Good goalie drill?

[gigo567]

Well my dads cousin who I think played goalie for UVA or something told me a few things that could improve me in playing goalie for next year. Here it is.

Without your stick get someone to shoot soft lacrosse balls at you 100 times. And you have to stop each shot with just your hands.

Same drill as above except switch to hard lacrosse balls.

Go in goal and use a goalie stick. Flip it upside down and use the shaft to block the shots.

Go in goal and use your body to block the shots.


There were some more he told me but I forgot them. But he said these drills would teach the goalie not to depend on his stick all the time but also use his body to block shots.

So do these sound like some pretty good drills?

[OldGoalie]

Well, assuming we're talking about field lax here, I like the first three, but not the last one. Encouraging the goalie to use his body to block shots is not so effective in the long run, because the percentages are lower than with a stick save. There's just more stopping area on the stick head than there is with most parts of your body, not to mention that you can move the stick to the ball faster than you can move most parts of your body.

That being said, learning to follow up the stick head with your body (i.e. your hands and hips) IS a good idea, and can be accomplished using the first three drills. That gets you used to stepping to the ball and getting your head and body behind the shot to stop it.

I also like the Pilat drill where you hold a heavily weighted shaft (with no head) and stop volleyballs with it.

Finally, using your body to block shots will certainly shorten the lifespan of a goalie.

[robi]

Finally, using your body to block shots will certainly shorten the lifespan of a goalie.

Ha I agree with that. Even if you are wearing pads, it still won't be comfortable.

[FitzGoalie]

yeah...i don't really mind getting hit in the body in games...the glory of making a save, or perhaps just the adrenaline of games, is enough to over ride the pain...when i first started lacrosse, i was coming from a hockey background and was very used to using (mostly) my body to stop shots...now that i've developed a lot more i've come to realize that teaching proper stick saves (as well as proper positioning on the arc) should be the primary focus of a goalies training. Now, naturally, stopping shots with your body is ALWAYS preferable to allowing a shot in, however, it leaves you vulnerable to rebounds and doesn't allow the clear and transition of making a proper stick save and making the clear.

[powellman21]

try some of these drills....

1) instead of a lacrosse ball, start out with a soccer or volley ball and a weight bar...it shouldnt way more than 35lbs... then block the ball with the bar in the goal...this will make you quick and stronger...it will also make you faster with your hands

2) work on reflects skills...get a reflex ball and work on that ...do wall ball with it...and catch the ball..also work with another goalie and bounce pass it back and forth with each other

3) wall ball...tape two pieces of tape, one high and one low, then ask a coach or another player to throw the ball around you from behind.. and hit the wall and get the rebound...this works on reflexes and technique because you dont know where the ball is gonna go

try those out..

[stinisonfire]

try some of these drills....

1) instead of a lacrosse ball, start out with a soccer or volley ball and a weight bar...it shouldnt way more than 35lbs... then block the ball with the bar in the goal...this will make you quick and stronger...it will also make you faster with your hands

2) work on reflects skills...get a reflex ball and work on that ...do wall ball with it...and catch the ball..also work with another goalie and bounce pass it back and forth with each other

3) wall ball...tape two pieces of tape, one high and one low, then ask a coach or another player to throw the ball around you from behind.. and hit the wall and get the rebound...this works on reflexes and technique because you dont know where the ball is gonna go
try those out..


Not to jack your post, but the first one isn't going to work.

1) If you want to work on increasing speed/strength, drop 40 bucks for a weighted Warrior goalie handle. You could lose balance of the 35/45 pound weight bar and whack yourself in the leg. Not saying you're a klutz, but I've come pretty close to doing so myself and suggest staying away from swinging a 5 foot, 35 pound bar around.

2) This works wonders. You can find them on Pilat's page or at your local Deek's Sporting Goods.

3) I did this A LOT with the goalie I worked on over the summer. Put a goal about 10 yards away from the wall and have your coach/teammate take shots from either side of the goal, behind the goal, whatever. You don't need tape for them to aim because that will give you a hint of where the ball is going. This drill is for reflexes, not for saving. The key to this is that you are reacting to the ball, seeing the ball and moving to the ball. This drill, again, is not about saving the ball (though it is encouraged to save the ball in this drill, don't get me wrong) but about seeing the ball.