[g] Clearing after a save

[Garor]

I know what everyone will say, so let me get it out of everyone's system. "What good is a save if you're just going to throw it away?" There, no more of that, it isn't advice. I have no problem making a save, but I sometimes panic when it comes time to clear the ball. I'm looking for advice as to how to relax when it comes time to clear. I sometimes don't look at all my options and throw a much harder to make clear. How can I quickly mentally focus, check my options and make the quick clear? Any help is appreciated.

[goalieskcickay]

I have the same problem. What I do is step out of the crease (unless there's someone right next to it. duh) and then i have time to find an open guy. If an attackman is lingering, try to make your stick hit his, even if the pass is nowhere near one of your guys that's interference and a free clear. If an attackman is standing close to the crease nut not right on it,
just run out and away from him, and if your defense is good they'll get open for a quick pass away.

[laxkeepermem]

before you clear, think about the save you just made...not what the shot was like, or your positioning, just the fact that you made a save. the other team was just shot down by you! that helps me relax sometimes...knowing that they know that they just had a chance and i wrecked it. also, remember that you have a lot of time in the crease to think about the clear you are making. i know for girls we have 10 seconds...thats a lot of time. but i have the same problem as you with over-throwing, so i just do a bunch of clears to teammates running around the field during warmup, and i practice clears for a bit every practice.
hope that helped a lil
-mary

[Garor]

The problem this year, is that most of last years defense graduated with the exception of me and another defender. We're a little unexperienced right now, so people don't always cut right after the shot. I'lll try focusing harder in practice, and see if I can get used to the pressure again.

[laxkeepermem]

we have a really young team in general this year -- a ton of freshman. my coach often subs my upper-classmen defense out during the game to give the younger ones a chance to play, so i get stuck with players who arent as experienced which leaves me with...close to nothing to work with. so i know exactly how u feel. it takes me forever to find an open player sometimes, and there are a lot of girls who will keep calling for the ball, but they have someone right on them, and end up getting mad at me for not passing to them. pretty ridiculous. but ive talk with my defense a ton, so now i always have one girl who, as soon as she sees that i made the save, runs down the goal line extended. i can pass to her and she can either run or pass it up. she's kinda like my back-up pass. if you talk with you defense a lot, tho, that should help...ur like the backbone of the team, so they will listen to you. it just might take some time. good luck man, youll do fine. :)
-mary

[Coach MacLax]

When you make a save and yell "clear" everyone should have a set pattern to run, if this gets practiced you'll now where to look and learn how to identify quickly if some one is open or not and move on to the next look. Just like quarterbacks do when trying to pick a receiver. If every one breaks when you call "clear" someone is going to be open. Look first to the guy who was covering the man who took the shoot. Because the shooter is usually going "darn, he saved my shot" and his head isn't in the game for a couple of seconds, so the guy covering him should be able to get a step or two, which if your throwing skills are good (because even keepers need to hit the wall)is all you'll need.

[WHEELAX2]

A great way to settle down is to first make the save, then step around to the side or back of the goal within the crease.

From here you'll have had time to relax.. from the side or back of the goal look up field, then start to walk it up out of the crease checking for open guys.. If no one covers you, keep walking it up.

Four seconds doesn't seem like a whole lot of time once you make a save, so I can see why keepers freak out a little once they make a save..

I hope this helps rather than confuses.

[SharpShooter3]

I know how you feel. I have the same problem but a little worse. My defensman just run wherever the hell they want to, as oposed to where they are supposed to run. When I don't see an open man I panic and usually end up throughing the ball into the center of the field (major no no). Or an attackman will be standing in front of me and I panic and throw a bad pass. The best way to keep cool is to step back, go around the goal and look for your options. If there is no one to throw to but the field is open consider running the ball until someone draws to you then throw to the open man. With the attackman, remember, he can't hit you so forget he's there. At practice make sure your defensman understand exactly what to do during a clear. If they have trouble with it tell the coach and he'll find a way to get through to them. Hope this helps.

[stegmakk]

When you make a save and yell "clear" everyone should have a set pattern to run, if this gets practiced you'll now where to look and learn how to identify quickly if some one is open or not and move on to the next look. Etc.
Coach MacLax has the perfect explanation. If after that first look at the defenseman who is covering the guy that just shot isn't open, and you know your time is running out thats when you exit out the back of the crease behind the net and look to run your set clear.