OBO

Question:

Well, school just got out so that would make me an upcoming sophomore. I have loved field hockey ever since we learned how to play it in gym in the sixth grade. So I signed up for try-outs the summer before my freshman year and before I knew it, I was the starting JV goalie. I loved every minute of it. Eventually the coach advised the other goalie on JV to think about playing the field, since she was not receiving much playing time, making me the only goalie left besides the senior Varsity goalie. It didn’t even dawn on me until two weeks before the season ended that I would be the Varsity goalie next fall. That thought scared me to death. The Varsity goalie this year was "elected" the Western-Mass goalie. I have no idea how I’m supposed to follow up someone like that. Plus, to make matters worse, during the last week of the season, the Varsity coach asked me to practice with them so that if they needed me in the finals I’d be there. It was then that I realised that all my friends were on JV, and not to be pessimistic, but it’s very unlikely that they will make the team next year. I feel as if I just won’t belong with the rest of them. I would never quit because I love the sport too much and I wouldn’t leave the team without an experienced goalie. Any words of wisdom?

Answer:

I hope you are still playing this fall. The thing that you talk about is loving to play and I think that’s the most important thing to remember. Goalkeeping is a different position. You talked about your friends not necessarily being able to play as you moved up and leaving them behind. Unfortunately that’s something that happens as sport becomes more competitive. As a keeper, sometimes you as an individual move up and the rest of your team-mate friends don’t. They’re still your friends. As far as the “Western Mass,” keeper, the only thing you can control is you. Don’t worry about anyone else. If you like the game and the position, enjoy it. I hope some of this is helpful.

Question:

I really enjoy your tips on the OBO website. I am coaching for the first time this year and was wondering if you might have some good goalie drills? I have some pretty basic ones down so far, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask. Out of three of us that are coaching, none were goalkeepers, so any help you might be able to offer would be much appreciated.

Answer:

A couple of quick things about drills for keepers, there’s nothing too simple when it comes to drills. Depending on the level of your keepers, prioritise the skills you want to develop. I think kicking is the most important skill they can have, check out the kicking drill ideas in my tips section. I think that will explain a lot.

Big thing for drills, develop a philosophy for training that anything (i.e. shots) that goes towards goal, must go out (i.e. cleared out of the circle). Give keepers the time to clear. Nothing develops bad habits faster than rapid fire shooting drills where there is no consequence to not clearing a ball. Encourage your keepers to try to clear first time wherever possible. It may be frustrating at first, but the sooner they get on to the concept, the quicker they’ll advance. Hopefully that gives you some ideas to start with.

Question:

Wondering if you have any drills for warming up goalies and training drills that involves the goalies.

Answer:

Rachel has a good tip on warming up on file with the web site. I don’t have any great drills, every keeper has different philosophies about what they want out of their warm up. I’ll do two laps of the field, and stretch out of pads. I work our keepers through some footwork drills (pattern grids) out of pads, short distance, lots of changes of direction, no one distance over 5 yards, no more than 40 yards total. If I have a couple of keepers, I rotate them through, if not, the rest is time off for time on, five sets. Then they’re in pads.

I like keepers to warm up in pairs kicking. Five minutes over 15 yards. If I have a third keeper, I’ll have them kick in a V pattern, see kicking drill coming next week, with the two keepers kicking straight on to the keeper at the base of the V, who has to change the angle of their clear. If it’s a game, I’ll then take the starting keeper and work balls to her around the circle and expand it out so that he/she is also taking balls from the sidelines, like crosses. Finally I’ll do 3/4 pace shooting from the top of the circle before we build our way up to finishing from the field players, 15 minutes before the game.

All in all, our warm up takes 70 minutes. Every keeper is different though. Your keepers might not take that long. Try different warm ups and judge your keeper’s effectiveness in a game. That’s your best warm up.

Question:

I am a high school hockey goalie and I want to impress the new coach with some drills. I would really like to improve my skill level, but I am tired of the same old jab and punching drills. If it isn’t too inconvenient, could you please send me some good ideas.

Answer:

I think I’d be remiss to give you flashy drills to impress the new coach. As a coach, the biggest thing that impresses me is a keeper’s ability to do the basic well and work hard throughout a practice, especially when you’re left to work on your own.

It’s really important when you work with a new coach to find out what her expectations are for you specifically and the position in general. Give her time to see how you’ll be used in practice. If you don’t feel you have enough time to work on specific skills or fitness, ask for time to work on those things.

I think if you take that approach and work hard and well with others, you’ll impress your coach more than with any flash drill I could give you.

Question:

I have begun to teach the instep method. The biggest problem I am seeing with my goalie is that a direct shot is coming at her and she misses the ball on her instep and it ends up going between her legs. It almost looks like her leg is going too far. Do you have any advice?

Answer:

A couple of things… with any new technique, be patient. When your keeper tries to contact the ball, she should be lining the ball up on the area of her foot between her ankle and the bend of the foot back to the ankle (the centre of the instep area on most kickers). It sounds like she may currently be lining the ball up too far back on her foot, nearer to her heel. She may have to cross one foot in front of the other at shots directly at her. This is ok if she is pushing off from her non-kicking leg.

Make sure she is leading with her head when she looks to save. If she is back with her weight it will look as if she is reaching too far. To do that, she must push off with her non-kicking leg, which requires good body position to start off, along with a surprising amount of footwork for those new to the technique to set up the simple instep clear.

Stick with it! Also, check out the kicking drills tip, but remember, with any new technique, realise there will be a learning curve. Don’t expect a keeper to save/clear at game pace until she has mastered the curve. Good luck and keep me posted how things go.

Question:

Can you recommend any ways of maintaining the high level of concentration required in a game? Often a keeper can be called upon to only make one save in a game, but if you fail to save it, it can cost you dearly. Are there any training methods to improve your level of concentration, so you are ‘ in the zone’ when called upon to make that all-important stop?

Answer:

I don’t know that there’s any way to ensure being in the “zone.” When it comes to the mental part of the game, there are a lot of factors, but I think the biggest thing is confidence. For me, confidence comes from preparation and experience. Preparation is key in that when you have trained hard on your fitness and your skills, you know you can physically perform the “big play.”

Experience is a bit different. Until you’ve played in the big game and made the big save, you don’t really know that you’ll make the play. You can simulate pressure in games and training. Sometimes in training, I’ll make one situation the money ball, the ball that if I don’t make the save on, there are consequences; maybe an extra sprint, push-ups, sit-ups, something like that. Mental imagery can be very helpful for visualising success. Think about the time of the game, visualise the flow of play and think of a shot and a save. See the clear, the ball exiting the circle.

A quick note about being in the “zone.” Be careful not to put so much emphasis on being in it. There are times when your reflexes are almost in an unconscious state in that you can do no wrong. There are other times, when I feel off my game. When I do, I need to pull myself back in. As a keeper, I try to strive for consistency, physically and mentally. If I don’t make the big save this time, my confidence isn’t shot and it’s not a personal tragedy. No one tries to let a goal in. I move on to the next situation.

Enjoy being in pressure situations, it’s part of the position, but know that as a keeper, it’s only a matter of time before your next save.

Question:

I have a question about the mental aspect of being a goalie. I am a very competitive player who takes my game seriously. I get myself really psyched up, and sometimes this is a bad thing because after letting a ball in I get mad at myself and basically psych myself out. I let it affect my play too much. I must admit I have a bad mentality for a goalie – in all the other sports I play, I play offence, so this is much different for me. Anywise, I let myself be affected too much by the score. My coach has talked to me about this and I need to improve in this area, especially if I want to be the starter! This even happens in practice. I was wondering if you have any ideas on how I can improve my mentality. What do you personally do to keep yourself in focused during the game? Also, I recently read an article in Sports Illustrated for Women about game preparedness and visualisation and relaxation, that sort of thing. What do you do recommend to do before games so, instead of psyching myself out too much, I can concentrate on my play and stay focused? Thanks so much!

Answer:

First off, look at my reply to maintaining concentration below, another question that I think touches on part of your question. For your particulars, I think it is important that you be “mentally aroused” for games. I think your problem maybe from being over-aroused. It’s one thing to be psyched up for a game, it’s another to get taken out of your game because of it.

Sometimes it’s ok to be worked up, but recognise your state will affect your team. As a younger keeper, I think it’s important that you develop the ability to internalise your reactions. As an opponent, if I see a keeper react, I think I’ve got them. On the other hand, if I see a keeper, get on to the next play without reacting, my impression is that the keeper is composed and confident. That also gives your team-mates confidence. Hopefully some of this is helpful.

Question:

Could you please reference the rule regarding keepers getting the ball in play on a 16 yard hit? Is it illegal to kick the ball to get it in play? I have always encouraged my players to get the ball rolling and take quick free hits in order to take advantage of gaps in the defence and improve our transition game. I have asked my keeper to do the same…get the ball rolling and take the 16 yard free when she has the opportunity. As long as she is in the circle, is she allowed to use her kicker to do so?

Answer:

Any restart, i.e. a free hit or 16 has to be started with a touch from the stick and the ball must travel one yard before it can be played by another player on his or her team. A keeper can start your 16s. In addition a 16 doesn’t need to be taken from the 16 if you’re concerned about getting the ball in play quickly. All you have to do is start it from the line that it went over the goal line, so your keeper can start a 16 with a quick push five yards from the goal line and get play going. A keeper can not start play with her kickers. I hope this clarifies things.

Question:

I am a young goalkeeper and I play at a very skilful club with many international players but when we do shooting drills I always go home with broken toenails and swollen feet.

There is another goalkeeper in my club who has just recently bought Robo legguards, kickers and hand protectors and he does not seem to be affected by it. Is there any way of preventing my feet getting bruised or do I have to go out and buy Robo legguards and kickers.

Answer:

I don’t know that you need to buy new legguards and kickers, but it sounds as if the kickers you’re wearing now don’t fit. Make sure your kickers aren’t pushed back so far on your foot that your toes are hanging out. The heel straps control how far back the kicker is pulled. Also, make sure that the kicker is pulled down so that your foot is snugly inside the kicker. If the straps that go around the bottom of the kicker are too loose, your toes will stick out when you extend with your toes downward. Your kickers may well be too small or too big, but try adjusting the straps before you buy new pads. If you do have to buy new pads, the Robos are a good way to go.

Question:

I’ve contacted you once before about a training programme. I have now worked one out with 3 of my forwards. I’m now an average goalie and I’m rising in skill level. After training with Helen Clarke the New Zealand Womens’ goalie I’ve gained more skills being able to stop almost anything hit, flicked or pushed at me. One skill is still sitting in the back… its my sliding, I’m reasonably good at it now but now forwards are learning that they can pull the ball around me…. What can I do now that the other teams in our grade have found out my weakness. I must improve on it. I’ve read all the tips you and Rachel have put on the OBO site but nothing seems to be working…..Do you have any idea to what I can do??? I have everything I need, I’ve got the speed, timing and reflexes but I still can’t stop the ball from being dragged around me.

Answer:

Patience is a virtue and it can be an asset, especially for young keepers. First, it’s great to have the ambition to want to master skills as quickly as possible. Reality usually says that new skills, especially advanced skills like slide tackling, take months if not years to master. Patience applies to more than just mastery in slide tackling. It also applies to application. The one thing you don’t want to be as a keeper is predictable. If you’re getting beaten coming out consistently, staying back may be an option. Coming out and staying upright might also be an option. When you’re working on a new skill, there can be a tendency to overuse it. If a forward knows you’re coming, he’s going to have an easier time pulling around you.

Without seeing you play, and seeing the situations you’re coming out and sliding on, there are some things that make it harder to get pulled around. Make sure you’re not starting your slide too far away from the ball carrier. As mentioned, make sure you slide through the ball, not to the ball. If you start your tackle too far away, the forward sees you coming. If you don’t have speed, you don’t slide through on your tackle. Make sure you’re coming forward with your hands when you tackle, whether it be front stick slide tackles or reverse stick. A lot of the time keepers get pulled around because they make their tackle parallel to the pull. You need to get your stick, hands or body in to the line of the pull if you want to avoid being pulled around.

Success can be a frustrating thing. Once you’ve experienced it, you want it all the time and you want it now. Experience has taught me that it was easier to get a lot better in the beginning of my career when quantum leaps were possible. As you improve, the people you play against improve. The skills you’re working on are more complex. You’re not going to be successful in every situation, but if you’re patient, realistic and critical in analysing your play, you give yourself a chance to be successful over time.