Guys,
I had to get this one off my chest. It’s been a long time coming. I see it on Instagram. I see it on YouTube. I see it in person.
Bad drill set ups.
It’s such a simple thing, but it causes so many problems. The good news is, there’s a super easy fix.
Every goalie coach uses pucks as targets for their drills. Whether it’s for footwork or a point of reference on the ice, it’s handy, it’s available, and it’s what they’ll be looking at in a game anyway, so why not use it?
The problem starts when these pucks become “destinations” rather than points of visual attachment.
For example:
This is a simple warmup drill using 3 points at the top of the crease. Super common. I’ve got the pucks set out far enough that it would be pretty ridiculous for him to go all the way out of the crease to where they are, but they give him a nice visual angle to look at those pucks straight on and still maintain a good stance posture and downward head trajectory.
Alternatively, this is what I see a lot of:
or worse:
It’s a really simple fix. Move the pucks to a distance they would realistically be away in a game.
Small details like this one just allow you to squeeze every last ounce of effectiveness into a drill and help your goalies improve as quickly as possible.
Andrew Corchis Goaltending 