Question:
Hey Jonathan
I have a daughter who is 11 an has been a field player since 1st gr an a scorer. She throws awesome an catches well. She decided to start to play goalie an is not afraid of the ball can clear to the 50 an put it right in the girls stick. Problem is bounce shots she struggles with them my husband is an outstanding high school coach an he said he needs to step towards the ball more is he right? I feel she just doesn’t see them at all any ideas? My oldest who had a full lax scholarship to a Division 1 school hates the idea she is a goalie because she is a great field player.
Thanks
Cyndi
Answer: Hey there Cindy. I’m going to shoot a video tonight that answers your question and will get it posted so you can see it in a few days.
Quick answers: It’s awesome she has that athletic ability to play out and that athletic ability will give her great opportunity for success in the cage.
Bounce shots are tough. I did a Goalie Critique for two Division One Women’s goalies this year and I told both of them that they are trying to look too perfect when they make the save. They need to “get ugly” over the ball. Did you ever see the movie Major League? Remember Corbin Burnson stopping ground balls at short stop? If not, go rent it, you’ll have a laugh at least. She needs to stop trying to stop the ball only with her stick and really snuff out the ball. I call it “saving the space” and not the ball. If she gets something there, foot, shin, thigh, chest, helmet, and then the stick she’ll make more saves. When goalies try to make bounce shots look pretty they don’t make saves.
Now if she’s not seeing the ball at all she needs to do more in practice so that she an read the ball better. Lots of goalies practice bounce shots only at the end of warm up only to have that time cut short. They need to prioritize and put bounce shots at the beginning of warm ups every once in a while and really focus on them. But make sure she is protected and has her shins, and thighs protected. This will make her more confident going for those ground balls.
Your husband is right suggesting that she “step to the ball” more. Personally I think that term “step to the ball” is just one part of the equation. If we break down, “Why is she NOT stepping to the ball?” Has she practiced them enough and does she do them well in practice and not games? Does she show fear (or just plain not-excitedness) practicing bounce shots? Why? Is she wearing enough protection? All those things add up to why she may NOT be stepping to the ball.
The term “Stepping to the ball” has been around for ages. I actually have a DVD I’m working on that discects “stepping to the ball” and while I feel it’s really outdated and isn’t really the only answer. You really need to break it down. Stopping shots is rarely a vision problem. And I don’t think that’s what you mean. But if she’s missing them badly I can usually solve that with a session of getting the goalie fully protected. I’m talking baseball catchers shin guards. Hockey pants or football pants with thigh and knee pads. A solid hockey goalie cup or women’s pelvic protector, chest protector with shoulder caps and elbow protection. Gloves and a helmet. Then we do a progressive session of stopping ground balls without a stick. We really focus on getting down over the ball. Usually the process of protecting a goalie shows them just how tentative they are to move to the ball if they are wearing less. And wearing less usually comes down to peer pressure and looking cool.
The fact your oldest cringes that she wants to play goal tells me one major thing: That she’s athletic. And as a coach I wish every goalie I worked with had that base of ability. But let’s not forget that she’s only 11. There is plenty of time for her to try out playing in the cage. She may very well “get it”. It may take her a year or two or three, but hang tight.
Last thought: Being the parent of a goalie in lacrosse is probably the worst parental position out there. And being the parent of a women’s goalie is even worse because they only stop about thirty percent of the shots. It’s because the quality of the shots are so high. They are taken at about 8 yards which is tough to stop even for the boys. So hang in there.
I do have a bunch of videos posted in our member ship site. You can access them for $1 for a week trial. Have a quick look if you’d like to but this should give you a quick start for some basic understanding. If I can help you guys at all let me know, I’m happy to help. This has fast become a labor of love that reaches to twenty-one countries and almost two thousand goalies, parents and coaches. I love it. So thank you for the awesome questions and good luck.
All the best,
Jonathan –
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