Coach Edwards has a serious rant about some negligent lacrosse coaches who are using a very dangerous, and ill-thought drill, that could permanently damage the eyes of a young goalie. This drill is dangerous and has no place for ANY lacrosse goalie coach to be using it.
Coach Edwards – I’ve tried canceling my silver subscription to your site via both email and phone since May of this year. I’ve seen no action on your side, I’ve received no responses, and yet you continue to charge my Visa monthly. This is a very frustrating relationship, to say the least. I’m now in contact with Visa and I’m told that I need to begin writing letters and documenting everything. I’d really prefer not having to go through this, but since you don’t return either phone calls or emails, I’m left with no other alternative.
Michael thanks for posting. I just love it when people post customer service questions on a blog. It’s as if, by posting it here you’re trying to shame the blog owner. Many blog owners would probably take this down, but I’m not going to do that.
I find it interesting you say you’ve been emailing me when I have no record of any email from you in my inbox. Not from your gmail address that you are subscribed to our free newsletter with, or from your personal domain (which doesn’t seem to actually have a site on it.) I also have no phone records of you ever calling me.
There are numerous ways you can contact me. Two email addresses and two Facebook accounts. All very easy. In fact, you could have been one of the 19 emails I got today in response to the newsletter that went out today prior to the post going live, that you opened. But no, you try to air dirty laundry and I don’t think that’s cool.
In response, I have refunded you the two months you say I should have owed you. But in addition I have refunded you ALL of the months you were a member. It seems that you’re not too serious about improving your goalies skills anyway seeing that you didn’t take advantage of the free goalie critique I offered you with your membership anyway.
Why would I refund you all of your months? Because I don’t want or need money from people who try to make me look like some sort of evil-doer. Last time I checked, there is no other lacrosse coach on the PLANET who gives away as much as I do for free to the lacrosse goalie community. While other coaches are happy to charge kids thousands of dollars, I bend over backwards. This is a labor of love for me and maybe that’s something you don’t fully understand about me seeing you just subscribed back in April. I appreciate that you felt compelled to join Lacrosse Goalie University and am disappointed that you didn’t take full advantage of everything there was to offer. In addition to your refund I have also blocked your IP and unsubscribed you from my free emails. I wish you all the best.
And if someone has read this far and resonates at all with Michael, please don’t join Lacrosse Goalie University. Please unsubscribe from my newsletter. As I mentioned before, this is a labor of love for me and I choose to work with parents, coaches and goalies who appreciate all that I do, and who are able to take responsibility and not try to make me look like I’m trying to steal from someone. Technology happens. Glitches happen. And just because you send an email doesn’t mean it landed on the other end.
BTW Michael I did get your phone call today. The first one that I can tell.
I wish you luck with your goaltending future. All the best.
Sincerely,
Coach Edwards
Hey Coach, I like the new beard it looks great. I am very serious about lacrosse. I try to practice as much as possible and have lost over 70lbs to get myself in shape last year, but I still think I am not up to par than those who have been playing since they were younger. It would be my dream to play college lacrosse for Loyola University as it is close to home in Baltimore and they have a good school program. Unfortunately, when I went to their goalie camp I found it hard to keep up with the fast pace shots that some of the other kids saved as if it was easy. This has really discouraged me and makes me wonder will I ever be able to play college ball. Truly all I want to do is play for a lacrosse team that is as passionate about the sport as I am. I’ll be honest here, my highschool team is not very good, and I think it’s because people do not care as much about lacrosse as much as some of the more devoted kids on our team. Plus they see it as something to do instead of a commitment and craft that they must work on to get better. Is there any advice you can give me that could help and do you ever think a guy like me could play at such a high level in college? Also do you think I should play two sports?, or try to find some fall ball leagues or anything else during the off season?
P.S. this year I was voted to be on my all conference team by unanimous decision by all the coaches in our conference. I’ve only been playing since freshman year, so I am willing to grind
Thank you for all the help you’ve given me on your youtube channel-
Kevin Porter
11 th grade
I won’t pretend to know the details of the situation. But I will say that I have followed Coach Edwards since he started his blog and I met him briefly at a lacrosse tourney in Denver that my son was playing in, and I have no doubt about what he says. He is doing this for his Love of the Game. I’ve paid coaches and the associated travels teams big bucks for their service to coach my kids. I’ve also done volunteer coaching myself. Coach Edwards is offering a different service here. As consumers we can all decide what we value and what we want to pay for, but I have no doubt Coach Edwards has nothing but the interests of the goalie community at heart.
Thank you @dagrant2001:disqus
The best thing I can say here is that I don’t see a point to this drill either. I repeatedly go back to comments you have made in the past. You have stated there are three parts to making a save: 1) See the ball, 2) Know where it is going and 3) Moving to the ball. This drill doesn’t work any aspect of the three aspects of making a save. For experienced goalies, training becomes more focused on part three and lying on your back, not moving while someone drops balls on your head involves zero movement.
I also agree with how you have described the negative impact that poor coaching, especially in young goalies, can lead to flinching. Here, I go back to your concept of “pain with a purpose” thus ensuring goalies are not just bodies in a cage. I would only add that some kids simply don’t have the mentality to play the position. It takes a special desire, perseverance and sometimes fortitude to play goalie in lacrosse. Just like some D-Poles will step in to take a shot and some D-Poles will step out of the way.
As always, thanks coach.
I appreciate the refund. Thank you.
David thanks for that thoughtful comment! You are obviously a great student. Thanks so much. Happy to help. I’ve gotten some great feedback from this post that I will be shooting future videos for. Thanks to everyone who has written me or commented.
Kevin I just wanted to get back to you fast. Your question is a little more involved than a simple comment back and I think I’m going to shoot a special video answering your question on my other blog. Will post the link here soon.
Here’s the short answer: I believe that most athletic goals are much more reachable than some people will tell you. Most would tell you not to bother. I will give you a plan to make it happen. Hang tight and give me a day or two to get that shot and posted for you. Thank you for the great comment and question. Happy to answer.
Thank you for reponding and as soon as I get the link I will check the video out. Thanks again!
When I was in high school in the 80s, this is how they picked a goalie. No flinch? suit up!
But I totally agree! I admit as a youth coach I used to do this drill occasionally…not so much to prevent blinking but to get the goalie to focus on the ball and try to spot the brand logo or a written number off the ball. One day with my own son we experienced the debris dropped in the eye. Very unpleasant but no permanent damage. That was my last use of the drill. It’s also totally unnatural in many ways…body position, the idea of not blinking, the sun in their eyes, even just the discomfort of lying down in a helmet.
I have used tennis balls with great success. To make them more lacrosse-like, i wrap them in 3 11-12in pieces of white (or yellow) duct tape. Makes them throw and catch more naturally than the grippy fuzz and deadens the bounce a little. I have a whole bucket of them.
I’ve also tried putting numbers, lines or shapes on them with a marker to get the goalies looking with focus at the ball. When I pull one out to toss, they try to see the shapes and call them out. What are your thoughts on that drill? I have coached a few dozen youth goalies, but I feel like it only made an impact on 2 or 3 who seemed to be overthinking and reacting “late”. But they all like the drill. Even if we’re just playing hand toss.
I have recovered.
Greg thanks for this great reply and sorry for my very slow reply.
I have gotten away from teaching goalies to focus to that degree on the ball. I find that the stress that a goalie feels by trying to zone in on the ball makes them miss all of the body “tells” that allow a goalie to learn where the ball is going.
This is not the same as trying to figure out where the ball is going to by reading a shooters eyes, or their shoulders, etc. But it is a way to relax a goalie to learn where the ball is going before it leaves the stick. This is an art and not a science, and I don’t discourage you from working with young goalies like this in order to increase their attention and to make things novel. All of those things can work to a degree.
When I was young I focused intently on the ball. But I found as I got older my eyes softened. Not just to the ball, but to the entire field of play. Knowing where the other players were on the field was important and I could make saves not by staring with laser-eyes through the ball.
So have fun with the tape and the letters and the shapes. But don’t stress it.
I appreciate your honesty as someone who had tried this drill and have a lack of success with it. You’re wise to have moved on.
As always I appreciate these great comments everyone. Thank you.
Coach
lol