It’s the time of year where lacrosse goalies want to get ready for lacrosse season quickly.

You may have been playing all winter or taken time off.

 

It doesn’t really matter what you’ve done up until this point because most goalies still feel a bit nervous going into any season.  Will you be as good as last year? Will you be better? Will you remember how to make saves? Will the coach pick you to be the starter?

None of these questions matter as much as what you DO between now and the start of your season.

So here goes, Coach Edwards’ tips for getting ready for the fast approaching lacrosse season:

Get Some Rest

The number one thing you can do to be the best you can be for tryouts is to be rested.  You must be getting enough sleep. Without solid sleep you’re NOT going to be at your best no matter how good you are.

I worked with a high school goalie last year about this time who was getting ready for a season that started at the end of January.

He was good.

He had skillz.

He was exhausted.

Turned out this kid was a bit of a night owl and had to get up at 6:30 every morning for school.  

My advice?

Don’t worry about lacrosse right now.  Get some sleep and your body will take care of the rest.

He was a true competitor and he took my advice.  He even took time at lunch to make sure his homework was done so he didn’t have any when he got home from school.  This allowed him to get to bed at around 9:30.

In two and a half weeks he reported having so much energy that his grades even improved.

His numbers in the gym went up too.  

By the time he got to pre-season he told me he was wired.  “I used to crush a Monster Energy or a RedBull before EVERY practice.  Now I don’t even bother I’m so ready to go!”

That can be you too.

Think Stimulation Not Annihilation

The tendency for athletes close to any season is to work even harder.  More weights. More running. More shots. Lacrosse goalies are no different.

Lacrosse season isn’t like a spelling test.  You can’t cram for this so don’t try.  

If you are taking shots or running with teammates or hitting the gym, think stimulation and not annihilation.  Your goal is to get your nervous system primed and not overwhelmed. Don’t seek getting sore.

“But Coach Edwards, our coach is going to have us do all sorts of running drills and burpees and all sorts of hill stuff.  It’s gonna suck!”

Tell your Coach the 80’s called and they want his Indian Runs back.

Seriously.

You should NOT be running long distances.  You are the fastest and most twitchiest kid on the field as well as your F.O.G.O.  While your team runs mega laps you should be running 12-20 yard sprints, max. 

But I’d rather see you in the cage taking shots and working on your clearing.

Which leads me to…

Work On Your Stick Skills

No matter how much of a break I ever took off from lacrosse getting my stick back in my hand was one of the best things to ease my nerves and remind myself that I could do this.

Also, having a break allowed me to feel how much stronger I had gotten from the year before.  I could throw further with more accuracy, and when I tried to rifle the ball I could really feel the ball fly out of my stick. (I once clocked 86mph with my goalie stick as a sophomore.)  

I believe 100% that ANY player who has good stick skills has the potential to be a great lacrosse goalie.

Think about it, aren’t you really just trying to be the greatest “catcher” on the team? 

Then why not make sure you’ve got some awesome stick skills to go with the brass balls you need to step in the cage? (And “lady balls” for all of my female goalies out there too!)

If you just think you’re going to get in the cage and be great without great stick skills then you need to rethink what you’re doing and start working with your stick.

Oh, and it doesn’t have to be your goalie stick either. 

I get it.  Lugging your goalie stick around can be a pain sometimes.  That’s ok. Get your short stick and use that. Get a tennis ball and start working every wall in the house. (Sorry, Mom.)

Ok, maybe not in the WHOLE house.  Just those walls that can take it. I used to shoot tennis balls at the lower pine cabinets in my parent’s kitchen.  (They were PINE! Not MDF. You’ve been warned.)

If You’re Going To Lift…Lift Heavy

Ok, little disclaimer here.  If you’ve never lifted before, or you’ve lifted and you’ve only lifted light for sets of 12-15 then this takes some skill.

I recommend you only do this if you have a qualified coach with you or someone who can teach you and keep you using safe form.

The idea here is that your fast-twitch muscle fibers work when they move quickly OR move under a heavy load, slowly.  We’re talking sets of 1-3. And I’m also talking about squats, bench press, and deadlift. The Big Three.

But again, if you haven’t really lifted much, don’t start this now and risk injury.  

But if you have lifted before, let’s see you up that intensity.  Your fast twitch muscle fibers will thank you.

If you are looking for strength and conditioning programming, I can help you.  Email me at coachedwards@lacrossegoalieuniversity.com 

Believe In Yourself

I could put this at #1 but you probably would brush off this article completely.

You….MUST…believe in yourself.

For many lacrosse goalies who I work with I could say that “belief in themselves” is one of the primary factors that dictate their success.

Not sure if I typed that well enough but I hope you get my point.

If you believe you are ready, you will be ready.

If you believe you aren’t ready, you won’t be ready.

Henry Ford once said, “If you think you can, or you think you can’t…you’re right.”

Do you think you can?

I think you can.

And if you don’t think you can and you need some help this season with your goalie why not book a Breakthrough Call with me and we’ll see if you and I might be a great fit for private lacrosse goalie coaching this season.

Conclusion

You can do this! I believe in you.  (If you’re the parent reading this I’ll just tell you to make sure your belief is up there too.)

You are going to have a great season.  I know you might feel it’s coming fast and you might not feel totally ready…

Or you’re beating yourself up because you could have done more this off season but you didn’t, for whatever reason.

Don’t be that kid.  You’re going to be just fine.  

Follow the advice in this article and I know you’re going to put yourself in the best position to have a great season.

I’ve been giving this advice for a long time and it has NEVER failed.

You got this.