0:18 – Don’t be lazy and get to the point where you need to cram to get better.
0:40 – Getting protected will help lacrosse goalies get better faster.
1:02 – Upgrade your equipment so that you feel comfortable and safe in the cage.
1:54 – If you’re protected, your confidence will go up which will help you to improve quickly.
2:25 – Coach Edwards learned from being a hockey goalie that protection is the key to confidence.
3:18 – Taking away the fear of getting injured will leave a goalie confident and able to get better fast.
Introduction
Hey there. Coach Edwards at LacrosseGoalieTips.com and LacrosseGoalieUniversity.com and today we’re going to talk about the #1 thing you can do to be better faster.
Don’t Be Lazy
I get this question a lot. “Coach, how can I get better quick? I’ve got a tryout coming out. I’ve got something going on. Basically I’ve been lazy the last few months and now I’m in a position where I’ve really got to turn it on fast and I’m unprepared.” Well, one, don’t be lazy. But I digress.
Feel More Protected in the Cage
The number one thing you can do to be better faster is to feel more protected in the cage. That’s it. If you feel more protected in the cage, you’re willing to throw something in front of the ball that you wouldn’t have done before. If you’re worried about getting hit in the shins, throw on some shin guards because you’re more apt to get a foot in front of the ball and make more saves than you would have if you’re unprotected.
Accumulate the Right Equipment
If you don’t feel good about getting hit in the chest with the ball, you need a new chest protector. If you’re worried about getting your shoulders hit, get a shoulder cap on or throw on some thin shoulder pads. If you’re worried about getting hit in the you-know-whats, get a cup. Get a better cup. I would say one of the best things that helped me in the game is when I went from a regular cup, like a jockstrap, to a hockey goalie can, because that covered my whole lower abdominal section from my chest protector down, and made the boys feel nice and comfortable, so I felt better. Sure enough, I got some shots in the squares but it didn’t really send me to the ground in a heap and I was able to play and that boosted my confidence.
If You’re Protected, Your Confidence Goes Up
If you’re protected, your confidence goes up and you will play better faster, so make sure you’re protected. If your gloves are bad and you’re worried about getting hit in the hands, then you need new gloves. If you’re worried about getting hit in the thigh, throw on some football pants. Throw on some sweatpants and some baseball catcher shin guards and you will feel incredible.
Hockey Pads Keep You Safe
I was a hockey goalie as well as a lacrosse goalie, and a lot of times, especially in the summer, I would go from a lacrosse game to a hockey game or from a hockey game to a lacrosse game. What was always amazing was when I went from lacrosse to hockey and I put on all those pads for hockey I felt like, “A puck? Are you kidding? This isn’t going to hurt.” If you’ve seen that Clash of Clans commercial where the big barbarians are walking in, they’re getting hit by the cannon balls and they’re laughing, that’s how it felt.
Get into Your Comfort Zone
When I went from a hockey goalie to a lacrosse goalie I felt naked. One of the things I realized was in hockey, I never said to myself, “Jeeze, I really wish I could take these arm pads off so I could stop more pucks.” I was always thinking, “Jeeze, if I throw an elbow pad on here I’m going to feel pretty good. I’m going to feel pretty comfortable.”
The #1 Thing To Do is Get Protected
That’s the number one thing you can do to get better faster, it’s to get protected. You’re going to basically take the skills that you have and then put them in the cage and you’re going to take away the fear of getting injured or you’re going to increase your confidence that nothing’s going to hurt you, and you’re going to throw more in front of the ball than you ever did. You’re going to get down on bounce shots, you’re going to get your legs in front of stuff. You’re going to get your head over the ball. All that stuff’s going to happen and it’s going to feel way easier.
Conclusion
So that’s the number one thing that you can do to get better faster with what you’ve got. Leave me your comments below. Let me know how getting protected has helped your game and increased your confidence. I want to hear that. By all means, feel free to email me at CoachEdwards@LacrosseGoalieTips.com. Cheers.
Recent Comments