Spartan with OBO – An evening with Beth Storry, GB and England

Come and join us with Beth Storry, GB, England and World XI for an evening of goalee indulgence with her GB Coach and Co Founder of Spartan, Steve Bayer.  Take a look at the flyer and get back to us.

Its taking place this Friday, 4 Nov 2011 at Oxford Hawks HC, England.  Its very popular and will be a great night

Play nicely!

Panda

What do you wear on your feet in goal?

Over the years I have had big problems finding shoes to fit from school to trainers.

Currently I use a pair of Vanz/DC skateboarding shoes.

Now they are wide and short just like my feet, fit lovely.

But I have upped my game this year and as the shoes have no grip being very flat, so finding getting around gets a bit sloppy. (look at image under post)

I do have a pair of Grays astro shoes but they too long and I just can’t use them. The studs on the bottom also make it impossible to get in my kickers.

So I am asking you. Goalies around the world to help me find something that I can fist ware and second fit into my kickers.

Jack,

Info:

Size feet…… UK 11 for the width. UK 8-9 for length.

OBO Yahooooo Kickers

dc-shoes-781940

Sorry for bad English.

Magazine article: old goalies wanted!

I’m putting together a magazine article on changes in ‘keeping technique over the last twenty or thirty years… everyone here seems incredibly knowledgeable and opinionated about their ‘keeping, so if any of you go back a bit (like me!) and can remember, say, the offside rule, or cane pads and leather kickers, and fancy a chat about how the game has changed, I’d love to hear from you. You can drop me an email at richardsmyth100@hotmail.com. Thanks!

Penalty Corner Defence

As a goalkeeper it is very important that you know the roles and responsibilities of every position in Penalty Corner Defence. It is your job to control the circle and therefore the PCD. You will be given guidance from coaches along the way but if you know each position then you can be confident in your job and help your team mates if they are unsure.

Firstly I need to explain that there are many ways to defend a penalty corner with the most common being a 1:3 set up. I wont go into detail with them all but the roles of each person change slightly depending on the way you run out. The explanations below are based on a 1:3 structure.

Goalkeeper: First role is to save the shot. If it is a flick then you need to be standing and if its a hit you must be lying down. When lying down you should be able to cover most of the goal. When fully stretched out your left glove and stick needs to cover the right post. Your stick may hang over a little bit but it is important you can save everything that is on the ground or in the air on that side. Once the first save has been made you need to be back on your feet for any rebounds.

Left Post: First role is similar to the goal keeper. Save the shot. The posty needs to stand to the goalkeepers left and either in line with or in front of you. When you lie down they need to cover the rest of the goal as unless you are six foot four you will not be able to cover it all. Second role for the posty is to go for any R2 deflections. This is very difficult as they must not move off the post too early but if they can read it then they should go for it. The final role is to clear the pads. If the ball stops in front of the goalkeeper then the posty must turn, block out the attackers and clear the ball wide.

Right post: This position has a number of responsibilities and requires a bit of multi tasking. They should stand on the outside of the post and about three steps in front of you to start. First task is to block out any deflectors that come in on the left side. They must also be ready to intercept any balls that go back to the push out. The third job is to block out any rebounders and clear the pads if necessary.

First Runner: This would have to be the most simple role on PCD’s but requires the most courage. This person has to run as fast as they can to the top of the circle and use their stick or body to stop the first shot. If the ball is moved across the top of the circle then the runner must have a go at it.

Second runner: This person has the role of stopping the R1 deflector from getting in to a goal scoring position. They can use their body to block them out or just stand in front and make the trap. It is important that they stand just outside the line from the ball to the post if possible so that the posty has clear vision.

Dont forget to wear protective equipment

Penalty Corner Defense | rachaellynch.com.au

Goalkeeping and the off season

With the winter hockey season now over in the southern hemisphere I am sure many of you are starting to wonder what to do for the next few months until pre season starts. You have a few options. I am a big believer in getting some rest and making the most of the time off but if you want to keep up your skills then check out my suggestions below.

SUMMER HOCKEY – great opportunity for you to have some fun playing hockey without your goalie gear on. Summer hockey is designed to allow people to play hockey in the off-season, keep their skills and fitness up and have fun with a group of friends. For me I think you are better off playing as a field player and just enjoying your hockey. This is not to say that goal keeping is not fun but you need to spend some time out of your gear to freshen up and re motivate yourself for the following season.

INDOOR HOCKEY – This may not be available to everyone depending on where you live but if you get the opportunity to play Indoor hockey then I highly recommend you do it. I played both club and state level as a junior then senior and loved every minute of it. It is a different game but can be great for your footwork, reflexes and technique. The speed and intensity of the game combined with the smaller court means you are getting lots of touches and plenty of action. It is a nice change from regular hockey. You may need to buy/make some covers for your OBO leg guards as it makes it easier to slide on the different surface.

Now if you want time off hockey completely but are feeling motivated to keep your reflexes up I can suggest you try a bit of table tennis. Not just your traditional table tennis though, playing with a bat in each hand. I learnt this little trick following a conversation with Danny Green’s trainer. He felt it was a great way to improve both your hand eye coordination on both sides and also your reflexes. Try it. If you have a friend who is pretty handy it will help but if not just enjoy a game or two and make sure you use both hands.

If you have any tips or ideas of your own around keeping up your skills in the off season I would love to hear about them.

Goalkeeping and the off season | rachaellynch.com.au

Awesome new chest guard

Hey all I just wanted to let you know how great I think that the new chest guard is (Previous post). I got a very hard hit on the shoulder about a week ago and I think that the new chest guard performed very well. I believe if I was in anything else the hit would have floored me.

Also I got a hit in the middle of the chest today and hardly felt it at all.

So far this new chest guard is performing great.