{first_name}, happy Monday!
So…had a coaching call this morning with one of our goalies. Actually, it was the dad of a goalie.
His goalie is in college and he’s wondering why she’s still plagued by a bad technique that should have been sorted out ‘years ago.’
Well, here’s why.
First, I’m a HAYOOGE fan that your goalie needs more shots than ‘drills’.
Learning the ‘language of lacrosse’, the ‘dialect of shooters’, etc. Lacrosse goalies HAVE to have shots to learn that part of the game. Otherwise, you’re hoping your goalie develops some sort of other-wordly-not-seen-before-martian-explosive-movement-ability that helps them rise above the rest.
That’s probably NOT going to happen.
So…you need those shots.
Bigger but…if there is NO intent going into a session, and there is no COACHING to adjust stance/technique/equipment/etc…
You’re just paying for a shootaround.
This sport is full of guys who run clinics. An hour here. An hour there. Bring out the lacrosse balls and a bunch of shots and let’s rip on your goalie for thirty minutes till they are hot and sweaty and a little bruised, so you think you paid for something.
You paid for shit. (Sorry…)
Here’s what needs to happen:
1) Your goalie shows up with INTENTION. Ideally, that intention is that…someday…they are able to stop a Division 1 lacrosse ball at a fantastic save percentage. (Not 20%, Syracuse D1 2021 final, or 40+% 2021 Men’s D1Final)
2) The person running the shootaround understands the intention.
3) The SHOOTERS understand the intention of the goalie(s) AND modify their shots (preferably distance) based on the ability of the goalie.
4) The goalie takes time to VISUALIZE prior to each shot and then VISUALIZE and REFLECT after the shot WITH COACHING!
5) And all of this is done in an environment (people, places, things) that facilitates all of that.
If your goalie isn’t doing that DELIBERATELY, then you end up with a goalie who is just getting shot at and that’s it. And as I said, getting shots is important, BUT getting shot at without any reflection on what the hell you’re doing is a waste of time.
And money.
Getting ripped on, shot after shot after shot, takes ZERO thinking. It’s a physical test. The goalie feels fatigued…’I MUST BE WORKING”.
No…you’re ‘stuck in the technical’. You are getting distracted by the fatigue of ENDURANCE LACROSSE GOALTENDING…which ISN’T a thing you need.
Your goalie loves getting shot at. I get it. I LOVE eating ice cream.
But without an objective, reflective approach to what it is you’re doing…well…you end up with a D1 goalie who still has serious flaws.
And now they’ve been embedded over THOUSANDS of repetitions.
Let me ask you a question…when you have different age groups at a shoot-around…does it make sense that the eighth graders are getting shot at from the same distance as the high school kids?
Yet, that’s what I see, over and over again.
But those reps sure come fast, don’t they?
Listen, I get it, you want to keep kids moving. But so help me, if your goalie is standing in front of a shooter for less than a quarter of a second, do they really have time to think? And be deliberate?
Probably not.
Too many goalies are throwing mud at the wall and hoping something sticks.
“I just need more shots!”
Yes…you do…
But they need to be DELIBERATE.
What are you trying to work on today?
What are you working on?
What did your video review of your last practice or game say about your Physical Ability, Technical Ability, Tactical Ability?
What are you going to work on between now and the next session?
Will you go to the next session now? Can it provide what you need?
Or is it just going to be a Pepper Fest on the goalies?
Think critically. Act critically.
Be grih-tay!
Jonathan –
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