New to goalie coaching

[fleuryrocks29]

Hey

It has been a while since i have posted here!!

Me and a couple buddies are coaching a house league team this year. We are all 17 and in grade 12, well one is did a victory lap in high school, and since I am the goalie I was cast to play the part of the goalie coach.

We coach 8 and 9 year olds so it is tyke I believe. Our goalie is rather good, I think with some practise he can make it far and he could make rep easily next year. We only have one goalie on our team but since our town has so many people playing hockey we are forced to share ice at our practices.

I have been to goalie lessons before and I would watch what they do, so I can use that information later when I wanted to coach goalies. Its something that I have wanted to do.

So since they are house league goalies that are young and relatively new to the postition they are not the greatest. They can't shuffle very well and they also can't t push well either. They don't get up on the right leg when they go down, they come out to far, they make mistakes. I know they are new and i realize that i am just saying what I see

So basically I would like some advice for the age and skill level of the kids I am teaching and some drills both skating and with a puck. I worked with them on saturday and also tonight(tuesday) and tonight went much better as i was more prepared for it and had drills planned out and everything and i didnt wing it like Saturday.

So any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I went through the forum and found some interesting reads but nothing to really help me with my issue or what ever you want to call it.

Thanks

Mark

[chrono]

Hey Mark,

Congrats on getting your own team to coach. I still remember the first time I was called "coach" out on the ice...it really puts things into perspective doesn't it?

What I've noticed with kids that age is that you really have to do things that keep their attention. Engage them. Try to keep the drills fun while teaching them at the same time. Are you looking for goalie-specific drills or drills for the whole team?
It already sounds like you're on the right track. You mentioned that one of the goalies is good and may have good deal of potential. What was it that made you think that? Analyze thier skills and prepare accordingly. You may even want to take some time and work 1 on 1 with him/her to do some unique drills or impart unique knowledge that a more advanced goalie would find helpful.
Basicallly, work to make the position personal. Goalies are special. Treat them that way. And make sure they know it too. I always make time to have at least one "goalie specific" practice per week and at the end of practices I have my goalies stand by the doors and have the team line up and tap them on the pads on their way off the ice. I also talk to parents to let them know how their little goalies are progressing. That can help seed confidence in young goalies and may actually make them want to come to practice and pay attention to what you have to say. Also, parents will love the fact that you are taking personal intrest in their child. Its really amazing to watch the development of young goalies who are hooked on the position!

In terms of how you approach your coaching, try to approach it the same manner as you would your own game. Think about the things that make you a good goalie - your skill sets, your idiology, your experiences (there is nothing like teaching to really illustrate what you know) and incoporate them into you lessons. You'll develop your own style, it just takes a little time. I've always perscribed to the "This is what worked for me, maybe you should try it" mindset.

Are you looking for goalie specific drills or drills for the entire team?

I hope you found some of this helpful. Let me know if I can be of any assistance.

Oh, and on a personal note I think its awesome that you've come on here asking for ways to be a better coach. You really seem to care about what you are doing. That, in and of itself, is going to make you a good coach!

Good luck out there!

-Tim

[greatsave31]

I agree with Tim. I studied to be a teacher in college for elementary aged kids, and like he said you have to keep them engaged. That being said many times kids are truelly engaged by simple things. One thing I like to do with both my younger goalies and advanced goalies is keep the game simple. Make sure you are teaching them how to be square to the puck, and finding the center of the net. One trick I use on younger goalies is creating a formula or standard check list in order for them to be square in the net. Younger kids like cartoons and such so I would suggest finding cartoon characters they relate to in order to think about the check list... (similar to the words used to remember the Solar system in elemantary school when we were younger.)
Here's an example:
- "Peter Griffin" : Post... check the posts to make sure your in the center of the net.
- "Homer": their "Home" should be at the top of the crease in most cases.
- "Bugs Bunny": Their Belly button should always be facing the puck
Etc...

You'd be surprised what little things to engage kids will do.

Teaching them a propper stance that is both comfortable and efficient. Once you go over that stuff, You can start doing simple drills like facing shots while in their propper stance. Stuff like facing shots, how to propperly execute a save. Keeping it simple will not put too much pressure on a kid and scare him away from the game... In most cases you don't know if he is wanting to play or if his parents want him to be the next patty roy. Also being able to make these saves makes him feel like he has accomplished something and would encourage him to want to try harder stuff.

Then you can move onto things like moving off the post, following a pass, then recieving a shot.

All of these things are ways to teach him aspects of the game without him actually realizing he's learning.

I would also concentrate on skating a lot... T-pushes, shuffles. this might require some work from you. In order to make it fun, you might have to "challenge" him to a "race" (you would loose of course), but always make sure he is doing propper technique. I have found this is a great way to work on skating with younger kids who just want to have pucks fired at them.

Hope that helps.
Ken

[fleuryrocks29]

Sorry it has taken a while to reply to this thread. I just havent had enough time to post a reply that was more than a line or two. I have also been thinking of more questions to ask.

and I really appreciate the responses, because as I am only 17 I could really use the advice of the people who have been coaching for aslong as i have been alive aha!!

Anyways I would like some simple but fun goalie specific drills that will work on all aspects of being a goalie. As I mentioned I am only the goalie coach, so I am with the two goalies for 10-15 minutes for practice. the rest of the time the head coach wants the goalies back to play with the team. And most of the drills that the coach has doesnt have the goalie in mind at all.

Sunday morning we had a 6am practice and i was so rattled(i wasnt sure if it was because it was 6am or what) because they took my goalie for about 15 minutes and the setup pylons and basically did breakaways and 2 on 0's for that time. The poor kid was so tired, so I took him over to get water and just made him take a little break. I asked him if he liked that drill and obviously he said no. I dont wanna say to much to the head coaches as they are my best friend but i would like some drills that have more thought about the goalie and isnt just constantly shooting on him, but still works on the players stuff!!

After the practice I asked the goalies dad if he would be interested in private lessons. I already asked curtis(thats the goalie) and he said he was interested. So I am going to take him to the shooter pad and work with him a little bit. So this is why i want goalie specific drills.

What drills are good for a goalie his age?
How much time per drill should i take?
Should I do a lot of skating, or just incorporate the skating into the drills?
What about getting up on the wrong leg and that stuff, is that too technical for a kid his age?
I am kind of confused with where I should start. I kinda went really forward, then I went backwards. I first started with some shooting drills one practice, then the next I worked on more skating. So i would like to know where to start from.

I also have a question about his pads. The boot strap/toe tie, with a goalie that young do you think it should be tighter so when their skating they dont have a pad flapping around on their leg, or loosin it up to allow for better pad rotation? I was kinda wondering about that.

sorry about all the questions, and it seems kinda unorganized and frantic, but I just really need the advice!

Also do you recomend wearing your pads while teaching the kids? To like demonstrate and show what to do. My goalie coach doesnt wear his pads but I am 17 so i am thinking i basically know all that junk. Just curious if it is a good thing to do.

Thanks again.

Mark

[Cujo_64]

The first couple times you go out there with the younger kids, yes you definately want to wear your pads,

you want to be able to demonstrate and show them skating, stance, save selection... at this age recovery is very important as well.... correct leg will take time for them to grasp so be patient.

them seeing you in your gear is inspiration to these kids, they love watching older goalies play, you are their pro, their hero at this point. Im willing to bet the whole way home they will be telling their parents how they loved being there and cant wait to come back.




Dont just go shoot pucks at a goalie... no one wants to be that guy. The only time I shoot pucks at them is to get them work on save selection and that is a couple times each save and then letting their team shoot on them and watching and reinforcing them to use the correct save per shot... stand off to the side to you dont get hit. I will shoot pucks on them to help them learn to use their stick to direct pucks to the corners as well, and then for rebound control, that is it.

They need to face shots from kids they will stop in a game... and their teammates shoot just like the other kids so that is fair.... having some coach shoot at them faster and harder isnt going to make them better at that age... dont be fooled.

also make sure they keep their eyes open when the puck is coming at them, very important.

Main thing is have fun. no matter what, they should leave the ice with a smile on their face.

communicate with the goalie parents if they have any questions to ask... also make sure your goalies are properly sized with correct sized gear... 1st thing I do. no one wants their students to get hurt or fall over with wrong sized or too small gear.


rob

[thrdeye]

I haven't coached kids at hockey, but I did teach martial arts for a while. The trick is to get them to do what you want them to do without them knowing they are doing it.

Now, this definitely takes some creativity on your part and success may lie in how you explain the drills to the kids. They know that they are supposed to stop the puck, that's obvious. Think about your goal for the drill and try to remember when you were a kid and what would make the drill exciting to you.

On the bright side, kids are easily motivated by little things.

[ukraine56]

You could get the" Between the Pipes" videos i use them for 16-17 year olds and there awsome

[Canucks_Fan]

I'm going to use Pro Hybrid DVD with my goalies.