Team-Based Drills to Work the Goalie

As the Goalie Academy constantly promotes, almost any drill that involves game like situations and shots on goal CAN be a drill for the goalie.  The ingredients that any shooting drill needs to be a drill for the goalie's benefit is that it needs to be paced for the goalie and the coach needs to pay attention to the goalie's movement and technique.  Concerning pace, the drill has to be slowed to a point where the goalie can get into position to follow each shooter to make the situation more game-like.  Regarding technique, the coach or goalie coach must provide immediate feedback to the goalie to ensure that he/she is doing the drill properly.  However, to fill the many requests we get to provide "goalie" drills and as the second part of our Essential Goalie Drills article series, the following are the six drills we think should be included in a teams' weekly practice plan to give the goalies some work to benefit their development: 1. Swerve, Shuffle, & Shoot 2. T-Push, Save, & Rebound 3. Power Play Drill 4. Shoot, Curl, and Drive the Net Screen/Tip Drill 5. Kelly Hrudey Tip Drill 6. 2 on 0, 2 Pad Stack Drill By adding these drills to a coaches practice repertoire, you can work the goalies and forwards at the same time, as long as you remember to slow the pace of the drill to allow the goalie to get into position to follow the play and you provide positive feedback to your goalie to make sure that their fundamental techniques constantly improve or remain strong! 1. Swerve, Shuffle, & Shoot 📷A line is painted from edge of where the crease meets the goal line out to face off dots and the high slot as shown.Shooter with pucks stationed at various point in the zone as shown.One at a time, the shooters break in toward goal, but they cannot break the plane of the line until after the shot is taken.The goalie must follow in a shuffle, staying square to the shooter.Once goalie make the save the shooter can go in for a rebound.2. T-Push, Save, & Rebound 📷Shooters with pucks positioned in one corner, shooters without pucks stationed at the far point.Shooter in corner begins drill by passing to shooter at the point. Goalie follows pass with good, hard T-Push, then sets for shot.The first shooter circles around face off area to get in better position for a rebound and plays any rebounds that the goalie leaves.A variation is to put pucks in each corner and have each shooter make two passes and shooter take two shots. (Helps with goalie's continuous recovery.)3. Power Play Drill 📷Shooters positioned in overload or umbrella power play formation with no defense.Players pass one puck around the zone as Goalie follows in crouch.Shooters can shoot at will and play any rebounds.This drill works on the goalie's movement.Make sure that the goalie is always square and that he/she is driving into the pushes with the back leg.4. Shoot, Curl, and Drive the Net Screen/Tip Drill 📷2 Shooters positioned at point and 2 positioned at face-off dot.1st shooter takes a shot on net then curls to corner and up the boards.2nd shooter passes to 1st shooter as he curls up the boards.1st shooter then passes to point and both shooters 1 and 2 go to the net for screens, tips, and rebounds.Shooters at the points pass the puck and shoot at will.Goalie follows the play staying square and then butterfy at the appropriate time.Play rebounds until the coach stops play.5. Kelly Hrudey Tip Drill 📷Shooters on left and right dots w/ pucks.  Two shooters at pointy w/ pucks.Shooter on left dot shoots then goes to net.Shooter from point shoots low for deflection by player in front.Shooter on right dot shoots then goes to net.2nd shooter from point shoots low for deflection.Continue alternating sides.Goalie stops initial shot at the side, then T-pushed into position for the slot shot and butterflies to the point of the tip.6. 2 on 0, 2 Pad Stack Drill 📷Shooters with pucks are positioned at the blue line just outside face-off dots.Shooter with puck makes immediate pass to partner, who carries the puck toward the goal, while the other shooter doew the same without the puck.Once they are close to the net, the shooter with the puck passes back to the first shooter, who immediately shoots on goal.Goalie follows initial pass with T-push then makes a 2 pad stack toward the post to attempt the save.Shooters return to point, the shooter that took shot picks up puck and drill repeats for 3 or 4 reps.I hope goalies will give these drills to their coaches to add to the practice plan to ensure that goalies are getting constructive shots on net and to make sure that the goalies see the kind of variety of shots that they can face in any game.  Best of luck and as always, if you have questions or comments, contact your personal goalie coaches, the Goalie Academy at darren@goalieacademy.com.