucks, don't it?)

Pull your coach aside and tell him you would like to just be on the ice to keep both goalies busy during the practices and the goalie's "down time". When that happens have him:

1. do movement drills (Buy Francois Allaire's instructional book for young goalies...it is VERY insightful)

2. use a few of the drills in Mont's "No Shooters allowed" video (some might be too advanced)

3. Stretch him...young kids don't know how. I would stretch my son's legs in the locker room before every game, focusing on legs / groin / lower back...just real basic stuff. Take it slow

4. When shooting, find "mini" pucks or the lightweight pucks used in USA Hockey (I used minis) If you don't have access use tennis balls. And shoot like an 8 year old kid would. (build confidence)

5. help build "save repitition" with shots to legs...(the feet are the foundation) He'll see enough high shots in practice, trust me...yet 80% of goals are scored low. (In all of the years I worked with my son, 90-95% of the shots I took on him were low...) We focused on shots low and guiding those shots to corners or "non-threatening" areas ...(Ask your son where he can be scored from...so if he gets a shot into the corner, he's made his job a LOT easier)

6. Finally...Do other things! Play Soccer as a striker! RUN....Play Baseball as a Catcher (he's always in the game, can see how the game works, and it will continue to enhance his legs / hand eye coordination)

At that age...stick to the basics...positioning to let the puck hit you! If it's hitting you in the chest / groin / pads...you're square and that's what you want. And by all means...pull some Roy video...you'll see how square he always is!

SportsCenter has made their living off of flashy saves and unfortunately that's what kids remember...but champions like Roy / Broduer / Belfour got their rings by having great legs...strong foundations...and they were always square!

[lando griffin]

One last...VERY IMPORTANT THING.

A pet peeve of mine...

Don't talk about the game in the car on the way to, or the way back from the rink...don't stand behind the glass...be a fan.

Consider that in the car...(and you'll be shuttling him back and forth for the next 8 years from as little as 15 minutes to 8 hour drives) he is a captive audience....there is no surer way of burning a kid out than to replay every little thing that happens...(If he gets scored on...trust me..he knows...it's on the scoreboard!)

If you happen to see him off his game...adjust it in the next practice...

pregame...keep your advice simple so that it becomes a mantra...(I used.."stick forward, hands forward....square to the puck")

As a parent it can be painful to watch...but believe me...kids have a pretty short memory-usually it's the parents that keep dredging up a negative. Keep things positive...if it's a rough game, but he stones a kid on a breakaway...mention that! focus on the positive if you're going to talk about anything, but then work on the negatives in practice..(again repetition saves)

finally...I gave my son this advice his first year.

You have to realize that as you play this position...

1. Your team will win or lose games BECAUSE of your performance.
2. Your team will win or lose games IN SPITE of your performance.
3. Focus on your job...you can't score goals, but your forwards / defensemen don't block pucks...Do what you need to do to keep your team in the game, and you'll be successful.

[puckstopper31]

Puffer,

First things first, at his age don't even try to get him to stay up it won't work and it will really just confuse and frustrate him. I'm not saying he shouldn't do it, just that talking to him about staying up won't make any sense to him at this point. He might say it does, but inside it won't.

The main things that I work with younger goalies on is movement. Specifically depth in net, and moving around the crease. There are lots of drills for working on these things. Where I start is with shuffling around the edge of the crease line with a puck focusing on maintaining center, depth and squareness to the puck.

Once he gets to where he moves with the puck rather than just turning his head to watch it at random intervals start shooting pucks at him. This is the point to work with him on recovery and staying square to the puck. Repeat until it becomes habit for him to as soon as he makes a save to be going with the puck and returning to centered squared aggressive posture with the puck's new position.

What we're trying to get across here is movement and positioning. It's all about adjusting to the puck as it moves.

You can easily make this a game by telling him to chase you while you carry the puck but never leave his stance and such.

As he grows his stance and his style will change dramatically and he will naturally become more patient. I'm not saying that you shouldn't mention these things as goals to be achieved or work towards them, but fundamentally he's not going to be emotionally ready to play a patient game for a bit yet. He'll get there but don't focus on that focus on movement, depth in net, save selection and angles and it will work.

-ps31

[Guy Marchaud]

There is a lot of good advice in this thread. Let me add a couple points:

I winced when I saw your son was 8. When parents approach me about their kid wanting to play goal, I usually tell them that they should avoid goaltending until s/he's 12 or so--mostly so that they will develop their skating. The people talking on this thread about how the legs are the foundation are absolutely right and I have seen too many 8, 9, 10, and 11 year-olds standing around in the crease during games and practices while their team-mates are leaning the critical skill of skating. The good news is that it sounds like he's a good skater. And, by all means, encourage him to do other sports and also to "skate out" whenever he gets the chance.

One technique we've used with some success to discourage backing into the goal is the metaphor that the blue crease is the "water" and the white ice is the "beach." We remind kids to "stay out of the water" and to "stay on the beach" and it seems to work, at least for some kids.

My experience is that most of us [goalies] start out pretty deep in the crease, learn to come out more as we grow into the position, and sometimes wind up slipping back in on the nights we're off our game. At least at your son's age, reflexes can make up for the angles.

Finally, in terms of the pressure of the position...well, goaltending is sometimes more of a calling than a choice. Seems like your son has "the bug" and just plain wants to be a goalie. A lot of us are like that. The pressure may bother you more than it bothers him.

For all of us, and especially for 8 year olds, hockey is a sport. Sports are supposed to be fun. If he's having fun, who cares about the pressure, or the angles, or anything else? I used to tell my son (a defenceman, like you) that if, at the end of the season he'd improved as a hockey player, if his team had won and lost together as a team, and if everyone had had some fun and loved hockey more than they did at the start of the year, then it was a great season.

Hope this helps,
Guy

[puckstopper31]

Originally Posted by Guy Marchaud

For all of us, and especially for 8 year olds, hockey is a sport. Sports are supposed to be fun. If he's having fun, who cares about the pressure, or the angles, or anything else? I used to tell my son (a defenceman, like you) that if, at the end of the season he'd improved as a hockey player, if his team had won and lost together as a team, and if everyone had had some fun and loved hockey more than they did at the start of the year, then it was a great season.

Truer words were never spoken.

[king_goalie]

I agree with everything said in this thread. At 8 years old, the whole point is to have fun, while trying to improve along the way. The kids are all there to have fun, so if your son lets in a bad goal or whatever, he'll probably forget just as fast as all the other kids on his team. But, as he gets older, the pressure will just go up as well. I'm 15 right now, and I have played in a lot of high pressure situations. But whatever the outcome is, my parents are always there for me. They don't put me down and tell me everything I did wrong, and they don't have to either, because I know it. They tell me all the of the good things I did, and we move on from there. Other goalies who I have played with have parents that do the exact opposite. They critique their kid to no end, and it begins to show in their play. They don't enjoy going to the arena anymore, and they're really just scared to step on the ice because they now if they screw up, they're going to here about it. My advice is to let your kid have fun, and comment on all the things he did right, instead of all the mistakes he made. Ofcourse, constructive critism is a good thing, but too much of it is not. Just let him play the game, and maybe in a few years, some more enfisess(Sp?) should be put ojn developing skills and so forth. But, I can tell you that the games don't get any easier to watch as your child gets older, but it makes it more fun in the process