Common Pitfalls

Pitfalls (& Their Remedies)

Hitching

Goalies frequently make a movement before the shot comes. This is to your detriment. It gets you out of position and sometimes gets you moving in the wrong direction. Below is a video from Goaliesmith which has an excellent breakdown and a drill.

[Video Reference: GS Poise and Stepping]

Rebounds

You need to avoid giving up rebounds in order to be a robust goalie. There are multiple factors that contribute to rebounds and any single one can cause them. Broadly, the keys are in the stick, the head angle, and the bottom hand.

The Stick

If your stick is a tennis racket, it will give up rebounds. The ball is moving too fast to be controlled by a shallow stick with no retention. If your stick has no control in general making things like line drills difficult, it is time for a restring.

If you don't know how to string a goalie stick, there are a few options:

1. Learn: knowing how to string is a great skill to have. In addition to giving you the most control over the feel of your stick, it can also get you out of tough spots when your stick breaks. There are resources out there on how to string that make it very accessible, and it can extend the life out of your heads.
2. Find a Stringer: Sometimes you have a stringer who can dial a stick in well for you. Be wary of their accessibility, though. Are you going to go to college hours away from them? Maybe you should get a few backups ready to be safe.
3. Buy Prestrung: Generally, I wouldn't recommend this. Most factory prestrung sticks are no good. However, I have had success with stringking's Mark 2G prestrung head. It is actually what I use now. I would imagine ECD's Impact prestrung is similar in quality. Elsewhere, they have not been good for me.

Head Angle

When making the save, the head needs to be perpendicular to the shot coming in. If you are square to the shooter, this usually means about flat, like how it is in your goalie stance. Therefore, when you make saves, do not allow your stick to angle away from your body. This will cause the ball to pop out of your stick in the direction you point the head. Similarly, if you absolutely cannot keep the ball in your stick, angling the stick so the rebound goes to your feet will let you control it, but I would say you should get the ball to stay in your stick first.

Situations do happen where the ball path is not square to you. Bounce shots are the most common example. When the ball bounces by your feet, it will have an upward trajectory. You need to match this with a downward head angle (Think smothering the ball. If you don't, it will potentially rebound or get past you.

Bottom Hand

Your bottom hand is what gives you control with the stick. There aren't many great resources on it, but it is one of the most important parts of the position. An active bottom hand will help you reach difficult shots & control the ball.