Finding the FSP(Fundamental Save Position)

[harri1]

Finding the Fundamental Save Position(FSP)

Focusing on protecting the lower part of the net, while important, means nothing if the goalie is off angle. There are three things the goalie must accomplish, at the same time, to truly be on angle.
Goalies Must:

1. Be on the Centre of the Net
2. Be Square to the Puck
3. Find Proper Depth for the Situation

1. CENTRE OF THE NET is the most important aspect a goalie needs to begin to play a simple, more effective game. Again, centre of the net is from the puck’s point of view. The goalie who plays a “centre of the net” approach will face less shots. First, by being in a position to reduce the number of second shots and/or being in a position of control to stop any rebound. Second, taking away more net delays the shooter in their shot selection or forcing the shot high/wide.

**Definition: Draw a line from the middle of the goal line, between the posts, to wherever the puck is being shot from. The goalie stands over that line so that it intersects the body and they have found the CENTRE OF THE NET.**

2. SQUARE TO THE PUCK means that the goalie’s shoulders. Gloves, knees, and toes, are all facing the puck when the shot is taken. Being square to the puck translates into covering as much net as possible with the body.

3. DEPTH is how far you move off the goal line to take available space away from the puck. The closer to the puck the less the puck sees. However, the more a goalie moves out the further the goalie will have to move laterally if a pass is made. The depth played relies on game situations.

A well positioned goalie will create more missed shots. The less the puck sees the more accurate the shot must be. The more a goalie can find middle of the net and stay square the more a shooter is forced to hit a small target.

**If a goalie can incorporate the previous three elements into save selection they will have reached the FSP**

Reference: Coming soon...

[Just.Ice]

this may seem obvious for some of the more experienced goaltenders here, but it's definitely a useful reminder for those of us closer to the other end of the spectrum, so thanks.

[The Wall33]

Originally Posted by Just.Ice

this may seem obvious for some of the more experienced goaltenders here, but it's definitely a useful reminder for those of us closer to the other end of the spectrum, so thanks.

The FSP is not, I repeat not, a concept that most goalies fully understand. It seems exceedingly simple in theory yet in practice too few goalies use it properly, if at all. And I include goalies who think they have developed well past this core skill.

As a goalie coach I analyze a lot of video and the most common fault I observe relates to an overly complicated pre-shot routine. Failure to simplify and play a quiet lateral game results in the inability to properly read the play while staying square and on angle. This becomes increasingly important the higher and faster the level of play becomes.

As many of us realize, the ability to read and anticipate the play is what separates the men from the boys and is what makes the concept of FSP so powerful.

I encourage every goalie to study this concept and make it the centrepiece of their shot save sequence. It will make all the difference in your game.

Wellsie

[harri1]

Original post by The Wall33 - The FSP is not, I repeat not, a concept that most goalies fully understand. It seems exceedingly simple in theory yet in practice too few goalies use it properly, if at all. And I include goalies who think they have developed well past this core skill.

As we work more and more with aspiring and established elite goalies in Saskatchewan it is increasingly obvious to me that David is right; the FSP is not a concept that most goalies understand completely, among other concepts.

The first thing goalies need to realize is that the centre of the net is located on the middle of the goalline between the posts. Some goalies have expressed their understanding of the centre of the net being the middle post in the net. There is a significant difference unless the puck is exactly in the middle of the ice. Centre of the net is the most important aspect of the FSP. There are many goalies that have been brought up to believe that depth is the more important part of being on angle when they are very different ideas. Basically, do you want a very aggressive goalie who has longer to travel to lateral plays to stay on the centre of the net or would a conservative goalie that is always on angle be the better goalie? When Ed Belfour made his dramatic overhaul early in his time with Dallas we saw a less agressive Belfour who was always on angle which lead to a much more efficient game. Sean Burke is another great example of a goalie that learned the importance of being centre of the net and not just being agressive in regards to depth.

**NOTE: When trying to be centre of the net the goalie must make an imaginary line from the middle of the goalline that intersects them completely up the middle of the body and continues on to the puck. Think of James Bond strapped to a table and a lazer that is in line to cut him in half right up between the legs. The goalie is James Bond and the puck is the lazer.**

The idea of depth has many misconceptions. Depth is always used in conjunction with the idea of being agressive. Many times goalies are told they must play way out of the crease because they are too small. This idea can often exacerbate the problem of trying to be on centre of the net while tracking the puck. Overly agressive goalies have a complex pre-shot routine because they have further distances to travel, laterally and back towards the net. Another complicating factor with over-agression is that excessive depth often leads to excessive fades which can cause the goalie to open holes prematurely and can carry too much momentum which must be stopped in case of a surprise. It is important to note that fading back after initial depth is a key component of a goalie's understanding of depth. Not only must goalies understand how far they must come out in a given situation but they must also know when and at what speed they must retreat. Goalies who do not understand both sides of depth, the coming out and the fading back, are going to struggle with angles, puck tracking and squareness leading to extra work or extra goals.

An important idea to finish with is knowing that the FSP changes depending on each situation. The FSP is always dependant on the situation (i.e. If a goalie is one foot outside the crease, on the centre of the net, but has an open player to the side at the top of the crease, the goalie is not in the FSP until they are deeper than the open player)!

Original post by The Wall33 - As many of us realize, the ability to read and anticipate the play is what separates the men from the boys and is what makes the concept of FSP so powerful.

[harri1]

When working with young or even beginner goalies there is one common mistake that is made with regards to being square to the puck.

Again, we must remember that being square indicates that the gloves, stick shoulders, belly button and usually the front of the pads (depending on whether the goalie is shuffling or uses the modified t-push) are facing the puck as it moves around the offensive zone. Goalie equipment protects mostly in the front which is an important reason to stay square to the puck when moving.

Problem: Gliding to the posts

The common mistake with squareness to the puck usually occurs when the puck is being driven wide and low into the zone. Often we see goalies that will glide backwards towards the post in a half-square type of setup and will then try to square up once on the post. In these situations the goalie has not used a shuffle to track the puck and stay square but often use a glide that opens a large hole through the legs, does not cover short side and leaves the goalie with a harder time reacting to pucks moved high into the zone. This problem is made much worse if a goalie is too agressive with initial depth and must use an excessive fade just to track the puck into the zone; a common occurence with goalies playing at a higher level for the first time.

Solution

It is important to note that a the puck being driven wide and low into the zone must be tracked using shuffles in order to maintain squareness. Only, once the player moves behind the goalline can the goalie reposition the back leg with the heal on the goalline in order to play a behind the net play properly.

Goalies if you are having trouble with the shortside or plays that develop off the rush, wide and low in the zone, then you may be gliding rather than shuffling. Staying square to the puck increases your alertness and makes it easier to react to any situation being thrown at you.

More to come...

[SpecialBlend]

Originally Posted by harri1

Goalies Must:

1. Be on the Centre of the Net
2. Be Square to the Puck
3. Find Proper Depth for the Situation

I have a question about one particular play, and I've illustrated what I'm talking about in the following attached images.

ShotAnalysis1.jpg
Say you leave a rebound out to your glove side. I believe there are three technical options here if you remain on your knees.

ShotAnalysisA.jpg
In this one, you rotate and square up to where the puck lies, then do a backside push perpendicular to your square line. You end up heading towards the near post and not covering very much net.

ShotAnalysisB.jpg
For this shot, you don't square up perfectly to the puck, but aim your backside push towards the center of the net. In the end position, you end up half in the net, but perfectly square to the puck.

ShotAnalysisC.jpg
For this, you rotate much less than A or B, aiming your backside push to the front of the post. The final position you don't end up square, but your legs aren't in the net. You have to travel the farthest for this.



I'm pretty sure the best position to be in would be C), but C) doesn't fulfill #1 and #2. B) fullfills #1 and #2 but not #3. Would B) be a better position to be in? What do you think?


Thanks,

Bryan

[harri1]

Specialblend - You have asked an interesting question, one that I have never tried to discuss in writing so here goes.

What I believe needs to happen is that you need to start by making sure you do not wait to see where the puck stops, make sure there is minimal post-save delay.

After you have kept visual attachment to the puck you will most likely need to use the y-theory to deal with this situation. As pointed out in option C you would look to rotate and slide back towards the front of the far post. By sliding back to the far post you have squared up to the new shot position in a somewhat naturally occuring way. Keep in mind the mini Huet in your picture is in a pose that would be quite different on a backside recovery response, which has some effect on the representation of squareness in your illustration. By driving towards the back post you will come in line with the centre of the net and if your visual attachment habits are strong you will likely end up very close to being on angle and square. Depth in this scenario would be about 6 inches outside the post on a shot from an angle so there is less net available for the shooter who will be rushed therefore shooting for the meat of the net. We would not want the goalie to have any piece of equipment behind the goalline as that may result in a goal being counted against us.

In order to ensure that squareness is achieved, or close to it, there will be some slight rotation of the body if the push/trail leg is sealed quickly with the ice and the leading leg making for one compact blocking save(See A Breakdown of Butterfly Recoveries). In essence you would need to use the majority of option C with a couple of changes that would help to deal with squareness.

Essentially, proper rotation of the body takes care of the squarness issue. Mitch Korn's y-theory works well for down recoveries especially to ensure being on centre of the net and to maximize squareness. If the rebound was closer to the goalline then squareness could be an issue but in the scenario you have illustrated squareness can still be achieved, or close to it.

In the end, rebound control would be a focus for further practices for that goaltender and a review of the Advanced Rebound Control: Rebound Priorities with an understanding that no. 1 or no. 4 would be a better rebound choice. Hey, nothing is ever perfect though.

Hopefully, I have given you a sufficient response that makes sense. Thanks for the challenge.

[secross2]

I'm posting this on the Kaz.....Excellent read

[SpecialBlend]

Originally Posted by harri1

Specialblend - You have asked an interesting question, one that I have never tried to discuss in writing so here goes.

...

Hopefully, I have given you a sufficient response that makes sense. Thanks for the challenge.

Harri, thanks for the reply! The main reason I asked about it was that I keep reading that you should always be square to the puck, but in that particular case it appears that you don't square up initially, or else the push angle will be incorrect.

If you've ever watched those videos by Corey Wogtech, an example of his is to recover to the center of the net to get coverage, then if there's time, regain depth (on a save and rebound to the middle of the ice, shot from an outside angle). But that's just it -- his example was from an outside angle to the middle of the ice, not the opposite side of the ice.

That was my rationale for coming up with B), but the leg inside the net was a bit of a problem, and I was just curious what others thought.

Thanks.

[harri1]

secross2 - Thanks for the compliment. We always enjoy a good discussion about goaltending.

SpecialBlend - Your welcome, I am glad we could help you out with your discussion. One last thought, when Corey Wogtech discusses getting to the centre of the net I think he means getting back to on angle, first. Being on angle and centre of the net is the same idea. It is always the first priority to be on angle with the new puck position as much as possible. Also, being on angle is always more important than depth which is why it is the first part of the FSP. If a goalie is half way between the top of their crease and the goalline but are on the centre of the net they are in better position than a goalie with excessive depth but who is off angle. At least, in my way of thinking, the goalie who is on angle has more time to react and is usually aware of the verticle and horizontal angles they may be giving up where as the goalie who is off angle and overly aggressive they will have less time to react plus they are giving up more horizontal space than they should be. I don't know, that is always how I have looked at these kind of scenarios.

Thanks again. Keep the discussions/questions coming!

[The Wall33]

This has been a fantastic discussion - thanks to Special Blend for his pictures (damn you're good with that stuff!) and Harri for well his reasoned thoughts.

This subject is near and dear to my heart and is one of the least understood and most important concepts a goalie can learn as a path to simplification and consistent play. I have spent the entire summer working with my elite level goalies trying to emphasize this point and they are (finally!) starting to get it and their gameplay has improved greatly.

My only comment on the pictures provided is the lack of context regarding when the rebound shot might be taken. Without an indication of the time before the next shot we are forced to guess on the timeline and therefore the appropriate response.

For example, if the shooter was crashing the net and about to slam the puck home almost immediately the only response might be a desperation dive. Alternately, if the shooter is 10' away and attacking hard we might have a chance to complete the backside recovery as noted in sequence C and be in good position. Every response is situational and must be analyzed in context.

As has been noted previoulsy, everything is predicated on strong visual attachment to the puck. Knowing the amount of time we have will necessarily affect the recovery choice and coverage sequence.

The key is to maximize the coverage in the shooting triangle consistent with the amount of time we have ie. occupying space. Lots of time & space should equal a set, square, on angle goalie with proper, situation specific depth. Less time will mean the loss of depth, perhaps a less optimum angle and some lack of squareness to the shot.

Priority should always be to get the body into the middle of the shooting triangle (ie. gain angle) followed by a rotation to square. If time permits a depth gain should be taken if warranted.

I strongly encourage every goalie to read and reread this sequence of discussions as the key foundation to better play.

[goalieboy29]

Hold up, Coach. I thought the key to better play was matching gear...(dang)

[The Wall33]

Originally Posted by goalieboy29

Hold up, Coach. I thought the key to better play was matching gear...(dang)

For guys like us, that is true. For kids with a future, it's not quite so critical.

[sloth2946]

Originally Posted by The Wall33

For guys like us, that is true. For kids with a future, it's not quite so critical.

Despite the fact that they will tell you it is paramount.

This is a great thread about what I would call Goalie 101.

In my opinion, learning to butterfly, butterfly side, this and that is all useless if you cannot get these simple concepts down pat.

Without these, and it is all predicated with having a proper ready stance as well.

One of the things mentioned here is the 'gliding' to the posts. This kills me when I see people do this. It opens the entire short side. I've burned quite a few goalies playing out on this.

I call the technique 'toeing into the post'. Meaning you want to drive the lead down into the post, either with a hard T-push or shuffle. Either way you skate should physically contact the post and if you do it that way on a drive down the boards, you will be square to the puck the entire time.

Another thing I wanted to make a minor discrepancy on is how you can tell people to be squared up to the puck at all times to get it to stick in their heads...provided they're boys of a decent age.

I tell my students, they need to have their butt down as if they are sitting on a toilet and that they need to show me, or the shooter their 'tits' if you will. With the younger guys I say nipples.

The point of telling it to them this way is that it registers in their brains better than 'belly button' because who doesn't like a little potty humor!

All in all, this is a good thread about goalie 101 though that everyone should pay particular attention.

Also, there is an old thread here that I penned and it was contributed by a lot of guys, although the images are long gone.... that addressed the issues related to over aggressiveness.

Sloth's Laws of Diminishing Returns ALLSTARTHREAD

[harri1]

Wellsie - Great addition, as usual. I agree that the context is often lost in these discussions but that is the trouble and most fascinating part of the position is that you can never run out of ideas to write about or discuss.

Sloth - The link you have provided is something that addresses a major issue we deal with every summer which is a lack of proper understanding, with our newest students and some of our returning students, on using proper depth. The issue is normally goalies that are far too agressive for elite level hockey/shooters.

Where we like to start is to be aware of what the puck's perspective is when it comes to understanding how much space the goaltender actually takes up in the net. Even our shortest goalie this summer, a 5'5" female goalie at our Midget "AAA" Prep Camp, at the top of the crease with the puck in the high slot on centre of the net has her shoulders way above the cross bar in her ready stance(even though a shooter may see over her shoulders). In her butterfly her shoulders were exactly even with the crossbar, again from the puck's perspective at ice level. Once students can see video or pics of themselves from the puck's perspective they begin to see that middle depth at the top of the crease to 6-8" inches outside of the crease is really the most aggressive they need to be without beginning to creep into the area of diminishing returns(great read, by the way).

Often with our newest or forgetful Top Prospects and Midget "AAA" Prep students we let the high level shooters pick them apart for the first two days of camp(we don't quite leave them all on their own but we do let them struggle a bit) and on the third morning we show them the video of the puck's perspective of themselves as compared to what shooters might think they see (which is of minimal importance, contrary to popular belief). What happens is almost an instant change during the next ice session with the shooters. All of a sudden goalies who are not overly agressive are able to get set earlier, forcing the shooters to either shoot wide or just hit the goalie in the crest. Even if the goalies do give up a rebound they begin to understand how depth can effect the way they play rebounds. Now the goalies are able to recover with greater efficiency rather than a desperate attempt at any rebounds that are odorous.

It is interesting that many goalies who play overly aggressive, usually so called "smaller" goalies according to their coaches, do not understand the issues that come with trying to play overly aggressive on initial setup or otherwise, like lack of readiness and rushed fades, as well as what the excessive fades may do to angles, squareness and opening of corners to the shooter.

**Part of understanding depth is not only understanding how far to come out in a given situation but to also understand the role a backwards fade plays in depth and the FSP in general.**

Great work, keep it coming!