Difficult recoveries!

[Beccaraptor]

I have a major problem with recoveries of any type. Most particularly if I get into a pad stack or on my back I am dead in the water. What I was wondering was how much do the pads play in doing recoveries successfully? Also, how much does being overweight hurt recoveries?

I have tried everything to lose weight, I just can't keep it off. I have a major thyroid problem that the doctors refuse to do anything with so I am battling that, and just plain old eating too much. Not really bad food, I just get hungry very often and have to snack (maybe also related to thyroid?) No sugar pop, just water and diet drinks, etc. LOTS of water, about 3 or 4 36 oz. water bottles a day at least plus anything else I drink.

My stamina seems good, I play pickup hockey for two hours straight without a problem and occasionally skate out as a player, go to public skates, etc. I could be in better shape but my job makes me sit a lot in front of a computer which hurts me because I can't be active all day. Are there any other overweight goalies here who have recovery problems and how do you deal with it? Is this most of the issue I am having?

Maybe my choice in moves to get up is wrong. But I am sure they would have helped me with that at the clinic if it was totally wrong. I could see the guys fustration when I couldn't do the two leg recoveries and just gave up trying. It just won't happen! I can't do it! I really really tried and still continue to try.

The only other thing I can think of is that my leg pads make it hard for me to recover properly. They are deer hair pads... The weight, the balance and how loose I have to wear them to get them to rotate may play a role. At the clinic I saw this loud and clear. I was the absolute slowest and worst goalie out there for recoveries. I can get my upper half twisted around but my legs don't work as well. If my pads are stacked on the sides or backs I have to throw my legs into the air and kick them back around so that I can get them facing forward again. They usually end up going the wrong way on my legs when I try to get up. I could barely roll over at the clinic, my pads got stuck while my legs were twisting. Once I am down I am usually down till a goal is scored and I want this to stop.

For me recoveries are the hardest part of goaltending. Saving point black slappers, meh not a problem. Saving split second one timers, whatever. Easy street. Getting up from on my back? OH MY GOSH NOOOOOO!!!!

I did do a search and didn't come up with anything I was looking for. I think mastering recoveries would really step my game up a notch. The guys always like a new challenge at stick and puck.

[keeps21]

You should work on your upper body strength.

This will aid you when pushing up with one of your gloves when recovering from a pad stack or other position.

[jf-laflaire]

Do it off ice every day, 5 days a week or so. You'll get better. If you can't do it without gear on there's no chance in hell you will with it on.

Do them slow and work up the speed.

Here's a quick plan...

(i) 10 belly to front recoveries X 2 or 3 sets. Use your arms to push you up and throw your legs up under you.

(ii) 10 back to feet. From my soccer days you rock a little on the top of your back and rock back to your feet in position. X 2 or 3 sets.

(iii) 10 but to feet recoveries. I pull my legs in and push with my arms. I can do it without arms too with a small rock for momentum. X2 or 3 sets.

Good luck. Its just practice and technique. Look up some soccer goalkeeping drills for others, they're good for technique recoveries in bad positions like the belly, butt and back.

[Beccaraptor]

Sounds like core strength is really what I need to work on. My whole upper body is rather weak. I will try the drills and see how I can do without gear and work up to wearing it. Thanks!

[VisionQuest]

Wake up, roll outta bed, do pushups, every day. Proceed until you can do 35-50 of them, then try to do to them as fast as you can.

[jf-laflaire]

Here's a good soccer goalkeeping link...

http://www.jbgoalkeeping.com

[CoachJester]

Core strenght is a big component of powerful and quick recoveries. Good strong abdominal muscles will give you a solid base to develop good recoveries. Besides, a solid core is healthy for you as well. Rolling around on the ice is also a good strenght building exercise. People often criticize or mock the fact that you see goalies rolling around on the ice in my clinics. If you play the position you realize how often you can be in a situation that requires this ability... and practicing it is certainly and advantage. Besides, its kind of fun.

One of the things that I stress with new goalies, or older goalies that are learning new techniques is to always recover back into a full butterfly position. By recovering back into a full butterfly, you have accomplished two things. A) You are now in a blocking save position that at worst covers a good share of low net and at best gives you a good look the ice from a solid position to make a decision and B) Places you in a position that you should be very comfortable recovering from.

For now, forget trying to do the two leg or "POP" recovery. I really encourage kids to avoid this as it puts significant stress on developing hips. With older goalies, you probably don't need this stress either. A simple one leg recovery is usually the best choice anyway.

The single leg recovery should be practiced equally with both legs. The leg that you use to recover is the one that you might have to push with should the situation in front of you change. Avoid falling into the trap of always using the same leg. The situation dictates which leg you recover with. Here is an example...

You have recovered into a butterfly at the top of the crease, the play shifts to your right. You need to recover with your left leg as you need it ****ed to potentially push you to your right. If the play changes as you are 1/2 way into the recovery, you can still push across in a 1/2 butterfly slide and at worst cover the low ice. If you adjust your depth as you slide you have a good shot at covering the arial angle as well.

[Beccaraptor]

I tend to get up on the same leg... I have always known not to too. Maybe setting up a backyard rink would be good for practice because I can see myself causing problems at a public skate flopping all over the ice! There is limited ice time here unfortunately, so most of my work would best be practiced off ice somehow. Getting the moves into my muscle memory will help too so that I can do it faster on ice.

Now that I think about it, rollergoalies don't have the ice to work with either. I just still can't think of a good open area to flop around in to practice though. In the mean time I will just work on working out.

[CoachJester]

Public skates aren't a bad time to work on things. The ideal time is if the arena has a noon skate. Just take your skates and your leg pads. Pants if you want to keep your butt dry. Use the center ice area and work away.

You can do the same with the normal open skates, just be more conscious of who is around you.

[Puddy]

The best ones are at the times when kids are in school. Usually there are less than 10 people at those here. I used to do all kinds of skating drills.

[JohnnyOne]

There is probably nothing better than this to increase speed, strength and indurance as well as help you shed the pounds. Go here, get this system and you will not be disappointed:

www.combatconditioning.com

[kyclin]

Originally Posted by JohnnyOne

There is probably nothing better than this to increase speed, strength and indurance as well as help you shed the pounds. Go here, get this system and you will not be disappointed:

www.combatconditioning.com

The Matt Furey program seems okay but just a little too much showmanship and hype for my taste. A low key (and better, IMO) alternative is Ross Enamait.
http://www.warriorforce.com/
Start with "The Underground Guide to Warrior Fitness", which may be all you need.

See here for a review of Matt Furey
http://sfuk.tripod.com/reviews/furey_combat1.html
and Ross Enamait
http://sfuk.tripod.com/reviews/enamait_warrior1.html

and for something truly inexpensive ($4 electronic version) but good:
http://sfuk.tripod.com/reviews/tbk_fitness.html

[TIMMAAYY]

Go to the Komets game early this Friday. Wear your pads. Try not to look suspicious. Hop on the ice during warmups. Maybe no one will notice.

Do they still have the little studio rink going? Also, I think if you get to the Friday morning pick up sessions early you can get on and work on it.

Are you still playing in net with the kids travel team as a practice target?

[puck_stopper60]

puch ups and sits up lol , i have notice my game has improved recovery wise everysince i joined the football team and thats all we do i puch ups and situps

[Beccaraptor]

Unfortunately the guy who rented the studio rink isn't doing that this year. I loved that last year, two ice sessions a week! That would be a great time to work on recoveries. I don't have the money or time to rent the little rink this season. It took a while to get enough people rounded up to pay for the rink last season.

I did some pushups this morning and those went ok... but the sit ups I had trouble with. As soon as I tried to do one I was thinking... ok this is the problem! I was surprised that my arms are fairly strong, I thought those might be a problem but it was all my abs. I will do some situps every morning and hopefully will see some improvement by the end of the season.