Rebound Control and Playing the Puck
The goalie has to be an active participant in the game when the play is in his/her end. Being able to corral dump-ins and control loose pucks are key components of the goalies responsibility. Becoming efficient in this area will enable your defense to make good plays because they are not scrambling or chasing after the puck. It will also make the goalies life in the crease a lot easier.
Puck and rebound control derives from solid fundamentals such as a well balanced stance and proper save selection. The rebounds should be directed in a well controlled manner. This is achieved by always being alert and reading the play as it is unfolding. The aim is to direct the puck to the corners and out of the danger zone straight from the save. The goaltender's own team will also benefit as they will know where they need to go to get the puck and they don't need to scramble for loose pucks in front of the goal.
Typical puck control opportunities for the goalie:
High/mid high shots straight at the goalie.
Many young goalies see these shots as easy, routine. But stopping the shot is only part of the equation, what happens after?
Is the opposition making a line change? Is your team making a line change? Are there lots of players around? Why just let the shot hit you and bounce out right in front of net?
Solid fundamentals are so important and in this case the basic stance is key. If you don't have the proper stance you will not be able to control the pucks as well as you should and therefore, will give too many unnecessary rebounds.
Use of the catch glove.
For all goalies, the glove (trapper) save should be their "bread and butter" save.
Think, for example, of a situation where the shot is a low one, maybe on a dump in, to the glove side. Make sure you are standing at the top of your crease following the play. Keep your glove out in front and use your body for back up. Follow the puck into your glove keeping it in front of your body.
Once the goalie has control of the puck, the first thought should be to see if he/she has any of his/her own teammates open to play the puck too. This is an example of “reading the play”. If there is no pass but little pressure, the safest option is to place the puck to the side of the net, behind the goal line or even behind the net if time permits.
As a rule of thumb, most of the time, it is better to play the puck to your own teammate then force a face-off in your own end. Naturally there are situations where the pass is not possible or it does not make any sense because of a long shift, penalty kill etc.
Shoot-ins.
This has to be practiced so that the team will know what to expect from the goalie during the game. This way the team will gain an advantage over the opponents by being able to predict where to skate for the puck sooner than the opponents.
Good communication between the defense and the goalie on shoot-ins is essential. Goaltenders also need to develop the capability to clear the puck when going to stop a shoot-in, especially when their teammate gets into a situation where he/she can't get to the puck.
The most typical area for this mistake is knee high shots straight at the pads. Most young goalies are happy just to kick those pucks out , thinking their job is done. They have not been practicing or thinking about what happens after the save is made.
In these situations a goalie needs to get the puck to a safe area, usually to the boards or behind the net. This will buy the defense and the goalie enough time to play the situation before the opponent gets control of the puck or shoots it.
The better a stick handler a goalie is the less his/her teammates need to skate to the goalie to pick up the puck and the easier it will be for the team to break out quickly from their own end.
Stick Handling and passing and the Science of Biomechanics:
Bio what? Biomechanics is the science of human movement.
For the most part, goaltenders are human and do move, so it makes sense to see how Biomechanics can be applied to playing goal more efficiently.
I'm bringing this up now because understanding levers and weight distribution will aid in the understanding of shooting and passing for goalies.
Basic Principals:
Definition:
A first-class lever is a limb in which the pivot point(fulcrum) is located between the Input Force and the Output Force to multiply the mechanical force that can be applied to another object. Also known as Mechanical Advantage.
So how does this make me a better stick handler and shooter? The stick is a lever or limb which when held properly, has a pivot point (F). The top of the stick is where the Input Force is applied. The puck at the end of the stick is the object to be moved by the resulting Output Force.
The longer the lever or force limb, the easier it is to generate more power (OF). Make sure you hold your stick at the very end.
In fact by keeping your elbow out and away from your body, you can actually extend the length of the lever by the length of your forearm.
Remember longer lever, greater Output Force. Keep your center of gravity over the puck as you rotate your weight from your back leg to your front leg during the follow through.
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