Category: Playing Tips

Starting with reaction training, please check Rachel’s Tips on the OBO website. She has a good tip on REFLEX TRAINING. I do a lot of work with tennis balls in place of hockey balls in reaction drills but obviously that’s pretty tough on your own. I like to work on aerial saves with just a helmet, hand protectors and a stick and having someone hit tennis balls with a racquet. You can further add to the reaction element by facing your back to the hitter and turning on their call be fore the shot so you have to find the ball first.

In regards to working on your own, one device that’s pretty cool is called a reaction ball and I believe it’s available through Just Hockey in Australia and specialty stores for strength and agility training. Reaction balls are rubber balls that have knobs so they’re not round and when you through them off a wall, they’ll take irregular bounces (hence the reaction part). You can work on reactions by throwing the ball off a wall and trying to catch it or keep it in front of you. If you have a training partner, try this drill. Stand five to seven meters from a wall facing it. Your partner stands behind you with the reaction ball. As you face the wall, they stand behind you and throw the ball. You have to catch or stop it.

As far as reaction work for feet out of pads, I like to use a size three or smaller soccer ball and work on kicking off a wall. I’ll set up cones 1.5-2 meters apart and work on footwork by going around a cone in between kicks, i.e. make a kick, go around a cone, have to kick with appropriate foot, go around the other cone, kick, etc. Start ten meters away from the wall. By varying the distance you are away from the wall you can mix the emphasis between reaction and technique work. Even better, if you have access to a racquetball court or a corner with a two sided wall or a narrow hall way you can work off the different walls and focus on changing the angle of the ball.

Good luck,

Jon

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Please note that OBO together with Jon O’Haire hold copyright over any material appearing on tips pages. We welcome the printing and distribution of these tips, provided that they are not sold, or used for financial gain. This paragraph must appear on all printed or distributed copies. The photographs above must not be used in any form without express permission from Jon O’Haire.

Recently there's been a thread on the Community section on throat guards and I'll throw my two cents in. Wearing a throat guard has nothing to do with vanity and everything to do with protection. Drag flicks, deflections and point blank chip shots make it difficult to predict how you'll be able to react and where you're going to get hit.

As has been noted, the collar type and dangling throat protectors offer protection. In my experience I've found the acrylic ice hockey throat guards to be the most protective. Whether you wear a helmet and mask combination or a face mask, the throat guard ties to the bars of the wire cage on the helmet or mask. Because they tie at three points, they're not prone to flipping up when you dive like some of the dangling throat protectors. In addition, when it's properly fitted and secured the hockey throat protectors sit at the top of your chest protector. This prevents the throat guard from being driven back in to your throat when you're hit.

Ice hockey throat guards do take a while to get used to. With the movement of the field hockey goalkeeper, how the protector is affixed and the contact between the acrylic and the metal cage there is some clanging/rattling. When you way that against the possibility of a crushed larynx and a tracheotomy, it's a small price. I play a lot of indoor and a fair bit of outdoor hockey and I've had three protectors break as a result of shots to my throat. At twenty US dollars a piece, I can rationalize their replacement. I don't want to imagine the cost of playing without one.

Good luck,

Jon

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Please note that OBO together with Jon O’Haire hold copyright over any material appearing on tips pages. We welcome the printing and distribution of these tips, provided that they are not sold, or used for financial gain. This paragraph must appear on all printed or distributed copies. The photographs above must not be used in any form without express permission from Jon O’Haire.

Selections, mention the word and the reactions for keepers competing for a spot on a team range from a rise in pulse and butterflies the size of basketballs in his/her stomach to nerves of steel and a confidence that says “bring it on.” Whether it’s a club first eleven or a National team, making and selecting a team can be a challenging experience for keepers and coaches alike.

In the world of competitive sport the selection process is a necessary component in trying to find the best players for a team, but unlike sports like track and field finding the best goalkeeper isn't simply a matter of finding the fastest or strongest athlete. Fast doesn't always translate to smart. Strong doesn't necessarily mean quick. A keeper needs to be fast, strong, quick, smart and more. The best goalkeeper for one team may be the wrong keeper for another depending on his/her personality, a team's style of play, the demands of a coach and the players on the squad.

As a player and a coach I've been involved in the selection process many times, with varying successes. I can remember my first selections more than 20 years ago. I was one of six keepers trying out for two spots on a regional select team. The trials consisted of three games with players split into teams. I played two halves for two different teams and saw two shots, allowing no goals and thought to myself I was sure to have made the team. At the end of the games we were told we would be receiving a call if selected and I'm still waiting for that call. Fortunately, I’ve received other calls since then.

Looking back at my first trials from my perspective as a player I considered the process unfair and arbitrary. I had no idea what I was being evaluated on and though I know now there were good reasons for me not making the team it would have been good to know what coaches were looking for. How to make a team shouldn’t be a mystery. The goal of selections is to pick the best keepers for a team and the more prepared keepers are, the better they’re likely to perform. In this tip, we'll examine some of the attributes of goalkeepers and ways to evaluate them as well as looking at the roles and responsibilities of coaches, selectors and keepers. 

The Selection Process
There is a wide range as to what constitutes selections depending on the type of team being selected, facilities and the quality of keepers competing for the position. Selection length can be anywhere from a game, an afternoon, to a week or more. They can consist of a game, a series of games, physical tests, skill tests, drills and even written exams. Selections for an Under 12 team are going to be different those of an Olympic team, but whatever the skill level, it's important to have a solid idea of the attributes of the position regardless of whether you're trying out for a team or selecting it. 

In my experience I've had the opportunity to see and experience selections around the world and from those have drawn some common criteria. I've listed them below in no particular order and provided some examples of each: 

Physical — Physical attributes include height, weight, body type, strength and flexibility. While some physical components like strength and flexibility can be developed, physical attributes tend to be what the keeper brings to the position naturally. 

Athleticism — Athleticism is a broad category and includes fitness, agility, speed, reactions and ambidexterity. While there are physical components to athletic attributes, athleticism is more trainable (a 25-year old keeper can run faster through training, but he/she isn't likely to get taller). Measures of fitness can range from a 5km run, a BIP test, to a series of 25-meter sprints. Agility incorporates balance and movement. It includes planned movement and reaction movement. Speed is the ability to move from point A to point B and in the context of the position includes covering distances from .5 meter to 15 meters, and directionally (forward, backwards and side to side). Reactions are the ability to stop a ball regardless of speed or distance with the appropriate body part. Ambidexterity is the ability to use either left or right side of the body (hands or feet) to save and clear a shot.

Skills — In the broadest sense, skills are trained reactions that allow the keeper to save and clear the ball. A goalkeeper is more than a shot blocker and skills allow him/her to play a shot successfully to safety. Depending on the speed and location of the shot, skills can include kicking or deflecting with either foot, actively deflecting with legs or hands and tackling from an upright or sliding position.

Mental — A goalkeeper must be able to think the game. He/she must be able to position a defense and him/herself accordingly. A keeper needs to read situations and make decisions regarding appropriate skills and position for him/herself. Presence is a word that’s frequently used when describing keepers and it speaks to an aura of confidence and composure. Keepers with presence seem to play bigger and faster than they are. They have the ability to settle a rattled defense with the key save or right words at critical times in a game.

Coachability — How does a keeper respond to feedback? Does he/she try to make the changes or is there a “but” to every comment? Is he/she self-motivated? Are they on time? Are they prepared? Do they work well with others? Sometimes the most talented keeper isn’t worth the drain he/she brings to a team.

Selections may have specific formal protocol or simply consist of just observing. Selectors may be asked to be anonymous during the process. They may be asked to discount previous experiences with keepers involved in trials and consider their play only in the context of the current selections. Protocol usually follows the significance of the team being selected. If you're responsible for designing a selection you are responsible for that protocol as well as determining how you're going to evaluate keepers.

There are a number of elements to consider when designing trials: How many keepers are trying out? What is their age and experience? What kind of facilities and equipment do you have? What are you trying to assess? What skills are you looking to see? Are you looking to measure technical or tactical ability? What measures are you using for evaluating keepers? Are you accounting for variables? It would be great if there were a universal one-size-fits-all selection process, but there's not. Just as there isn't a universal one-size-fits-all goalkeeper the process used to select keepers will determine the keepers selected.

As a coach and selector, I like to see keepers in as many settings as possible in trials. I want to get a sense of a keeper's overall fitness, his/her position specific fitness, his/her technical skills and how he/she performs in games. If there's general fitness testing for field players, I want to see how keepers perform (as long as that testing doesn't severely impact their ability to perform in other parts of the trials). I like to use drills where keepers have to play a variety of balls (i.e. hard drives, chips, flicks, crosses) from a variety of locations to targets. I want to see how a keeper thinks. I like decision-making drills where a keeper can use a variety of skills to be successful. How does a keeper play with strong and weak players? Depending on the needs of a team, those areas may have more or less emphasis. The selection process used goes a long way towards determining the type of keeper you select.

For Selectors/Coaches
The type of team being chosen usually dictates who does the selections. At the club level, coaches are usually responsible for picking their team. At the regional level, local associations might leave the team's coaches to select their squad or appoint neutral coaches to choose keepers or assist the coach in his/her selections. Selection committees tend to be the norm at the national level and governing bodies usually have defined protocol for input from the coach and the responsibilities and qualifications of selectors.

Depending on the type of team selected, being a selector can carry a wide range of responsibilities. At a minimum, a selector should be an impartial observer and evaluator. At the national and regional level selection criteria may be issued and the selectors' responsibility is to adhere to it. At the club level the job may entail establishing criteria for evaluating keepers and/or administering drills. 

Whether it be a coach or a selector, it’s important for those picking the team to have a concrete idea of the ideal keeper. I’ve mentioned some of the attributes I feel are important. Depending on the needs and abilities of a team, the importance and emphasis on another selector/coach's attributes may vary. I’ve seen trials where selectors are given evaluation forms to rate and rank goalkeepers with specific criteria for grading attributes. At the other end of the spectrum, selectors might be sent out with the vague instructions, “pick the best one.” Either way, selectors should come in to the process with an open mind and a clear of idea of what they're looking for.

It's important that selectors are well prepared and have evidence to support their selections. If I'm selecting, I like to get to sessions early. I like to see what keepers do when they're left on their own to warm up. Do they cool down after a session? I like to see how they interact with other keepers and those they play with on the field. How do they respond to feedback? I keep my own notebook for selections in addition to any criteria I may be given to evaluate keepers at a trials. I find the more I have written down, the better the frame of reference I have when comparing keepers and writing evaluations.

Part of being selector is giving keepers as fair an opportunity to show their talents as possible. It may be impossible to see every play a keeper makes at a trial, but a selector should give his/her undivided attention for the times he/she is observing. As I mentioned, I like to see keepers play as much as possible and in as many settings as trials allow. How does a keeper train? How does the keeper play? Does the keeper make the flash save and then allow the ordinary goal? How does the keeper stand up under pressure? 

While a coach/selector may not pick a keeper for their team, they can aid in the development of the keeper and the team by giving specific feedback on why a player didn't make the team and what they need to work on. Those keepers may come back to help the team in years to come with good feedback. Exit interviews for all keepers trying out for a team are an excellent way to review performances. 

For Keepers
As a player, preparation was key to my success. I found the more I knew about the selection process, the better my chances for success. Others might just be able to wing it. Good things to know are: How long are selections going to be? Are they a couple of hours or days? What do the trials consist of? Where are the trials? How long does it take to get there? Are the trials simply playing games or are there drills? Is there physical testing? What are the drills and testing? I always performed better in drills or testing if I had the chance to practice them beforehand and the more I knew, the more confidently I performed. 

Details like making sure kit is in good working order are important. The last thing a keeper needs to worry about is a loose screw on a helmet or a broken kicker strap when he/she is playing for a chance to reach his/her dreams. Bring sufficient and appropriate clothes and shoes for the weather, type of facility and activity. Control the controllable. Bring a water bottle and food like energy bars or fruit. Be self-sufficient. As a selector I'm impressed by younger keepers who don't require their parents as personal servants. 

First impressions are important. Be on time. Know where the trials are and allow travel time. Dress the part. I've seen keepers show up at trials sporting beer t-shirts, cut-off shirts, shorts and bare feet, and I wonder if they've thought about the message they're sending. How do you respond to feedback and surprises? Do you "freak" or do you roll with the punches. Getting noticed is important in selections, but what are you getting noticed for? I've seen keepers go out of their way to make a basic save seem extraordinary. Knowledgeable coaches are more impressed by effective play.

Be professional. Know the schedule. Bring a notebook and pen. Write things down. Drills, times, dates, and expectations are important. Take care of yourself. If you need extra time to warm up, make sure you arrive early enough to take care of yourself. Ask questions where appropriate. If you're not sure about a technique or a drill, ask.

Finally, enjoy the process. By their nature selections are stressful. You're putting yourself on the line as a player, but stress shouldn't be a burden. Selections are a test just as games are a test. If you didn't enjoy the challenge of games you wouldn't play the position. Don't get caught up in how other keepers play. The only performance you can control is yours. While your ultimate goal is to make a team, it never hurts to have your own goal of improving with every selection experience. Progress can be measured by performing better every time you play regardless of the outcome and a keeper can and should take satisfaction in that.

Selections can be challenging for those making the decisions and those putting themselves up for a team. Players may have invested years of training and personal sacrifice to make a team and are likely to be disappointed when they're not selected. I've experienced that disappointment in my career as a player, but I always felt better if I understood the process and was told where I fell short. As selectors and coaches it's satisfying to see the players you pick warrant their selection with great performances. They should take equal satisfaction from the player who was inspired by not making the team and came back to be a better player the next time around.

Good luck,

Jon

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Please note that OBO together with Jon O’Haire hold copyright over any material appearing on tips pages. We welcome the printing and distribution of these tips, provided that they are not sold, or used for financial gain. This paragraph must appear on all printed or distributed copies. The photographs above must not be used in any form without express permission from Jon O’Haire.

In the ideal world every goalkeeper is a starting keeper. You play every minute of every game and never let in a goal. Reality tells us this isn’t true. The world is filled with keepers with a wide range of skills and a limited number of teams. Not every keeper gets to play, but that’s not to say that every keeper can’t have an impact on his or her team’s performance. How goalkeepers work together on a team is an important dynamic on and off the field.

While field players can play in a number of positions all over the field, the nature of field hockey is that there is only one keeper that plays. That can be a tough pill to swallow for keepers who have invested time, effort and money in the pursuit of a spot on the field. Team success isn’t always just a measure of what happens on the playing field. Often, what happens on the practice field, in the locker room, on the track, in the weight room and in the social circles that are part of every team impact performance. Keepers, coaches, and players all play a part in shaping that performance.

As a player, I’ve had a variety of experiences in a number of roles on a range of teams. At the club level I started as the second keeper on a second team before I became a starter for the firsts. At the international level, I trained as a member of a national development squad, had a run as the starting keeper on the US national team and finished my career as the “dependable reserve” keeper. On the in between, I’ve had the privilege of playing for a variety of select teams around the world. Perspective has allowed me to see that while I may not have handled each situation as well as I would have liked, there were opportunities for me to play a positive role in the team’s performance whether I played or not.

Being a starting keeper isn’t usually a hard position. You know you’re going to play and you typically have the support of your teammates and coach. Your commitment is to helping your team win. Practices and warm ups are geared to a starting keeper playing well. That doesn’t have to be the complete scope of the starting keeper’s responsibilities. As a leader on the team, a starting keeper has an opportunity to be a mentor and a role model to other keepers on the team or in the club.

Athletes are naturally competitive, but as a competitor it’s critical that keepers bring out the best in each other. Too often, I see keepers who try to stay on top by keeping others down. They take all the shots in training or warm ups. They treat other keepers with indifference or contempt. They’re quick to point out the deficiencies in others. As a starter, a keeper needs to be confident enough in his or her abilities to see the big picture. Yes, I want to make sure that I get the time and repetitions to make sure I give my best performance, but I also need to make sure that I’m being inclusive when possible. Words can go a long way when circumstances don’t allow that, especially before a match. Keepers usually warm up and stretch together before a game. By including a second keeper in your preparation, you help prepare them in case of the unforeseeable injury.

In a club setting, you may train with keepers on the other teams. While you might not want to think of yourself as a role model, you are. The other keepers aspire to your position and you play a role in their development. Do you model good work habits? Do you share what you’ve learned through experience? The big keeper shares insights, the small keeper keeps secrets. Do you share time in drills? Do you do the little jobs like collect balls or get water? What do you want to be known for?

Being a reserve keeper on a team might be one of the hardest jobs in sport. You train as hard as you can and there might not be much separating you and the starting keeper, yet one keeper plays and the other sits. Not playing can be a crushing blow, but how a keeper handles the situation can turn a personal setback into a positive for the team. Do you work hard in training or simply go through the motions? Some keepers are happy simply being a part of a team. Not everyone aspires to a World Cup or an Olympics. There’s nothing wrong with that if you’re honest about your aspirations, but realize the effect on others. Apathy and a lack of effort and intensity are contagious, especially at higher levels.

Do you support the starting keeper? Support doesn’t mean that you have to be best friends (though that helps), but you should be working partners. Solid partnerships are built on trust and respect. Cliques can be especially divisive in a team and there’s no quicker way to start them than by lobbying for sympathy as to why you should be playing. Be honest in your relationship with your teammates and fellow keepers.

Team members need to respect their goalkeepers, both starting and reserves. Respect shows up in variety of ways. It’s not taking a full-blooded chip shot from seven yards out in training. It’s saying well done and keep at it to the third keeper as well as the first. It’s knowing that no one deliberately makes a mistake and intentionally allows a goal. It’s not supporting people when they’re being petty or complaining. It’s recognizing that every player is important.

As a coach, I try to reinforce the concept that while there is only one keeper who plays, the position is a reflection of the collective effort of all the keepers on the team. Most players only reach their full potential when challenged and pushed by their teammates. Depth at the goalkeeping position is vital. An injury can happen at any time and every player needs to be ready to step on the field at any given moment. How do you prepare the other keepers on your team? Do you give them specific feedback on the things they need to work on? Do you encourage them in training? Are you honest with them in their position on the team? All of these things go a long way to making all keepers feel they’re part of the team.

When faced with the challenges of a talented opponent, goalkeeping can be a hard enough position on its own. It doesn’t need to be made more difficult by playing against the enemy within. We’re all in this together.

Good luck,

Jon

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Please note that OBO together with Jon O’Haire hold copyright over any material appearing on tips pages. We welcome the printing and distribution of these tips, provided that they are not sold, or used for financial gain. This paragraph must appear on all printed or distributed copies. The photographs above must not be used in any form without express permission from Jon O’Haire.

Recently I got a question asking about books on goalkeeping. I looked on my bookshelf and quickly realized that most of the titles I’ve accumulated on the subject are long since out of print. Books may not yet have gone the way of the vinyl album, but increasingly other media is replacing them. Video and computers help make the printed word come alive and open a completely new library that everyone can access. The Internet can be a tremendous resource for the resourceful coach or keeper.

Once upon a time, there was a logjam of information trapped at the highest level of the sport. Unless you went to an Olympics or a World Cup, it was difficult to find out what the top keepers in the world were doing. You could read articles in the newspapers or if you were lucky, maybe talk to a friend of a friend who knew someone who was there. Information was often third hand, subject to interpretation and frequently inaccurate. Satellites and video have changed much of that. With the right technology, anyone, anywhere can watch the best teams in the world play live, or within days of the game or read about new skills and techniques.

Before I became a coach, I was a student and then worked as a librarian for nine years. This was great preparation as I went about researching field hockey and goalkeeping. I can tell you that I spent more than a few hours leafing through card catalogs and library stacks in search of such elusive titles as Horseshoes and Hand Grenades (yes, its about field hockey goalkeeping) and any other book that might have more than a paragraph about goalkeeping. Often, it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. While I don’t spend as much time in libraries, I do spend a lot of time on the computer and on the Internet. In this tip, I’d like to share some of my favorite sites as well as some advice for your own searches.

First and foremost, this tip is not intended to be a definitive list of sites devoted to goalkeeping. Like books, Internet sites disappear and new ones emerge every day. Whether its news from around the globe, video highlights from the Champion’s Trophy, the latest equipment on the market or what’s going on in my area, it’s all up there on the worldwide web. The biggest trick is finding it.

Search engines play a critical role in finding websites. They are today’s card catalog, but they can come at a price. The GOOGLES and YAHOOS of the world will provide you with results for any search, but recognize that most search engines give priority listing to sites they do business with. Worse, in this day and age, people have found ways to hack into search engines and manipulate listings. If you’re really interested in getting the best information on the Internet, prepare to be patient and thorough. If I’m looking for new sources, I’ll often use a variety of engines and a wide range of search terms. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve found great sites on the 50th hit of a list. Patience and persistence are good things when it comes to searching.

One of my favorites news websites is www.fieldhockey.com. Managed by George Brink in England, the site is a daily collection of hockey related articles from around the world. Another news related site is www.planetfieldhockey.com. The site features many of the same articles as fieldhockey.com, but also offers readers the opportunity to post comments. Though not strictly news-related, one of the best new sites I’ve come across is www.fieldhockey.tv. The site features video of top international tournaments and games from the Dutch Men’s and Women’s First Division league.

Obviously if you’re reading this tip, you’re familiar with the OBO website and virtually every hockey manufacturer has their own site. In addition to manufacturer sites, there is a wide range of vendors who feature equipment from a variety of brands they often have their own sites. Rather than list sites, you can find many of them under the search heading HOCKEY; EQUIPMENT. The better sites offer more than a listing of items and prices. Several of them have links to other sites of interest, as well as technical information about their products and tips for using them.

I’ve mentioned before that I came to field hockey from ice hockey and while the sports are different, there is much we can learn from the common perspective of stopping a shot when a game is on the line regardless of the sport. One of my favorite websites that’s ice hockey based is found at www.promasque.com. Promasque makes custom ice hockey masks and like the OBO site, they make educational use of their site. Promasque has a HOCKEY FACTORY section that features tips from Fred Quistgard. While Fred’s background is an ice hockey coach, there are many good tips for dealing with pressure, winning a starting position, coaching strategies and many other relevant topics. If you’re looking for new ideas about the position, it never hurts to be open and to look outside the field hockey box.

The Internet can also be a great way for getting connected to events in your local area. Many national hockey associations maintain their own sites and they’ll post information about coaching and player clinics as well as news about their respective national teams. In addition, many of them provide contacts for local leagues and clubs. This can be invaluable, especially when you’re moving or thinking about playing somewhere else.

Finally, there are user groups or chat rooms that are keeper specific. I’m afraid that I’m not enough of a computer person that I regularly check these but if you’re looking to chat online with someone with similar interests, they can be entertaining and educational. The great potential of message boards and chat rooms is the sharing of ideas and information. I’ve discovered new sites through postings. If you know of a good site, I’d love to hear about it.

The Internet can be a valuable resource. One of the most important skills required for success at any level of hockey as a keeper is the ability to process information. A keeper needs to be discriminating. Just because something is up on the web doesn’t mean that it’s gospel and that you should absolutely do something because it’s on someone’s site (even ours). Read, think, try and then assess whether you’re getting the information you’re looking for. As we continue to develop as keepers, we develop with new technology and new ideas. The Internet is great tool for finding them.

Goalkeepers are amazing people!!!

Good luck,

Jon

e-mail Jon

Please note that OBO together with Jon O’Haire hold copyright over any material appearing on tips pages. We welcome the printing and distribution of these tips, provided that they are not sold, or used for financial gain. This paragraph must appear on all printed or distributed copies. The photographs above must not be used in any form without express permission from Jon O’Haire.

In the quest to become better players, goalkeepers train thousands of hours, burn millions of calories and spend hundreds of dollars on equipment. Yet when it comes to the difference between becoming a good keeper and a great keeper, the answer may lie between their ears. The mental game can be a critical part to success.

It’s always interesting to talk to keepers about the mental side of the game. There are many great keepers who succeed on their athleticism and instincts. They can simply go out and play well. For others, training and playing are only part of the equation for success. Visualization, mental imagery, relaxation techniques, breathing exercises, focus and confidence are every bit as important as weight training and skill work.

How effective sport psychology may be in your game can be influenced by how open you are to change. For many, the mere mention of sport psychology and a mental game implies weakness of the worst kind, the mind. Somehow, it’s easier to say you’re going to the weight room to get physically stronger than it is to say “I’m off to a quiet place to visualize.” In reality, one is no different than the other.

I’ll confess to being a convert to the value of the mental game. Early on, my experiences were jaded by my prejudices and perceptions. When I encountered problems with my game, my answer was more practice but there’s only so much you can physically practice. Like it or not, the nature of the goalkeeping position is goals will be scored, mistakes will be made and games will be lost because of them. There are internal and external pressures to succeed in hostile and distracting settings. How do you practice dealing with problems like these? In time I figured out all the physical training in the world didn’t help if I couldn’t let go of the goal that was just scored. I needed to fix how I thought and how I reacted and I needed help.

As a player and a coach I’ve had the opportunity to see a number of sport psychologists at work at the team and individual level with players ranging from high school to international standard. Their work can be invaluable as these specialists draw from their education and experience to bring out the best in athletes. Unfortunately, not everyone has access to a sport psychologist. While complex problems are best left to experts, there are common problems that keepers can improve on their own by using sport psychology techniques.

Time, energy and resources often limit how a player can work on a specific skill or situation. Mental imagery, or visualization, is a sport psychology tool used to simulate physical training or game situations and is proven to be effective in improving performance. Essentially, mental imagery is the practice and repetition of a skill in the mind. Through internal repetition the mind trains the body.

In visualizing, detail is important. You get best results by being clear and specific about the skills or situations you’re training. When it comes to skills, video can help in establishing a clear picture of mechanics. For a skill like kicking a cross ball with the left foot, visual details could include: the left wing coming down the side line; the keeper establishing position off his line; the player striking the cross; the keeper pushing off his right foot getting solidly behind the kick and clearing safely and powerfully to a teammate. Replay each part of the skill in your mind, see your body explosively moving to the ball and executing the skill, replaying that perfect clear.

When visualizing a new skill, start by seeing the skill in slow motion so that you can begin to establish a link from the mind to each part of the body that’s involved with the skill. While you’re not physically moving when visualizing skills, try to “see” and “feel” the movements you’re trying to master. As you become more comfortable with visualizing a skill and had the opportunity to physically train the skill on the practice field, you can speed up your mental video to game speed.

Mental imagery can also be used to visualize game scenes, especially pressure situations: the big save with time running out and the match on the line, getting on with the game after allowing a bad goal and tuning out trash talking opponents and hostile crowds. It’s difficult to physically recreate the feeling of these pressures on the training ground, but mentally you can train for these types of situations. Whatever you can imagine, you can train and prepare for.

An important part of any mental training is creating an environment for work. For the mind to work best, the body needs to be comfortable and relaxed. Loose clothes, a clear mind and a cool place where you can lie or sit comfortably are a good start in creating that setting. Avoid areas where there are distractions like noise and activity. Mental training is like physical training in that you improve with repetition. Mental training does require energy and sessions are best-kept under 30 minutes. Many athletes use visualization around the time of their events, the morning of afternoon games or the afternoon of evening matches. Mental imagery can be practiced before sleeping, but training should be built around times when you’re not tired.

It’s one thing to be psyched up for a game, it’s another to be psyched out. Picture a game, the keeper hasn’t seen the ball in his circle for 20 minutes. The ball enters his 25 and he’s screaming to organize his defense. The ball is played in to the circle, the keeper is ready for the bullet shot and the forward hits a medium paced ball just to his left. The keeper explodes and the ball goes under his foot. Was the keeper ready? If anything, the keeper was too ready. Extreme anticipation and over arousal are terms used to describe what happens when athletes are too keyed up.

Athletes perform best in an aroused state. The aroused athlete is alert, aware and ready for action. Arousal can be confused with anxiety, though. While the aroused athlete is alert and composed, the anxious, or over aroused athlete is alert to the point of panic. It’s natural to feel a rush of adrenaline in pressure moments of a match, but it’s critical to manage that rush of energy. Often it’s wasted on nervous movement, excited communication or hyperventilation. Many sports psychologists point to breathing as one way of managing arousal.

Simple breathing exercises focus on controlling the breath. It starts with practice before the match. Typically, the breath is used to center the athlete. The practice is drawn from yoga and is built on using the inhalation to draw oxygen, or energy, into the body. The goal is to build to full, deep inhalations and complete exhalations. By focusing on the breath an athlete is drawing energy into the body through the intake of oxygen. Obviously breathing isn’t a keeper’s sole focus while the ball is in his circle, but he can use breathing to relax and re-energize when play doesn’t involve him in a game and practicing breathing does train the body to stay relaxed in pressure situations. Breathing is often used to establish a setting for visualization away from the field.

Focus is concentrating on what’s important in the context of the game. The game can be filled with distractions. Focus is filtering those distractions out and taking in the important information that’s critical to reading play. It’s recognizing scoring opportunities, reading passing lanes, positioning defenders and anticipating situations. Athletes talk about being in a “zone” where they know where the ball is going before it’s shot. That “zone” is the direct product of focus.

An important part of managing focus is recognizing when you have the opportunity to relax. A keeper can mentally and physically exhaust himself by being too focused. 100% concentration isn’t required when the ball is in the other team’s circle. Take those moments to breathe, stretch, and relax.

One of the most frequent mental problems I hear from keepers concerns confidence. How do you find confidence when you allow a soft goal or get in to a run of bad play? Confidence can be precarious, especially when the stakes are high. Many keepers are their own worst enemies. Every keeper has let in a bad goal and sometimes a team loses because of it but it’s important not to dwell on goals that are already on the board and create self-fulfilling prophecies of disaster. Don’t use a past event as a projection of what’s going to happen. A keeper’s ability to play well doesn’t just disappear (barring injury). The good keeper treats history for what it is. Yes, I want to think about what I might have done differently on a goal immediately after it’s scored, but I need to be ready for what’s coming next by the time my team takes the push back. Confidence should allow a keeper to be secure in the knowledge that whatever comes, he’s probably seen it and saved it.

When assessing your game, what are the things that give you confidence? For me, a big one is the knowledge that I have played well before. Success isn’t a fluke or an accident. It is the product of preparation and opportunity. When I get in a good groove playing, I try to stay consistent in my training, my sleep patterns, my diet and my pre-game warm up. By the same token, if I’m not playing well I try to look at those factors. Success is a habit and I find that I play my best when I’m consistent. Having said that, it’s important to not get married to routine. There will be times that I have to deviate from my routine, but that’s where the knowledge that I’ve been succesful before comes in.

Competitive sport is challenging, physically and mentally. Two teams are playing to win and sometimes a team is going to come up short. The challenge is how will a keeper respond, what changes will you make? Sometimes the answer lies in a skill; sometimes it lies within, literally. As I mentioned, I’m not a sport psychologist. The techniques I’ve talked about are ones that I have experience with. Newspapers and books are filled with stories of athletes from a variety of sports who’ve benefited from working on their mental game with trained professionals. Read about them. You can learn a lot from their experiences, whether it’s in a magazine or on the Internet. If you genuinely want to improve your game, leave no stone unturned. It isn’t crazy to work on your mental game; it’s crazy not to.

Goalkeepers are amazing people!!!

Good luck,

Jon

e-mail Jon

Please note that OBO together with Jon O’Haire hold copyright over any material appearing on tips pages. We welcome the printing and distribution of these tips, provided that they are not sold, or used for financial gain. This paragraph must appear on all printed or distributed copies. The photographs above must not be used in any form without express permission from Jon O’Haire.

I often receive questions such as this:

Hi Jon,
The thing that I really need help with is two on ones! When I’m up against two forwards with no defenders I really struggle with my decision, as to whether to go out to the player with the ball or whether to hold my ground? People tell me there is nothing I can do but surely there is something I can do to prevent them scoring? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
thanx
Jen

Whether it be two forwards going to goal with just the keeper, or virtually any other situation that results in a goal, there is the question, “What could I have done differently?” Depending on the situation, the answer could be nothing. The answer could be positioning you or your defender in a different place. It could be playing the shot; it could be playing the pass. Most frustrating of all, what worked in one situation, might not work in another. The good news is that whatever the scenario, there is a way to defuse dangerous situations if a defense can play together as a team. Team defense requires players to think as a team and that’s essentially decision-making.

Good decision-making may be one of the most critical elements of successful team defense. It can also be one of the most difficult elements of the game to learn. The longer you play hockey, the more you realize there are very few absolutes. Hockey is a game of options, attacking and defending, and while a goalkeeper may be the last defender, he is a defender with options as long as he can play with and off his teammates. Good decision-making especially as it applies to team defense depends on assessing those options, developing a plan of defense, communicating the plan and executing the needed skills, usually in less than five seconds.

We’ve stressed that hockey is not a black and white game in terms of absolutes. Having said that, it’s critical that a keeper and his teammates have an understanding of the attacking situation if they’re going to be able to defend it. To understand attacking situations, it’s important to have an understanding of defensive principles, especially as it pertains to your team. Whatever level you play at, you and your teammates need to have a common understanding of these principles if your team is going to be successful.

That understanding becomes the crux of decision-making and as such, your coach is the person responsible for shaping your decision-making. While teams may play similar styles and use similar skills, each team is unique. Good coaches recognize that and will play the systems and skills that draw on the best of their team and players. For that reason it’s important that your coach is your first resource when you have questions about defensive principles.

This tip started with a question about what to do with two on the keeper. My best recommendation is to not let the situation happen, though sometimes that’s not possible. In my own personal experience, two attackers bearing down on a keeper don’t just happen. Usually there’s a breakdown up field and a chain reaction that leads to the keeper’s ultimate problem/nightmare. Early identification of a potential problem is critical for effective decision-making. Who identifies those problems on your team will depend on where the ball is on the field, the position of your opponents and the system your team plays. If you’re not sure, that’s usually the start of the problem becoming your nightmare.

Once a problem area is identified on the field, the next component is dealing with it. Essentially that’s a matter of positioning the available defenders to take away the most dangerous passes or penetrating runs and once again that will depend on the systems your team uses. A team that plays man-to-man defense will position themselves differently than a team that plays a zone defense. Some teams play a combination of zone and man-to-man. Regardless of the system, it’s important that all players have a common understanding of the situation and know their roles within it.

While systems may differ, there are common defensive principles and roles that all successful teams use. In a situation where a defender has been eliminated up field, there are a number of things that need to happen. First off, it’s up to the remaining players to reorganize. Positionally, players may not need to physically move, but their responsibilities in those positions may change. We talked about taking away dangerous passes and that’s marking. Going back to marking, that means that a defender has to position himself, or be positioned, to deny the opponent the pass if he’s in a direct line to goal.

If a defender is beaten and his player is going to goal with the ball, channeling and delaying are important concepts. Channeling is taking away the straight line run to goal and allowing/forcing the opponent back or wide with the ball. Delaying is often a successful tactic in the early stages of a fast break and can take the form of a player fouling to stop the play. We’re not advocating deliberate fouls, but a spoiling tackle by a defender, or a loose ball put out of play, allows an outnumbered team the time to get back in to the play and match up even numbers. Where ever the ball is on the field, the beaten player has got to work their way back in to the play and that’s recovery. A defending team will always be numbers down unless they accept the responsibility of working themselves back in to the play.

We’ve talked a little about understanding and executing roles in a team defense. Understanding and execution can be two different things and most problems with break- downs in team defense come from misunderstanding. Typically communication, or lack thereof, is the biggest culprit when it comes to breakdown and misunderstandings. As we mentioned before, who identifies problems and communicates them, will depend on where the break down on the field is and how your team is set up. Once again, it’s important that players have an understanding of who communicates what as play develops.

What is communicated is also critical. Players need to understand what they’re being asked/told to do. Quick, direct, effective communication is critical, especially in the early stages of a breakdown or as the ball moves closer to your circle. While there are common things teams try to do in defending, the terms used to communicate them might be different. Know the language and terms your team uses in communicating and make sure all players understand what is being said.

It’s important for a keeper to have a style of communication that is effective. That starts with identifying the player you’re talking to; call a name. Next, let that player know what you want to do, especially as it pertains to the urgency of the situation. There’s usually not a reason to get hysterical screaming at your right back to move two meters when your team has the ball in the opponent’s circle, but if the ball is in your circle and you’ve asked him to do the same thing three times, a little volume might be warranted. Communication is not personal. Make sure your teammates understand that if you are yelling, it’s only to stress the speed needed for them to respond to what you’re saying.

Finally, it’s critical that a keeper has an understanding of his responsibility in the team’s defense and is able to execute the skills required for the role. Just as a defender may need to mark or channel, a keeper may need to mark or channel. If a team plays with an up field forward, you may be the player responsible for denying them the ball. In a breakaway a keeper can win the time to let his teammates get back into the play by forcing the ball carrier wide, the same as a defender channeling. That can happen simply by stepping up and putting pressure on the player or taking him wide where he has a poor shot or passing angle.

This tip started with a question about two forwards on the keeper. I’ve played this game for over 20 years now and probably the biggest lesson I’ve learned in this game is there is not a definitive answer for everyone. There is an answer for you and your team if you can put your heads together and work as a unit. As situations come up, talk about them. If they’re not addressed in training or in a game, write them down. Sit down with your coach and your teammates and make sure you’re on the same page. I can’t promise that you’ll find an answer that will work every time, but I can promise you that if you and your teammates don’t talk about problem situations, you’ll get the same results. Finding answers can be frustrating. It can also be so rewarding when your team works through these situations together.

On a personal note, we recently celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday in the States. I’d like to give my own thanks for what I’ve received through hockey, to OBO for making the best goalkeeper gear I’ve ever used and allowing me the opportunity to share my experience and to all the goalkeepers I’ve had the chance to learn from through playing or coaching. I hope you all had a Happy Holiday.

Goalkeepers are amazing people!!!

Good luck,

Jon

e-mail Jon

Please note that OBO together with Jon O’Haire hold copyright over any material appearing on tips pages. We welcome the printing and distribution of these tips, provided that they are not sold, or used for financial gain. This paragraph must appear on all printed or distributed copies. The photographs above must not be used in any form without express permission from Jon O’Haire.

Last tip we made a start to covering goalkeeper equipment. We talked about what to look for, how to take care of it and specifically looked at equipment bags, kickers and leg guards. In this second part, we’ll look at helmets, hand protection, body pads, pants and assorted other items.

Helmets/Masks

Robo CK Helmet

Starting from the top, helmets or masks are one of the most important pieces of equipment a keeper can wear. Too often, though, fashion rather than function become the criteria for selecting head protection. The most important factor when selecting a helmet or mask is whether the item can provide adequate protection for the level you play at. In other words, can it stand up to a shot in the face that you’re likely to see (or not see)? Unfortunately most keepers don’t consider the possibility until it’s too late. We talked about a number of factors to consider last tip in selecting equipment, cost, durability and the level you play at. These factors are very relevant when it comes to head protection.

One of the most basic types of head protection is an ice hockey helmet with wire cage attachments. They are among the most affordable types of protection and also among the most durable. When selecting a helmet, make sure it fits your head. Most helmets are adjustable within a range of head sizes. Most manufacturers use hat sizes to calculate the range that a helmet will fit. It helps to know that information when you go to buy your helmet. When properly fitted, a helmet shouldn’t move when you shake your head. Many helmets are available with wire cages already affixed. That’s usually the best way to make sure that a cage will fit your particular helmet. If you are buying a cage separately, make sure that it’s compatible with your helmet. Cages from manufacturers different than your helmet may not fit and that can be a big problem when you get hit. Also make sure the cage is properly fitted to your face. If there is a chin cup, your chin should rest in it. At no time, should the wire cage be able to come in to direct contact with your face.

Masks with built in cages are becoming more and more popular. They are available in a number in a number of different styles from a variety of manufacturers. If you’re looking at this type of protection, make sure you pick a mask that’s compatible with the shots you’re facing. I’ve seen extremes at both ends; junior keepers playing with $700US carbon/Kevlar masks where shots are rarely hit in the air and on the other side, elite level keepers playing in the equivalent of glorified street hockey masks.

As a rule of thumb, the harder the shot you face, the sturdier you want your mask to be. You need to consider the techniques you’re using and the conditions you play in. If you’re lying down on corners or playing on the ground, your reactions are limited. The chances of getting hit in the face in situations you can’t control increase. Many of the plastic masks are subject to extreme heat or cold. Combine extreme conditions with extreme impact and some plastics will shatter. Carbon/Kevlar masks may be more expensive, but they are also more durable. At the end of the day, you get what you pay for and you don’t want to be cheap when it comes to your head.

Masks do come in sizes also. When ordering make sure you get the right size. Most masks have a chin cup to keep the mask away from your face. Make sure your chin fits securely in it. Once again, if your chin can slip, the mask will make direct contact with your face and you can get badly cut if you’re hit in the head with a shot. Many masks also come with extra padding to help customize the fit. Take the time to properly fit the mask when you get it. As with a helmet, the mask should not move when you shake your head if it’s properly fitted.

Throat protectors are more than a good idea; they can be the difference between a wake up call and a tracheotomy. Throat protectors come in two types, a collar type protector or a plastic hanging type. One thing to consider with the hanging type is whether it will flip up when you slide or go down. If the protector is flipping up, it’s not protecting your throat. The clear plastic hanging type used by ice hockey keepers can be tied to prevent it from flipping up.

A few things to consider when selecting a helmet or mask, color can make a difference, especially if you play in hot, sunny conditions. Dark colors will absorb heat, making them hotter to play in. Similarly, if you play in hot conditions, look for a helmet or mask that is well ventilated. Many keepers have taken to painted masks or helmets. Most masks or helmets must be painted with special paints. The process can be detailed and expensive and if not done properly, the wrong paint can ruin a good helmet by compromising the integrity of the materials the helmet is made. The same can happen when you drill holes in a helmet to adjust the fit of a cage.

Helmet/mask care is fairly straightforward if done regularly. Make sure screws and bolts are tight. The best time to check is immediately after training or games. Keep a screwdriver handy. A towel is also a good idea. If you play on wet turf or sweat a lot, helmets and masks can get wet and some hardware will rust. Wipe your helmet dry after use. It’s also a good idea to periodically wash and rinse your helmet with mild soap or detergent periodically to prevent cheese like aromas.

If you wear a helmet, make sure you attach the chinstrap. If you wear a mask, make sure the straps are secured. Helmets and masks can be loose enough to allow you to talk, but they shouldn’t be so loose that they come flying off when you slide. If the wire cage on your mask or helmet gets dented, replace it. While the dent may not be serious, the welds to the cage can be compromised with a dent. If you get hit again in the same place, you risk serious injury.

Hand Protectors/Gloves

Robo Hand Protectors

Hand protection used to be gloves and they were your one and only option. The rules of the game called for keepers to wear protection on their hands that had five “separate and independent fingers”. Those rules often allowed for those independent fingers to get broken by equally independent and hard shots. Mercifully, those days are gone and we’ve seen the development of hand protectors.

Depending on your needs, your budget or what’s available, gloves can be adequate protection, particularly at the junior level. At a minimum, gloves should protect the hands, wrists and lower forearms. Basic features of the left hand (or hand-stopping) glove are a well-padded palm, in addition to wrist and forearm protection. The right hand (or stick) glove should have padded fingers, a sturdy thumb shell, as well as wrist and forearm protection.

Gloves should be big enough to cover the lower forearm, yet not be so big that they slip off. A keeper should be able to comfortably handle his stick in one hand. Some keepers prefer gloves for indoor hockey specifically for their ability to stick handle. If you do wear gloves, make sure they do what they’re supposed to; protect your hands. If your hands are getting stung making saves on hard raised shots, it’s time to replace them.

Hand protectors not only offer superior protection to gloves, they offer a keeper a wider range of skills to play aerial shots much the same way high density foam kickers allow keepers a wider range of skills to play shots on the ground. With hand protectors, a keeper can use the pace of a shot to deflect the ball away from him and into space. While a keeper still can’t bat a ball, the rules of the game now allow him to intentionally deflect a ball out of play over the end line or crossbar.

Like kickers and leg guards, the primary difference between most models of hand protectors is the density of the foam. The harder the shots you face, the thicker and denser you want the foam. If your hands are getting stung by aerial shots, it’s time to upgrade your hand protectors.

The shape of the right hand protector can also affect the way you play. Early models of some types of right hand protectors had a round hand. This often made it difficult to get your stick flat on stick tackles, especially to the reverse side. Others have padding at an angle that is better suited to playing with your hands back, closer to your body as opposed to in front of your body. It makes sense to buy hand protectors that are suited to your style of play.

At the senior men’s level, hand protectors are pretty much a one-size-fits-all affair, but the distinction isn’t so clear for boys, girls and women. Similar to gloves, hand protectors should protect the hands and lower forearms. This is especially critical for younger keepers who may have smaller equipment. Fingers should never be exposed on the right hand protector. If you wear arm pads, the hand protectors should overlap on the lower forearms. Your wrist should not be exposed. Even if you don’t wear arm pads, your wrist and lower forearms should be protected. Make sure the finger loops on the right hand protector allow you to hold a stick with a confident grip. The strap on the left hand protector should be snug enough that a well-paced shot won’t knock the hand protector off.

Care of hand protectors is similar to leg guard and kickers. You can easily clean them with soap and water. Check straps periodically. If you do wear gloves, make sure you keep them dry. Leather will crack if it’s not properly dried. Balled up newspaper or a hand held hair dryer are good for drying out soggy gloves.

Upper Body Protection

Robo Body Armour

Upper body protection takes a number of different forms and what’s best for you will depend on your style of play and what you’re comfortable playing in. The two main types of protection are body pads with attached arm protection and stand alone chest pads.

Stand alone chest protectors are usually preferred by keepers who want lightweight protection that allows for open movement or junior players who don’t face a lot of hard, raised shots. When choosing a chest pad, make sure the pad fits. The chest pad should cover the front of the shoulders and extend from below the throat to just below the abdomen. If the pad is too small, the keeper will have open areas exposed as they move. When the pad is too big, movement is usually restricted. Make sure straps are properly adjusted. The pad should be loose enough to allow for full range of motion, yet be secure enough that the pad doesn’t twist or shift when you move.

If you do wear a chest pad, elbow pads are highly recommended, especially for advanced play. Sliding on abrasive surfaces like artificial surfaces can leave nasty turf burns. In addition, consider the materials chest protectors and elbow pads are made from. Look for water resistant coverings, padding and plastic as materials, particularly if you play on water based turfs. Some keepers who wear chest pads will wear separate arm pads that cover the inside of the arms as well as the elbows. If you go the arm pad route, make sure the arm pads work with your chest pad. The biggest thing to avoid is a set of arm pads that cover the same area as your chest pad. If they do, the pads overlap and the chest and arm pads tend to bunch up and restrict movement.

The second style of upper body protection is a body pad (or body armor). Body armor was first developed for ice hockey keepers and as mentioned earlier is a one-piece pad that covers the chest and arms. Because they are designed as a one-piece pad you don’t get the bunching you do with separate arm and chest pads. Body armor provides excellent protection for the chest, the inside of the arms and the elbows. Having said that some body armor is more restrictive than others and may need to be modified depending on the level of protection and mobility you require.

OBO body armor is designed to provide a full range of motion for the movements of a field hockey keeper. Some keepers prefer ice hockey body armor that offers more protection, though sometimes at the cost of mobility. Ice hockey body armor can be modified to increase range of motion, particularly in the shoulders. Often times it’s simply a matter of getting used to and the pads breaking in, both of which happen in time. If you haven’t used body armor before, whether it is OBO or ice hockey, it can be bulky, it can be hot and it might feel restrictive. The same can be said for bruises and internal bleeding. Swelling is bulky and restrictive and it also hurts. I’ll take body armor.

If at all possible, try body armor on before you buy it. As mentioned earlier, body armor will become more flexible as it breaks in, but no amount of breaking in will help if the elbow and shoulder joints of the body armor don’t correspond to your body. There are usually a number of points of adjustment to body armor. Take the time to adjust straps to your body and needs. These straps may slip over time. Check them periodically. You may need to stitch or tape problem straps. Make sure protruding buckles face out so they don’t dig in to you when you slide.

Contrary to popular myth, upper body equipment can and should be washed. It’s best to hand wash them with soap or a mild detergent. Allow plenty of time for them to air dry. Don’t ever try to dry them in a machine dryer. Plastic buckles on body pads may break. If they do, you can often find similar buckles in camping/backpack shops or on old luggage you might have

Lower Body Protection

Senior Smarty Pants	Robo Hot Pants
Senior Groin Guard	Senior Pelvic Guard

For the most part, gone are the thrilling days of yesteryear where lower body protection was sweatpants and a bruise the size of a grapefruit was a badge of courage. Padded pants are more than a good idea at every level of play. Once again, depending on your budget or what’s available to you, there are a number of affordable and adequate options. In recent years, field hockey goalkeeping pants have been developed and the OBO pants are excellent. Regular ice hockey or ice hockey goalkeeper pants are also reasonable alternatives.

Goalkeeping fundamentals start with the keeper trying to get his or her body behind the ball when making a save. That requires confidence and confidence comes from having good protection. At the junior level, danger may not always come from raised shots as much as it may come from bad bounces on grass fields. The pace of shots is usually such that the keeper only needs pants with protection on the front of the thighs and pants with foam padding are usually enough.

Once shots start to get harder and a keeper is using more advanced techniques, needs change. A keeper is exposed to hard, raised shots in training and games and is frequently making contact with the ground while developing skills like slide tackling and logging on corners. Getting hit once with poor equipment is bad enough, to risk it on a regular basis is asking more than should be expected of a keeper.

At advanced levels of play, pants should have padding in the more exposed areas that is as hard as a hockey ball. Those areas include the front and inside of the thighs, and the front and outside of the hips. As mentioned earlier, OBO makes two types of field hockey goalkeeper pants that are designed to specifically cover those areas. They are the Smarty Pants and Hot Pants. Smarty Pants are designed for keepers who favor a loose pant that will not hinder movement. The padded panels of the pants move with the keeper, especially on the area at the front of the hips. The Hot Pants are a snugger pant that is made of a stretch material. The main part of the pant is like a girdle. The padding sits directly on the leg and the stretch material allows the pant to move with the keeper. An outer shell is worn over the girdle to protect the pants and provides additional protection. Both Smarty Pants and Hot Pants are available with a durable outer that can be replaced.

Many keepers also wear ice hockey pants that come in styles similar to the OBO pants. These pants also come in a girdle style that should be worn with an outer shell, or a baggier pant that is a shell with built in protection. The major problem with these pants is that they are designed for ice hockey. Ice hockey players need protection on the outside of the thighs and hips for checking. They don’t want protection on the inside of the thighs as that restricts skating. The padding on the outside of the thighs is redundant for field hockey and the inside of the thigh is an area where field hockey keepers frequently get hit so the drawbacks are a problem.

Ice hockey goalkeeper pants provide excellent protection for many of the areas that the field hockey keeper is exposed, but it comes at the cost of mobility. An ice hockey keeper is usually playing within a three yard area of a much smaller goal while a keeper may have to play anywhere in a sixteen yard circle while defending a goal that is almost four times as big. Having said that, ice hockey pants are better than nothing.

Whatever type of pant you use, fit is critical. Pants need to be big enough that they don’t restrict movement. By the same token, you don’t want them so big that they shift when you move or prevent your other equipment from sitting properly. As a note, the Smarty Pants are designed to be big and baggy. Many keepers who are used to a snugger pant may be put off. Smarty Pants are not designed to be flattering to the figure. They are designed for function. Pants are usually held up with an adjustable belt or suspenders. Make sure they are adjusted to keep the pant from slipping down, yet still allow you to breathe.

Pants can and should be cleaned. The pads can be removed from the Smarty Pants and the shell washed. The inner pads can be removed and hand washed with soap and air-dried. The shell can be machine washed in the gentle cycle. The same holds true for the Hot Pants and most girdle type ice hockey pants. Ice hockey pants with pads built into the shell should generally be hand washed only. Periodically check the outer shell of your pants. If you’ve got holes in the shell, or it’s starting to rip, replace it.

Pelvic protection should be worn in addition to pants. Whether it be a protective cup for boys or men or a pelvic protector for girls or women, the consequences of injuries without them makes them invaluable, end of sermon.

Sticks

OBO Goalie Stick

A keeper doesn’t use a stick for the same thing a field player does. He doesn’t need to hit a ball 70 miles-an-hour. He needs to stop the 70 mile-an-hour shot. For that reason, weight and stopping surface are important.

Goalkeeper sticks are becoming increasingly popular. Made from wood or composite materials, they are light and stiff and have an extended toe that provides a large stopping surface. Longer sticks allow a keeper maximum reach when making stick tackles and as long as the stick length doesn’t interfere with your ability to make plays in your normal position, they are a good idea.

Some goalkeeper sticks have a shorter, flat handle. They are designed to provide a flat stopping surface for those keepers who lie down on penalty corners. While they do provide a more predictable stopping surface, their shorter length is a drawback when making stick tackles, especially when you need maximum extension. Goalkeeper sticks with especially big heads present a different problem in that you may not be able to get your stick flat when making reverse stick tackles.

Many keepers prefer traditional sticks and they are perfectly fine for goalkeeping. Indoor sticks or lightweight field hockey sticks are fine for goalkeepers as long as they allow you to perform the skills necessary for the position.

Whatever stick you use, make sure the grip allows you to comfortably and adequately hold the stick. If you sweat a lot, tennis racquet gauze tape can help prevent your stick from slipping. Athletic tape near the head of the stick is also a good idea, especially if you’re a post banger. It’s a good idea to have a second stick in your bag and to have at least played with it a couple of times in the event that your stick does break in a match.

Shoes

Shoes are important. All the equipment in the world is pretty useless if you can’t get from point A to point B without falling on your face. Having the right footwear is a matter of knowing the surface you’re playing on and the conditions you’ll be playing in. These can change during the course of the match and it’s critical to be prepared.

Different surfaces require different shoes. Natural surfaces like grass require multi-cleat shoes, but depending on the length of the grass and weather conditions, a shoe with a longer cleat may be needed for adequate footing. There are a variety of artificial surfaces, water and sand based, that require different footwear depending on conditions and your playing style. Athletic shoes with flat, rubber soles are good for dry, artificial surfaces and some sand based pitches. A multi-cleat shoe with lots of short nubs or studs is good for wet, water-based turfs. Shoes with longer studs may be needed depending on how heavily watered the turf is or how slick the surface is, particularly with new pitches.

When you go to buy shoes for hockey, take your kickers with you. Some shoes are better suited to wearing under kickers, especially when it comes to kicker straps and stud alignment. Ideally, you want a shoe that will allow the straps to sit directly on the sole and between the studs to provide maximum traction and prevent the straps from slipping. Barring that, look for shoes that will allow the straps to sit as close to the sole as possible. You can cut a slot for straps with shoes that have short rubber studs using a utility knife but you don’t want to do have to do radical surgery on your boots if there’s an easier choice.

Use your warm up to test which footwear will be best for your playing conditions. As noted, conditions can change during a match. Dry fields can be naturally watered with rain, wet turfs can dry out. Make sure you have shoe options to meet your playing conditions, especially as they might change. Also be aware of how you play. Keepers who play up on the balls of their feet may not want a shoe with long studs as they’re likely to get stuck making a save. On the other hand, keepers who play more flat-footed will require a longer stud. Know how you play and what’s best for you.

Shoes do need to be taken care of. They need to be aired out and dried properly, especially when wet. Balled up newspaper is good for absorbing moisture. If you play on wet turf, look for shoes made of water resistant materials. Leather shoes can be treated to better deal with water. Avoid extreme heat when drying shoes.

Final thoughts

There’s a lot to think of when it comes to equipment: how to select it, how to use it and how to take care of it. All affect your ability to play well. Make sure you take the time to take care of what takes care of you. If you play for a school or club team, I highly recommend getting your own kit, especially if you plan on playing for a while. Having your own kit allows you access to it all the time. Many schools have policies that prevent issuing equipment out of season. Club equipment often has to be shared. If you have your own equipment, not only do you have access, you have the ability to make adjustments and select equipment that is ideal for you.

Money is often an issue. I mentioned the internet earlier when researching equipment. It can also be a resource when looking for bargains. The OBO seconds sale is one such place for savings. You may be able to find similar savings when looking for ice hockey equipment like helmets, masks, body armor and pants. You may not always be able to get what you want immediately, but if you do your homework you can get what you need.

Equipment is a substantial investment. It’s an investment in your safety. Treat it accordingly. Don’t expect anyone else to take care of it. Don’t throw it in your equipment bag after a match and expect it to be good to go when you take it out of the bag a week later. As a wise man once said, “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.” The right equipment properly cared for can make the difference between winning and losing. Do what you can to make sure you have that advantage.

Good luck,

Jon

email Jon

Please note that OBO together with Jon O’Haire hold copyright over any material appearing on tips pages. We welcome the printing and distribution of these tips, provided that they are not sold, or used for financial gain. This paragraph must appear on all printed or distributed copies. The photographs above must not be used in any form without express permission from Jon O’Haire.

One of the most important parts of any keeper’s game is his (or her) equipment. Good equipment, effectively used, is one of the cornerstones of goalkeeping. When a keeper chooses his equipment, he’s choosing a style of play. That’s an important choice. Unfortunately, that’s not a choice that all keepers get to make for themselves. Many keepers are provided with kit through their clubs or schools. Other keepers are responsible for providing their own equipment. Whether you or your team is responsible for your equipment, money can be an issue. You can’t spend what you don’t have. Having said that, there are ways to get the most out of the kit you do have and a number of things to consider when selecting new equipment.

In the next two tips, we’ll cover equipment. We’ll give you an idea of what to look for, how it should fit and how to take care of it. In part one, we’ll cover general things to think about when selecting and caring for equipment, and specifically, equipment bags, kicker and leg guards. Part two will cover pants, upper body protection, hand protectors, sticks, helmets, shoes and everything else.

Before we start, there are a number of things to consider when selecting equipment. First and foremost is the level you play at. Above all else, goalkeeping equipment must be protective. If you’re getting hurt with what you’re using, new equipment is more than a good idea. Identifying the level you play at isn’t just a matter of age. Playing level is impacted by the skill and size of your teammates and opposition, as well as the surface you play. Twelve year old club girls on grass don’t need the same gear as 25 year old International men on turf. That much is obvious. The point where a 16-17 year old moves on to senior elite pads isn’t always so easy to identify. If you are consistently being exposed to dangerous shots, especially lifted shots that don’t allow you time to react, adequate protection is essential. Adequate equipment should not leave a keeper consistently bruised and battered.

Equipment can be an expensive investment. You want to make sure you get the most out of your investment. If you’re still growing physically, it’s a good idea to wait before spending a lot of money on pads that might only fit you for a season. By the same token, hold off on making a substantial investment in kit if you’re not sure that you’ll be playing in two seasons. We talked about the importance of having kit that’s appropriate to the level you play at. It’s also important to consider the level you ultimately want to play at. Junior level pads have different playing qualities than more elite type pads, especially leg guards and kickers. If your aspiration is to play at the highest level, playing with and getting used to that gear is important. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to spend time on a tricycle if you want to ride a bike.

When selecting equipment, do your homework. The internet is a great resource for information on equipment. Many manufacturers have websites that illustrate their products. Make sure what those websites illustrate. Nice photos and catchy slogans are great, but technical information is important. What materials are pads constructed of? How are they made? What is a company’s history? Who is using their gear? How are their products serviced (i.e. where are their local agents, what are their return policies, what kind of customer support do they offer?)? These are all important things to consider when investing in equipment.

Taking proper care of equipment is as important as selecting the right gear. Care and maintenance of your equipment is a fairly broad subject and it can cover everything from “de-funking” (odor reduction) to unforeseen pre-game buckle replacement. It’s a matter of taking care of the things you can take care of well before a match or training session and having the resources to take care of the unexpected mishaps that hockey brings.

First off, let’s start with some of the things required to keep your kit in good shape. One of the most important things is the ability to read. OBO products (and some other makes) come with product information sheets. They’re there for a reason. Not only do they give you cool schematic pictures of your pads, they also give you some technical information about the equipment and often, instructions on how to properly use and take care of it. Make sure you have it and read it if at all possible. If you’re using a club or school’s kit, that’s not always possible, but companies like OBO do have that information online. In addition, check the Product Tips and Q&A section of the OBO website for OBO products, there is a ton of useful information there.

As I mentioned, it’s important that you have the resources to handle equipment emergencies. I keep a small tool bag with my kit. You don’t need to lug a whole tool box with you, but a few items are all you need for most repairs. I have screw drivers (Phillips and regular head), regular and needle nose pliers, scissors and an adjustable wrench (in a pinch it doubles as a hammer) that I keep in portable tool kit. I also keep what’s called a leatherman (a multi purpose tool that has files, an awl/leather punch, knife blades, screw drivers, and pliers all on one tool) in addition to several heavy needles and threads. I’ll keep an assortment of extra helmet hardware (screws and bolts), as well as spare kicker straps and buckles and duct and athletic tape in the tool kit. I have a small plastic box (like Tupperware) that I keep the tools and materials in and keep it in my equipment bag.

I also have a bigger repair kit that I keep at home. Other items to keep on hand are Shoe Goo or some other kind of plastic/rubber/foam adhesive. Plastic scrub brushes and mild household cleansers are also strongly recommended. Get in the habit of checking your equipment regularly after you’ve played or trained. It’s a lot easier to mend/replace something that’s breaking after training as opposed to trying to repair it when it’s broken during warm up or worse, during a match. As we deal with specific items of equipment, we’ll cover the tools and techniques used for their respective care and maintenance.

Equipment Bag

Wheelie bag

Body bag

This is where all kit starts and ends up. While not a huge thing (figuratively speaking), a good equipment bag is quite useful. When you think about storing and transporting your kit, you start to realize all the deficiencies in your equipment bag if it isn’t up to the task. Gear can be heavy, especially when it’s wet. In addition, there is a lot of gear. The last thing you want is a bag that is too small, or isn’t sturdy enough to carry all of your kit.

When investing in a bag, there are things to check for. Is the bag waterproof? That’s important not only because hockey is a game that’s played in the rain or on watered turfs, but because often after a match, your kit is wet with moisture and/or sweat. Sometimes keeping moisture in (on a very temporary basis) is as important as keeping moisture out. Plastic bags are also good for keeping wet stuff from dry stuff.

Side and end pockets are useful. Not only do they help keep things separate, like especially wet, disgusting items from the only semi-damp disgusting items, but they allow you keeper to organize your kit. The more organized my bag is, the easier it is to find things and the less likely I am to forget things when I pack. If I’m going away for a weekend tournament, I’ll throw a couple of shirt hangers and newspaper in my bag. Newspaper is excellent for drying out wet shoes. Hangers are good for airing and drying pants and upper body pads.

On the sturdy front, check the stitching on the bag. There should be double-stitching or rivets where straps are attached. Make sure the material the bag is made of is strong enough to carry the load and stress of carrying your equipment. It’s also a good idea to see where the stress of the bag is when you carry it fully loaded. If you’ve got to walk a fair distance with your bag, the last thing you want is to lose the circulation to your arm as you’re carrying the bag. Equipment bags with wheels are a welcome development. It’s not a bad idea to test drive an equipment bag. Wheels aren’t too handy if the handle of the bag is positioned so that your bag is crashing into the back of your legs as you pull it.

Kickers

Robo kickers

Cloud 9 kickers

Yahoo kickers

There are still a variety of different kickers available on the market and in various stages of circulation. If there’s one piece of equipment that should be replaced immediately, if not sooner, whether it is inherited or recently purchased, it’s bad kickers. Bad kickers can be, but are not limited to, bamboo and leather square toe kickers (yes, they’re still out there), worn foam kickers, kickers that are too big, or kickers that are too small.

First off, kickers determine the techniques available to you to clear the ball. Modern hockey requires a keeper to be able to first time clear a shot. In square toe kickers, that is a technique that is among other things, extremely painful, if not virtually impossible. It’s like trying to drill a hole with a wrench, square toe kickers are simply not the right tool.

If you’ve inherited kickers, whatever the type or brand, make sure they fit. If kickers are too big, you won’t be able to fasten the straps tight enough to secure them on your feet. If they’re close, you might be able to punch extra holes in the straps to make them fit. That might keep them on your feet for a while, but the biggest problem with kickers that are too big is that they’re difficult to move in. The foot doesn’t make actual contact with the field, the kickers does. As a result, you end up slipping or tripping.

When kickers are too small, the problem is usually equally obvious. Toes hang out, or the kicker doesn’t sit back far enough to cover the heel. There don’t seem to be enough holes in the straps on the large end at the back of the kicker or you can’t pull the buckle tight enough to get the kicker to sit right. Once again, you might be able to work around it by punching extra holes, but after time and practice, you’ll find that you end up getting hit in all the places that are exposed with kickers that are too small.

The problems with worn kickers are equally painful. When high-density foam kickers break down, they lose their rebound and protective qualities. The same applies to worn square toe kickers. Both are about as useful as over-sized slippers and should be put out to pasture. Just because kickers are old and ugly, doesn’t mean they have to be replaced. A well struck shot will sometimes sting no matter how new, or good your kickers are. There’s a difference between sting and collapsing in a heap in pain when the ball contacts your instep. The rebound qualities of the kicker are far more important. As long as rebound off the kicker is fairly proportional to the speed of the shot coming in, there’s life in the kicker.

If after you’ve assessed what you have in your kit bag and finding it lacking, or you just want new kickers there’s a lot out there, good and bad. OBO kickers, whether they are Robos, Cloud 9s or Yahoos, are all similarly shaped. For a young keeper that’s important because he’ll be playing in a kicker that’s shaped the same way as he grows as a person and a keeper. The kicker is designed with a tongue that locks the leg guard in place and keeps it from twisting. In the Robo line, the straps that keep the kicker down on the foot are built into the kicker. This keeps them from sliding back on the foot, sometimes a problem with kickers that have external straps.

When selecting a kicker, durability can be a consideration. How long a kicker will last depends on how often you play, the surface you play on, and the velocity of shots you face. OBO kickers are designed to wear well. The foam has a coating that stands up to abrasive surfaces like sand-filled pitches far better than the average foam kicker. The kickers also have bonded rubbing strips for the bottom of the kicker where most contact comes. This adds life to the kicker without sacrificing rebound. If there’s a complaint about OBOs, it’s that they last too long.

High rebound kickers use foam that is less dense than normal kickers. They offer great rebound, but over time and use, the foam compacts, losing elasticity and rebound. If you play a lot and don’t have the resources to replace your kickers, high rebound kickers probably aren’t your best choice. On the other hand, if you want a kicker that puts a shot back as quick as it comes in, they’re the way to go.

No matter what kickers you select, they become a useless accessory if your foot won’t stay in them. This is a common problem with kickers that use external, web nylon straps. Toe straps frequently slip and the front of your foot is exposed. There are a number of ways to deal with this. You can tape the toe strap (front) to the strap that goes around the ball of the foot (rear). Don’t use so much tape that you lose contact surface with the bottom of your shoe. You can also merge the strap that goes around the ball of the foot with the toe strap so that they cross under the foot. Finally, the way some kickers fit, you might not need the toe strap at all.

Care of kickers is fairly straightforward. Kickers can get dirty and do need to be cleaned even on artificial surfaces and especially on natural surfaces. A plastic scrub brush and a mild household detergent are usually all you need to put a sparkle back into the foam bits of your kit. Avoid cleansers that are abrasive or caustic. On the maintenance front, two tools are very handy, an awl and needle-nose pliers. An awl is great for punching holes in straps when your feet seem to fit just between the pre-punched holes. Needle-nose pliers are good for crimping the roller part of buckles that always seem to come off when you tighten your straps. They’re also quite useful when you first slot the internal straps through kickers.

There is a breaking in period for high-density foam kickers. Like any new piece of new equipment, you should use them in training before you break them out in a game. When breaking in kickers, I’ll usually wear two pair of socks for the first three or four training sessions. Foam can be stiff and will rub all the sensitive areas around your ankles. An extra pair of socks will eliminate most of that chafing.

Most kickers are shipped flat from the manufacturer. To help shape the kicker, tighten the straps as far as they’ll go. Beating the kicker with a stick or wrapping them snugly in an elastic bandage are also good ways to speed the break in process. Know that bottom line, all kickers usually need to break in are three good training sessions with lots of shots.

There’s a wide range of price to kickers and leg guards. If you are buying kickers, it is best to buy the matching leg guards. You should plan on spending about half your goalkeeping budget on leg guards and kickers. If there’s a place to go cheap on equipment, this isn’t the place to do it. Nothing will limit the development of a keeper more than bad pads and kickers.

Leg guards

Robo SP legguards

Robo legguards

Leg guards and kickers are the most important pieces of equipment for a keeper. Watch the game for any length of time and you realize that easily more than half the plays on a ball made by the keeper are with those two pieces of equipment. Leg guards and kickers aren’t important solely for the frequency that they’re used. Equally important is how they’re used and that’s determined by the type of leg guards and kickers a keeper uses.

Leg guards came in two types before 1985, cricket pads and skeleton (or continental) leg guards. Cricket pads were taken directly from that sport. They’re made of canvas and stuffed with cloth scraps. They’ re designed more as incidental protection, rather than primary protection (you don’t try to get hit with the ball in cricket). Skeleton leg guards are made of canvas or leather and have bamboo cane ribs along the front and canvas with cloth scraps behind the canes for protection. They are designed for a person intending to be hit by a ball, but they have their own deficiencies. A well-struck shot will break bamboo.

Cricket pads, skeleton leg guards, cloth and bamboo square toe kickers are all still available and used, especially at the junior and lower club level. They can provide adequate protection with severe technique limitations. I would not honestly encourage anyone to buy them, but they are usable, especially skeleton leg guards. Why? Because when a keeper, club or school is faced with having to buy a full set of goalkeeping equipment, costs can be a major consideration. Some items might need to wait. If you have to make a decision between replacing kickers or skeleton leg guards, there isn’t a decision in my mind. You replace the kickers.

If you’ve inherited a set of cricket pads or skeleton leg guards, realize full well that if someone hits a ball on your leg pads really hard, you’re going to feel it. If you play at a level where that doesn’t happen, then you’re all right. If injury or discomfort is something you’re looking to avoid, foam shin guards and/or kneepads worn under your leg guards are a good idea. With the advent of instep kicking, many keepers find the inside of their leg is a vulnerable area. You can similarly turn foam shin guards to cover the calf area if you’re getting hit with shots there. Make sure you really need the additional padding. Many keepers who have worn shin guards with other pads will use them when they get newer leg guards out of habit. Most leg guards that have wrap around protection will not sit properly on the leg with shin guards stuffed under them.

None of these problems exist with good high-density foam leg guards. High-density foam leg guards come in a variety of styles, sizes and densities from a number of manufacturers. Make sure the foam thickness of the pad corresponds to the level you play at. The harder the shot, the thicker the foam needs to be. When buying leg guards, it’s usually best to buy kickers at the same time. If you are using kickers and leg guards from two different manufacturers, make sure they are compatible. OBO kickers can be used with other leg guards, but one of their best features is the tongue that locks them in to place with OBO leg guards. Other kickers have different designs around the ankles that require modification if they’re to be used with other brands of leg guards.

When you buy leg guards, the surface you play on does have an impact. Whether it is grass, sand-filled turf, dry turf or water-based turf, the surface you play and train on will affect the life of your leg guards. Playing style will also affect pad life. If you’re a keeper that slides a lot on sand-filled pitches, the life span of your pads is likely to be much shorter than the upright keeper who plays on a watered turf.

There are a number of things to take in to consideration when it comes to leg guards. First, make sure they fit. Leg guards should protect from above the kicker to above the knee. Leg guards that are too short leave the keeper’s knees exposed, especially as the keeper moves. Pads that are too big are cumbersome and often painful to wear. They dig into the top of the kicker and the straps often rub directly behind the knee, chafing and digging into your leg. Leg guards should protect the inside of the calf. Just as the instep is a primary clearing surface, the inside of the leg is a frequent saving surface.

Depending on the type of leg guards you wear, maintenance will take different forms. Leather skeleton pads need to be left out to dry after use. Leather straps will crack or rot quickly if you don’t properly air dry your pads. In addition, metal buckles will rust. You should replace broken canes in skeleton pads. Obviously foam leg guards don’t have these problems. You should check straps periodically. Most foam leg guards now have nylon straps with plastic buckles. Occasionally the stitching around the buckles will wear and they should be re-stitched before you have them go in the game. Most manufacturers sell replacement straps and buckles for their pads, but if you’re in a bind many sporting goods or camping stores sell backpacking supplies (plastic buckles and nylon strap) that can be used.

It’s a good idea to clean your pads periodically. Skeleton pads can be scrubbed down with a wet hand brush. Foam pads can be cleaned using a mild household cleanser and a scrub brush. Even if you play on watered turf and your pads seem clean, washing and rinsing them on a regular basis is a good idea. Foam can absorb sweat and you can easily get a nice coat of bacterial slime going if you don’t clean your pads. In addition to smelling, that bacteria can cause a nasty rash. When drying foam equipment, always air dry it and avoid keeping it in direct sunlight or extreme heat for extended periods of time. The inside of a car can reach 100 degrees centigrade in the summer, hot enough to damage foam.

Next: Everything else

Good luck,

Jon

email Jon

Please note that OBO together with Jon O’Haire hold copyright over any
material appearing on tips pages. We welcome the printing and distribution of
these tips, provided that they are not sold, or used for financial gain. This
paragraph must appear on all printed or distributed copies. The photographs
above must not be used in any form without express permission from Jon O’Haire.