Need some Blocker advice!!1

I was hoping someone out there can help me out. My blocker side is definetly my weakest point I was wondering if anyone had any advice or drills to work on. I don't think I have any major problems just seem to open too much of the net on my blocker side. Any help would be much appreciated.

[daemyn75]

If you are giving up too much of the net sounds like you have angle issues. Being a new goalie myself I have them too. Only thing I can say if practice. I had a friend move the puck around the floor I would follow the puck as he moved it and when he stoped I would stop and he would tell me if I was square of to far to a side (glove or blocker). This of course is best accomplished on the surface you play on so you can use some sort of position marker like the face off circles or advertisements on the boards. From here I can go no further with this except to turn it over to Bernie and Brett for additional input.

[daemyn75]

If you are giving up too much of the net sounds like you have angle issues. Being a new goalie myself I have them too. Only thing I can say if practice. I had a friend move the puck around the floor I would follow the puck as he moved it and when he stoped I would stop and he would tell me if I was square of to far to a side (glove or blocker). This of course is best accomplished on the surface you play on so you can use some sort of position marker like the face off circles or advertisements on the boards. From here I can go no further with this except to turn it over to Bernie and Brett for additional input.

I think hand eye coordination is very important.
Some of the best, and easiest home drills a goalie can do for his hands (blocker or glove) involves a wall and a tennis ball.
Unfortunatly, I can't seem to get my own son to do this. He thinks the best home drills involves a N64 game.
Chris

[daemyn75]

Perhaps you should throw the N64 at the wall and see if he can make the save Acctually you could tell him no N64 until after you practice I'm not a parent but it might work.

hmmm, N64 guts on the wall. Sounds good.
I already use the no N64 until after homework. But thanks for the advice.

All it depends on the sitiation.
If the puck is going above your blocker pull your elbow to the corner. That is if you stance is correct and the shot is directly shot from the middle of the ice.
If the puck is coming fast to the blocker side from afar, pull or slide your stick blade right along the ice and extend your blocker arm.
Always have the blocker in front of you and slightly turned inward. There are slight sitiuation that it won't be like that.

I am also a fairly new goalie, but had the opportunity to go through a hockey school with a goalie coach.

His spin on blocker saves, or saves in general was to get the biggest piece of equipment in front of the puck. This falls right in line with playing angles.

Your blocker is the smallest piece of equipment you have. What he trained me to do is set your normal stance, square to the puck, center of net relative to the puck. When a shot comes blocker side, shift your body with a quick slide/shuffle and bring your blocker into your side. This causes you close the 6 hole by adding the width of your body to the blocker. Your upper body will also naturally rotate towards the save, which helps me follow the puck right into my trap.

At this point blocker position will determine rebound travel. If it is tilted out,

[CKeelty]

I find that the best thing for both my gloves (even better than hockey practice) but especially for my blocker is a couple of hours of raquetball a week. In weeks when I play raquetball, I'm sometimes amazed by my reaction time on blocker saves. It helps my glove hand a bit, but because my raquet hand is also my blocker hand, it does wonders for that side.

[daemyn75]

Ping pong or racket ball just learn to play with both the right and left hand.

[Bernie]

Jester, your goalie coach is on crack. The blocker is more than adaquete for playing the puck plus it has the major advantage of being the easiest piece of equipment to control a rebound with- next to the glove.

If that guy really has time to actually shufflestep over to a puck to block it with his body, I'd say he is playing with some pretty weak shooters, unless his defense is so awesome that evertyone shoots from the blueline or something!