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The Inside Angle
In 12 years of playing goal,
and 16 years of teaching teaching the position, I have heard the word
"angle" thousands of times. Coaches, defensman, and play-by-play
broadcasters use the word all the time. Ask them to define it, however,
and you will hear a hodge podge of double speak and half-thought theories.
When I was a young , I made Ed
Belfour look like a stand-up goalie. I used an outrageously wide stance,
and butterflied on every shot. Young goalies are able to get away with
a reflex based, less position orientated, game. As I discussed in "The
Stand-Up Myth" last month, I hate to see a 14 year-old attempt
to play disciplined, upright goal. The common result is not a natural,
flowing game, but an abrupt, awkward style that is years ahead of his
skill and maturity level, as well as that of the hockey he is playing.
Unless a minor hockey team is coached extremely well, with inordinate
emphasis on defensive zone coverage and second shot reduction, minor
hockey goalies who try to play like Kirk McLean or Mike Vernon will
ultimately be less successful than a scrambling, "dig for every
shot" goaltender. However, as the level of hockey improves, there
will come a time when doing less in the net will help a goaltender accomplish
more. A firm grasp of what "angles" really are is needed to
make this transition.
My first exposure to a more refined,
and successful, game of goal was during my first year in the American
League. I was playing for Binghamton, and was up against Philadelphia's
farm team, the Maine Mariners. The two goalies for Maine at the time
were Pelle Lindberg and Bob Froese. After Maine skated on the morning
of the game, the goalies remained on the ice for about 20 minutes with
Philadelphia Goalie Coach Bernie Parent. I sat in the stands, watching
Parent put the two goalies through a series of structured movement drills.
They concentrated on balanced, sideways mobility, and accurate positioning.
If you're old enough to remember Lindberg, you will know that he was
a very small man. When Parent added shooters to the drills, however,
Lindberg was making most of his saves without moving at all. On the
shots he did have to react to, he was able to reach with his feet or
with a minimum of effort. I can remember watching in awe as this little
guy zipped around the crease, making very difficult saves look easy.
It was at this time that I realized I did not know everything about
the position of goal, and it was time to learn more. That 20 minutes
was the most informative time I ever spent, and changed the way I approached
playing and teaching goal.
Since that morning 14 years ago,
I have developed a system for understanding proper positioning that
anyone can learn. What I am about to discuss is the very basics of angles.
In future articles, I will flesh out the system with other necessary
skills, but not before the basics.
There are three things a goalie
must do at the same time to truly have the angle on
every shot he faces. These three things are listed below in priority
of importance:
- CENTER OF THE NET
- SQUARE TO THE PUCK
- THE DEPTH YOU CHOOSE TO PLAY AN INDIVIDUAL SITUATION
1. CENTER OF THE NET is the
most important mindset that a goalie needs to begin playing a simple
but more effective game of goal. Understanding the definition is easy,
instituting it into your game is a little more difficult.
Center of the net can best be
defined from the puck's point of view.If the puck sees an equal
amount of net to either side of the goaltender, then the goalie is standing
in the center of the net.
Why is this important? Why should
a goalie try to achieve the center of the net for as many shots as possible?
The answer(s) to this are again basic, but not often thought about.
Allow me to draw one of my favorite
teaching examples. There are two goalies, Goalie A and Goalie B. Both
are identical twins with the same style, reaction time, and eye-hand
coordination skills. Both goalies play on the same team and play 40
games a year each. Both face the same amount of first shots during the
year. All first shots are identical for both goalies. The only difference
between Goalie A and Goalie B is that Goalie A gets the middle
of the net 10% of the time, and Goalie B gets the middle 90% of the
time.
By getting the middle of the
net only 10% of the time, Goalie A will be less successful than Goalie
B for 4 reasons.
- He will let in more first shots
because he has to reach or kick further to stop the first shot. His
hands and legs are starting further from the finish line (point of
save) than Goalie B. 2. He will give up more second shots because
of more desperate first save executions than Goalie B.
- He will be out of position for more
second shots because of his desperate execution on more first
shots.
- He will let in more second and third
shot goals because of his desperate execution on more first
shots.
One of the big differences between
good and great goalies is that, while both make saves on the first shot,
great goalies are in better position for the first shot which both reduces
the number of second shots, and, since they have not ended up on their
backs or butt, allows them to be in better position to stop any rebound
that gets away. Center of the net is one of the main reasons for the
difference.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Goalie A and
Goalie B would not face the same amount of first shots. While both actually
cover the same amount of net, because most of the open net around Goalie
A is in a large block on one side, a shooter notices it easier than
the open net around Goalie B, which is spread all the way around his
body in small portions. The quicker that a player can identify where
he has net to shoot at, the more likely he is to send the puck towards
the net. Thus, by forcing shooters to spend more time deciding where
(or even if) they want to shoot the puck, defensive players have a better
chance of intercepting the shooter before he makes a play. Therefore,
Goalie B will face a significantly lower number of first shots.
CENTER OF THE NET: DEFINITION
DRAW A LINE THAT STARTS IN THE
MIDDLE OF THE NET, ON THE GOAL LINE, TO WHEREVER THE PUCK IS BEING SHOT
FROM. STAND OVER THE LINE SO IT PERFECTLY SECTIONS YOUR BODY IN HALF.
YOU HAVE THE MIDDLE OF THE NET.
It will take time to learn this
technique. The best example in recent years of a goalie in the N.H.L
who breaks the center of the net right down was Tommy Soderstrum when
he broke into the League with Philadelphia. When the puck was outside
his zone, Sodestrum waited and rested on the goal line, in the middle
of the net. When the play began to attack, he squared up and pushed
out. Thus, he started in the middle of the net, then took away the angle.
This is why most NHL goalies do not rest and wait way outside of their
goal. They know they have time to move out and challenge the play once
it begins to develop.They also know they must start at the right
place to begin with.
Once the play begins to move
around the defensive zone, the corners of the crease (if you only have
a round crease you obviously can't use this part) can be utilized. The
corner of the crease in most regulation ice rinks represents a point
in the line that goes from the middle of the goal, on the goal line,
to the face-off dots on the goalies' sides. If the puck is being shot
from the face-off dot, and you are standing right over the corner of
the crease, you have the middle of the net. Looking down quickly at
the corner of the crease is an old goalie trick. If you watch closely,
you can see N.H.L. goalies glancing down at the ice when the play has
moved from one side of the ice to the other. Without backing up and
touching the post, they have found the middle of the net by the crease
corners.
If you start to try this technique
it will take time for it to become automatic. Soon, you will be checking
for the middle of the net without even thing about it, dozens of times
a game.
2. SQUARE TO THE PUCK is the
easiest of the three positioning objectives to achieve most times. Square
to the puck means that your shoulders, gloves, knees, and toes, are
all facing the puck when the shot is taken. Square to the puck means
that you are covering as much net as possible with your body, not turning
slightly and consequently opening up room on one side. For an easy example
of this, put your hand about 12 inches in front of your face, with your
palm facing you, and close 1 eye. Now imagine your eye as the puck,
your hand as the goalie, and an object behind your hand as a net. As
you twist your hand one way or the other, you will notice that net begins
to open up. The further you turn your hand, the more net you can see.
On sharp angles, being square can really help. Until the puck goes past
the goal line, keep facing it. Once the puck has gone past the goal
line, it is no longer a threat to be shot directly in, so you can face
the slot and get ready for a pass in front.
SQUARE TO THE PUCK - DEFINITION:
THE GOALIE'S SHOULDERS, GLOVES, KNEES, AND
TOES FACE THE PUCK.
3. THE DEPTH YOU CHOOSE TO PLAY AN
INDIVIDUAL SITUATION depends on personal skills and systems,
and there is not one simple rule that works all the time. Before I discuss
some of the rules that can be used, it may be useful to look at what
challenging the puck actually does.
One obvious result is that the
closer to the puck the goalie gets, the less net the puck sees. The
goalie still may have to react to the shot, but he will not have to
move as far to his sides to reach a puck shot to the corner of the net.
A less obvious benefit of challenging the puck is that the closer
a goalie gets to the puck, the more of the upper net he takes away.
Because the puck originates on
the ice, a shot that is rising must travel along a line of assent. Depending
on the angle of assent, the further the goalie moves out at the puck,
the sooner he intercepts the puck along its path. It can therefore be
concluded that if the goalie is going to move out at the puck, the low
net should be given priority to cover. Since most goals are scored
2 feet off the ice or below, the main area that will remain open will
be low. This angle of assent is one of the reasons that NHL
goalies will keep their gloves low when challenging a shot. Those upper
corner shots are the hardest to hit if your a shooter. The percentages
say move out, cover low, and cut the goals against down on the lower
shots. If this results in a few more goals against in the top shelf
during the course of a year, so be it. By concentrating low, you will
come out further ahead because the majority of shots you will face will
be low!
One rule that can be useful at
times is the old odd/even rule. When the attacking team
has more players on a rush than there are defensive players, the situation
is said to be "odd". Because there is at least one offensive
player unaccounted for in this situation, it is usually best to play
deeper (top of the crease) in the net, and let the play develop. When
the situation is "even", and there are as many defensive players
as offensive players covering a rush, the goalie can play further out.
Of course this depends on how disciplined the goalie's team is.
If covering a loose man means nothing to a backchecker, an even situation
can become odd in a split second.
Rules like the odd/even rule
are only a guide. Over the years, I have come to the conclusion that
the decision a goalie makes to challenge or stay back in the net is
often a natural gift rather than a learned technique. The goalies who
are successful seem to know when and when not to challenge. I'm not
saying that a successful system cannot be implemented by anyone, only
that people who are naturals at the position seem to do the right thing
intuitively. Challenging and not being caught out of the net is as much
part of being in tune with a particular game and the situation as any
mental decision process to move out or not.
THE DEPTH YOU CHOOSE TO PLAY AN INDIVIDUAL
SITUATION: DEFINITION
HOW FAR OFF THE GOAL LINE YOU MOVE TO TAKE
AWAY NET FROM THE PUCK. THE FURTHER YOU MOVE OUT, THE LESS NET THE PUCK
SEES, BUT THE FURTHER YOU WILL HAVE TO SKATE IF A PASS IS MADE. THE
DEEPER YOU PLAY, THE MORE NET THE PUCK SEES, BUT THE LESS DISTANCE YOU
HAVE TO SKATE IF A PASS IS MADE, AND THE EASIER IT IS TO ATTAIN MIDDLE
OF THE NET FOR A DIFFERENT SHOOTER.
When you think about it, the
successful goalies in the NHL these days are those who stay back in
the net more often. Joseph, Potvin, but especially Patrick Roy. Roy
really is amazing. He makes many of his saves on the goal line or just
a foot off it. On top of being an extremely gifted, natural goaltender
with great reflexes and hand eye coordination, (probably the single
most important asset all great goalies share) he uses the system I have
just discussed remarkably well. His first priority every time is to
get to the middle of the net. Even if he is on the goal line, with his
wide style, fast legs, and great hands, he knows that if he gets the
middle of the net he has an equal amount of net on both sides showing.
He will often utilize a butterfly to cover low ice, keeping his hands
low to his sides. He keeps his chest upright to take away as much upper
net as possible, and then reacts to the shot. While not many goaltenders
are as skilled as Patrick Roy, his success stems from the basics, even
though his style is not considered "the way to play" by goaltending
"authorities". He always gets the middle of the net, then
squares up, and finally challenges when it's necessary.
One further byproduct of a position
based system is that the goalie will create more wide shots. The less
net a shooter sees, the more perfect shot he is forced to make. If a
shooter only sees 4" of net, rather than 6", he will be forced
to make a more accurate shot. The more a goalie can find the middle
of the net and stay square, the more he forces a shooter to hit a smaller
target. This will obviously result in more attempts going wide or hitting
the posts. Goalies who play this way are often described as "big
goalies" or "goalies who take up a lot of the net". When
a goalie forces a shooter wide, it in fact can be considered a save,
since the goalie's system of play has caused the shot to go wide in
the first place. It may not count on the score sheet, but it's
a good feeling when you know you forced a shooter wide by giving nothing
to shoot at.
Playing center of the net dominated
goal can be accomplished by almost anyone. As a young goalie begins
to mature, his skating will become better, he will limit the times that
he makes any first move, and he will become more comfortable with basic
movements and save executions. At this point, he can begin to focus
on better positioning.Center of the net goaltending is, more
than anything else, a belief system to live your goaltending life by.
While it complements a quick, reaction-based style, it is a must for
a disciplined, "stay up on your feet" style. This system helps
build confidence and consistency in a goaltender's game. Whether you're
feeling great, or not so great, for any given game, the center of the
net is always there. It is constant.
Perhaps the most extreme example
of a NHL goalie playing this system was Pete Peeters in the last 3 or
4 years of his career. Although he was much maligned for looking bad
when the puck went in, Peeters seemed to be trying to stop every
shot without moving for any of them. His thinking appeared
to be; "if I can stand at the spot before the puck gets there,
it will hit me". Although radical, it is interesting that Peeters
went from a low stance, pad save goalie in his Boston days, to an almost
laughable upright, legs together, never fall down stance in his Washington
days, without much change to his goals against average or save percentage.
I'm not recommending for a second that this style be adapted, but a
combination of the two styles/systems would appear to be the most logical.
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