Butterfly improvements (pics)

[Jukka Ropponen]

I just started to use butterfly more when I was already over 40 years old. This was enabled by the new style pads and loose strapping & pad rotation.

One of the problems I had was letting too many goals go on the blocker side between my body and arm.

Now it looks like I have solved the problem with some mods to my gear and play.

Here's how my butterfly looked like a year ago:



Since then I have changed to 1" talled pads to close the 5-holer better. I did also change my stick pattern to compensate for the lower stance and butterfly use and moved the stick a bit more to the left when going down on butterfly as the pads already close the 5-hole well enough. This move closed the hole on the blocker armpit.

Here's a pic how that looks like today on a photo Yona (phantom29 att bb) took last night during our workout.



Jukka

[jdog111000]

Jukka, Thats sweet, love the photos!! Only wish you would post more of them. Your gear looks great.

[jabber_39]

Jukka,

Nice pictures ! Your pro-fly postion is definately something to work toward. You say you play a lot more Butterfly as you got older. Nice to hear that it just isn't me. As I've aged (I'm 43) it's more about blocking and repositioning for the re-bound than "reaction" saves. Maybe it has to do with vision. I cleanly catch a lot more pucks in the Butterfly than when I stand-up. (It's all prespective, right !) The other thing I'm noticing is that the thirty and fourty year old's I play against can still fire the puck !

May I ask a question? Is that an original Northland stick (vintage) or are they back in production ?

[blocker]

Christian bought the Northland name and you can customorder them now with the Northland logo.

[jdog111000]

For anyone who cares, I am an all butterfly goalie, the quebec butterfly and my butterfly looks like this.



This isn't me.

[bedris]

Jukka, I think your original glove position (the first picture) is a lot better than in the second picture. I think the ideal butterfly glove position is like the pictuer that jdog posted.

If you're high enuogh on your angle, then shots are more likely to go under a raised glove then over it, and that's why it's better to keep it tight to the pad and body.

[jdog111000]

Yah Jukka, I really think you should move your hands down lower. I know you have more play experience then I do but I think if you did you would loose 2 holes on the side of your body. I use to have a butterfly simular to the one you have now and I would get beat in the below the arms but now that my hands are lowered I stop alot more shots.



My stance also helps make the butterfly easier, with the hands already pritty low when i drop my hands don't move.

Just my thoughs on how you could try and improve your butterfly.

[jens_iceman]

Nice stance all of you !!!!!!

[Bryan]

Your glove positioning was definitely better in the before picture.

Your blocker WAS too wide on the first shot, but now it's too tight to the body, giving double coverage instead of width.

[TartanBill]

Jukka, it also looks like you are keeping your body more upright in the "now" pic.

The pad closure looks really good. I use very short top pads (like Brodeur or Billington) so I cannot get anywhere near that closure.

It also looks like the the puck will have trouble sticking in your trapper. Do you think it would help to get it facing out a bit more?

I wish I could get someone to take pics of vid of me from those angles. I've had (have) bad habits persist for years.

[jdog111000]

Yah Jukka like TartanBill said you should make your trapper face the play more because you won't have to move it as much to make a glove save and you cover more net with the glove facing that play.

[gizmo]

jukka, I would comment on your b/f but it would be like peewee herman telling arnold how to bicep curl. I do have a question. as a old fart goalie (i.e. i'm not posting about my 8th grade dance) who has picked the game back up two years ago after 12 years off i'm not finding the flexability I had hoped to once I started stretching and playing again. I've been doing the stretches that I found on your sight, and also on a couple of posts here on the bb. also something to take into consideration, is that I did alot of damage to the hips,legs,ankles,and feet with a tangled parachute landing (its a good thing I landed on my head) any suggestions?

[jdog111000]

Ok, I just took this picture in my house of my butterfly. I know I don't have a goalie stick, but I couldn't find mine, my dad has them in his car. But here is my butterfly, very simular to the one I posted before. In this one you see the gloves are facing the play and there are really no holes. The 5 hole coverage isn't as good as in the "now" picture Jukka has posted but that is because these pads are only 31" and I have to wait to get my new ones.

[jdog111000]

This is Stephane Lawa from the board, this was taken a could of years ago. He tells me to tell you guys that his butterfly is bigger, just he couldn't get it that big because he is on a sliding board, which I cut out using Paint Shop.

Picture Number 1





Hope this helps you Jukka!

[Jukka Ropponen]

Just a quick comment on the catch glove position.

The now one works a lot better for me than the old one as I now have my hands more in front of my body and I can move them better and control the puck instead of just blocking it.

The position of course does depend on the situation and it would drop down more to the old position on real close plays.

For those that are coming to next weekend clinic we will do drills on this in the goalie room and work on the saves from butterfly position.

Jukka