Need your Advice for Goalie!!!

[MichiganLax08]

hi i am in 10th grade and ive been playing attack/middie for 3 years. currently our team is in some trouble because we only have 2 goalies when we would like to have 4 (two for jv and two for varsity). My head coach told me that he really wants me to play goalie cause next year we wont have any and he thinks i would do a good job cause im a hard working athlete. i start playing goalie tomarow and next year i am going to be expected to compete as a starting goalie for varsity. ANY advice on goalie would be greatly apreciated.
Thanks

[nptlaxgoalie121]

don't be scared of the ball it doesn't hurt. Always step to the ball. Keep your body in front. Don't charge out on one on ones. Get a good relationship with your dmen. stay calm. read this http://www.e-lacrosse.com/2000/carc/9.html. I also said to someone else i don't know if its still out but im sure it is and my dad got it from great atlantic its a video called bill poilets(sp) goalie school or something along those lines. Its a good video with a lot of great things to do in the off season and stuff.

[Trilax03]

^yes bill pilats is a great video and i believe u can still buy it...staying in front of the ball is key as well as stepping to. Don't rush clears, take ur time and make sure u get a nice accurate clear. Communication is a huge must, if u trust in ur defense, they will trust in you (always tell them where the ball is and if any1 is open that can potentially get a shot off.) I just recently bought "Becoming a Champion Lacrosse Player: the Goalie" and it is a great dvd. You are the last line of defense, so make sure ur focused during a game and keep ur eye on the ball at all times. Stay on ur toes (more explosive steps.) There's a ton more about goalie if u want to know, so pm me if u need any extra help, etc...(hope my post helped u a little :-) )


1,800th post!!!

[fatLAX#1]

I've been a goalie for 4.5 years and last year i tried the richie barns goalie camp. Its a great camp. it costs $140 for 2 days. If you live in New York state you have to go it's WORTH IT!! It made me way better. :agree:

[stinisonfire]

I've been a goalie for 4.5 years and last year i tried the richie barns goalie camp. Its a great camp. it costs $140 for 2 days. If you live in New York state you have to go it's WORTH IT!! It made me way better. :agree:


Check his name, I highly doubt he's from New York with a name like Michiganlax..

Anyhoo, check out my thread on positioning. Search the other threads for goalie help as well. I'm going to start pushing for a goalie forum on here...

http://www.lacrosseforums.com/showthread.php?t=40475

If you do enjoy playing goal though, I highly suggest (at the very least) getting involved in some summer leagues and getting friends to shoot on you. If you feel that you really like it and want to be the best you can be, check out any camps offered in your area. I'll be working at a PEAK Performance camp in Springfield, Ma for a couple weeks in the summer and I'll still be learning while I'm there.

[middleton55]

yeah I can contest to the Bill Pilat video it's good for learning positioning, technique and drills for building your reflex. I actually got the chance to go to his goalie school in New York last year and I highly recommend it if you can get the chance to get out there over the summer.

[PinnacleGoalie]

Practice, Practice, Practice is the key. You'll get used to it!

[POCK3Ts]

i would say everyone has pretty much said it but there is one thing taht i learned this year at the Brown lacrosse camp. take a rope/string bout 40 or 50ft long and tie one end to each post. have someone else hold the middle of the string while u stand in the net. have them walk to different angles while holding the string. this will help you understand the angles and what part of the goal you ahve to cover at each point.

and as everyone has said dont be afraid of the ball( yes it will hurt the first time you get hit but suck it up, now i love gettin hit that how i warm up have a teamate hit me a few times), and practice makes perfect remeber that.

and one last thing just know that you are the most important player on the field and no matter what anyone says they couldnt play without you so when u let up a goal taht is end of story its in teh past. and if a defender blames you dont listen the worst thing you could do is get frustrated casue that will do is make you play worse(i have learned from experience)

good luck hope u can join the crazy bunch of goalies

[shamrocklax]

when i started i bought bill pilat's "the ball stops here" video and that helped s0o0o0o0o much... see as many shots as u can and go to as many camps and clinics as u can. good luck!

[lax21goalie2008]

Use your whole body. Thats what you're there for. You need to move, stay on your toes, said earlier in this thread, but it takes a second more to get off your heels and on to your toes for a step. Also, long cleats may be a nuisance because if you play on bad fields like i do, you can get caught in mud, so get the warrior turf shoes.

[speedyMcFunland]

Don’t shut your eyes at when a shot comes at your head. This may seem like common sense but chances are you have spent your whole life learning to blink or duck when you think you may be hit in the head, it is a natural defense. So just keep in mind that “that’s what my helmet is there for”. Like I said it might seem like common sense but I’ve seen a few good goalies ruined because they duck away from shots at their head.

[EricL]

When I started out, most of the shots I saved was with my body, not with my stick. So if its a bounce ball you have to step and stick down and most of the time it will hit your helmet or your chest pad. I might be a little indimitating it works and most of the time and thats what a chest protector is for =P

[big goalie 4997]

i went to a camp and there was a d2 college coach there he said if yoou want to make it just get infront of the ball take the blame when a goal is scored. NNNNEEEEVVVVEEEERRRR yell at your coach and during a time out run to your coach take 1 minute to see him and if you do that and your good you should do very well

[laXst_0Df3nc3]

good goalies try to read the shooter and get in front of the ball. yea it takes more balls and we're proud to take a speeding rubber object to the shin, but the great goalies read the ball not the shooter, cuz if the ball hits u and u dont catch it, the other team can get it back. first priority: stop the ball. second: keep the ball. if u try to read the shooter, if a different style comes along or the shooter is too close, u hafta get in front of it running the risk of a rebound bein recovered by the other team. watch the ball and whatever you do do not lose track of it