My stance:

[MetropolisPt31]

Folks, I have been playing organized roller hockey for a year and I have improved my game in leaps and bounds. However, I am now mired in a bad slump and I need some feedback to help me improve. I will show you two pics of me in my stance. Now, I posed for both pictures but they should give you an idea of my stance.





Here's what I notice:

• My glove is too far from my body. (I have slowly been correcting that and while players still shoot at my now smaller gap, I can usually trap the puck between my arm and body. That still sucks tho.)
• I have a gap between my right arm and body.
• I should bend my knees more, perhaps.
• Why the hell is my upper body slightly rotated to my left?!

What else could be fixed? (And don't say get rid of the Franklin stuff... unless y'all wanna send me 580's. ) I just bought a new Sherwood "Hextall" stick, which has a longer paddle and lets me keep my arm closer. Will the stick help? Will it slow me down when I go down low? You guys have helped me quite a bit before and I hope you guys can do it again. Thanks.

[ChrisMangano]

I think your body is rotated to the left because you are holding your glove too far back. Try holding it out in front more and it should bring your shoulder forward.

[Vision]

It is very difficult if not impossible to make adjustments based on posed pictures. While you might think that it is how you look when you are playing but you might be suprised. My advice, get somebody to take some pictures when you are playing then maybe we can provide you with some help.

[wyatteagles26]

might i ask wut size is ur paddle?

[Chilis93]

Sorry to be off-topic, but do you wear Nike Quest 3 skates in the pictures?

[Colin]

The first question I would ask is what particular areas of your game are you having problems with? Are you getting beat in particular areas?

Another thing I noticed from your stance, aside from the glove thing, is that you look pretty committed to the butterfly. I'm not sure how versatile that stance is. You're going to have to find a stance that works for you, and here is Ed Belfour's $1billion advice on the topic:

1. SIMPLE -- that is you want to position yourself in such a way that you will be faced with a simple save. Most importantly, the first save in any attack sequence is the key. A controlled first save will inevitably lead to greater puck control and more efficient recovery.

2. VERSATILE -- that is you want to be in a position that will allow you to respond in either direction or to changing circumstances.

3. COMPACT -- that is you do not want to allow pucks to access the net through your body (note: most so-called butterfly goalies are not true butterfly goalies but do play a more compact and down game then do others).

4. PATIENT -- that is position yourself and prepare yourself in a manner that will force the attacker to commit first. Of particular relevance to achieving patience is position. In each attack there is an optimal position. Reaching a set, optimal position limits net access which in turn allows the goaltender to be patient with their save response.

For me, I like to stand more like a shortstop than a goaltender, with my legs closer to parallel than yours. I also vary my stance slightly depending on whether I think it's going to be a shot or a pass. Truthfully, I don't see you moving laterally too easily from that stance.

No matter what you're going to have to find the stance that works best for you. Good luck, and remember...keep your stick on the ice.

[MetropolisPt31]

ChrisMangano - Hot damn, you're right. I used to have a tendency to tuck my glove in like Felix Potvin and a friend told me to expose it. I think I'm trying too hard to expose it and am rotating because of it.

wyatteagles26 - The stick in the pic has a paddle length of 24.5" from heel to the point where the shaft meets the blade. My new Sherwood is 26".

Chilis93 - I wear Bauer Vapor skates.

Colin - At this point, I have consistently been getting beat high stick side and five hole. I think my (bad?) butterfly tendency stems from my weight loss and work out methods. When I was 270 pounds, I'd stay up most of the time. After I lost the weight, I think became too reliant on my leg strength and you are correct in assuming that I don't get a good push from that stance. I am 6'2", 185 pounds and I am not sure how to use that to my advantage if there is one. I guess my most consistent part of my game is my flexibility and quickness, at this point.

[KingOfTheCrease]

well colin took all the good points i don't claim to be any expert myself but one minor thing i noticed is that your back seems to be hunched over a bit. it would just seem a little difficult for you to keep your centre of gravity on the middle of your skates. personally i find it comfortable to have my back a little more upright as it gives me better balance. however the point colin stressed, that you should find a stance that you're comfortable with couldn't be more spot on. it may take a lot of work at training and many goals given up, but it might be worth trying out all the different points that board members make. some may work for you, most will feel awkward at first but you'll find something that you're comfortable with.

EDIT: i didn't realise metropolis had replied. seriously, check the times of the messages

[MetropolisPt31]

Here three series of stills I took from some Quicktime clips I have. They give a good view of my lateral motion and of my stick side.

What do y'all think?

Colin:
If my I kept my legs closer together, do you think I'd get a bigger push on a motion like the one I do in the first series?

[Colin]

Originally posted by MetropolisPt31

Colin:
If my I kept my legs closer together, do you think I'd get a bigger push on a motion like the one I do in the first series?

Nice stills. Personally I've found that keeping my legs slightly closer together gives me a better ability to move if I need to. Whereas keeping them a little farther apart allows me to close up the 5-hole quicker. It's only a metter of 6 inches or so, but it I think it makes a big difference.

If I know he's a shooter, the the legs go apart.
If I know he's a passer, the legs come together.
If I'm not sure, I assume he's a passer, until he gets inside the circles.


It's hard to tell with all the pads on, but this shortstop shows the ideal stance for me: his weight is on the balls of his feet and he's ready to move in any direction. His legs are fairly far apart for me, but his shins are almost parallel instead of having his knees pointed inward and almost touching like in your first picture.

[WERNER 1]

OOh, ooh, I know what your problem is..........it's that you're not even there! Atleast judging from the pics because.....I can't see them!.

What gives?