Goaltending Stance Guidelines |
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There are six main points which make up a solid goaltending stance;
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1.) Gloves should be on a plane in front of the body. This does not
mean that your gloves need to be directly in front of your body. Instead
they should be on a plane in front of your body. When your are
correctly in your stance your knees will be flexed and your rear end will
extend backwards, by placing your gloves out on a plane in front they will
act to bring your bodyweight evenly across the balls of the feet.
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2.) Weight evenly distibuted across the balls of the feet. Balance
is one of the crucial attributes a goaltender requires to play at a high
level. Since a majority of moves that a goalie will make begin from their
basic stance, balance and control are paramount. One of the best ways to insure
your stance is solid is to make sure your bodywieght is evenly distributed
across the balls of your feet.
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3.) Low position. Low position refers to a strong bend in the knee.
Knee bend allows the goalie to use the full power of their leg muscles to
execute the many save movents and positional adustments the game requires.
Without a low position in thier basic stance, goalies are only limiting
the full power their legs could provide to explode into these movements.
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4.) Squareness to the puck at all times. A goalie should try to keep
their shoulders, hips and feet facing the puck at all times. If the goalie
does not "square up" to the puck, they will not be able to respond in any
direction. When a goalie is square to the puck with thier weight evenly
distrubited, it is possible to react in any direction the puck is shot.
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5.) Stick positioning, flat, firm, and out in front of the body.
The stick should be seen as one of your most important tools. Think of
watching a goalie during a game who has lost his stick during a scramble,
they will desperatly try and get it back. Again, in the stance the stick
needs to be out in front of the skates, and placed firmly on the ice.
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6.) Skates on the inside edges of the blades.
The final point to remember when in your goaltending stance is to stay on
the inside edges of your skates. Edge control is one of the most fundamental
skating skills that
goalies need to master. Because goalies are generally skating in and around the
confined area of the goal crease rapid starts and stops are a must. Only being
on these inside edges will a goalie be able to move effeciently
throughout the game.
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This site was constructed as an exercise for an Internet Interfaces class at the School of Communication, Information, and Library Science SCILS in the MLS program at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
This site was designed with images and content available in;
It is also based on years of personal experience of playing and watching hockey. |
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| Last updated June 2001 | |
Skating Guidelines