How to Play Goalie in Roller Hockey
Find the right equipment., Get comfortable in your equipment., Ready Stance is something you will hear often., Stay square., Lead with your stick., Learn to butterfly., Keep your stick down., Angles., Watch the puck.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Find the right equipment.
Goal equipment can be expensive.
There are many different brands and styles of equipment out there.
If you are new to the position go to your local rink's pro shop or to a sporting goods store that carries what you will need and ask questions.
There are also many goalie forums online where you can get some great feedback on equipment.
You will need a goalie mask, throat protection, chest and arm protector, glove (catcher), blocker, goalie pants (girdle), Leg pads, skates and a goalie stick. -
Step 2: Get comfortable in your equipment.
Even if you have been playing and/or skating for years, it's different moving in goal equipment; it may seem very bulky at first.
Get used to skating and moving with your pads on, it will make learning the position much easier. , This refers to your stance while waiting for a shot.
There are many styles of play and every goaltender has their own preference.
Basically you want to make sure the blade of your stick is flat on the ground.
Bend your knees slightly, as though you are sitting in a chair with your upper body fairly tall.
How far apart your skates are depends on how you play and what is comfortable for you.
Keep your glove up and with the palm facing the play ready to catch. , No matter what happens during a game, whether you are in good position or not, moving, standing still, up or down always always always be square to the puck.
This means your chest and your leg pads should be facing the puck no matter what.
This alone will at least give you a chance to make a save even if you are out of position. , Whether you are moving to your right or left always lead with your stick.
The stick should go where you are going first.
By doing this you ensure that even if you can't get your pads in front of a shot in time your stick will be there. , Most goaltenders today play a butterfly style at least to some extent.
Many new goaltenders know to drop to their knees but, they do not know how to butterfly.
You want to go straight down onto the inside of your knees with your stakes out to your sides as far as you can.
Do not jump off your skates to drop and do not put your pads underneath you.
There are two reasons why, one is for safety.
If you drop that way you are exposing your knees and thighs.
Even if you wear extra knee and thigh protection under your pads you are still exposing yourself to potential serious injury.
The second reason is you do not cover as much net.
In a proper butterfly your pads should turn so they are flat with the face of the pad facing the play and your skates away from your body to cover your sides.
This covers much more area and gives you a better chance to make a save. , Many new goaltenders either play with their sticks in the air, or when they butterfly they make one of two mistakes.
The first mistake is they hold their stick to their side.
The second is they slouch and the stick sits on it's heal.
The puck cannot slide under your stick if it is on the ground.
When you butterfly your elbow needs to stay up so that your stick blade stays flat on the floor.
You also need to make sure you keep your stick in front of you to cover the five hole which if you are not already familiar with is the gap between your legs. , There are two thing to focus on when talking about playing angles.
The first is making sure you are on your angle or lined up with the net and the puck properly.
If the puck is on the floor, the puck, you and the center post of the net should all be in a straight line at all times no matter where on the floor the puck is.
The second thing to focus on with angles is taking the shooters angle away or challenging the shooter.
To do this you simply come farther out of your net.
The farther out you are the less the shooter can see the net.
For example hold your hand up right against you computer monitor.
How much of the monitor can you see? Now slowly move your hand back toward yourself.
How much of the monitor do you see now? When you play, the net is the monitor, you are your hand and the shooter is you.
A guide line I give goaltenders is if the puck is above the face off circles you should at least be at the top of your crease.
How far you actually come out depends on how you play and what you are comfortable with. , Never takes you eyes off the puck at any time during a game.
All you have to do is look away for a second and you might lose where the puck is.
Then you may find yourself not knowing where the shot is coming from and not being square and on your angle as a result.
Taking it a step further, watch the puck all the way into you.
If a shot hits you in the chest, watch the puck all the way to your chest.
If it hits your leg pad, watch it into your leg pad.
If it's going to your glove, watch it all the way into your glove. -
Step 3: Ready Stance is something you will hear often.
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Step 4: Stay square.
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Step 5: Lead with your stick.
-
Step 6: Learn to butterfly.
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Step 7: Keep your stick down.
-
Step 8: Angles.
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Step 9: Watch the puck.
Detailed Guide
Goal equipment can be expensive.
There are many different brands and styles of equipment out there.
If you are new to the position go to your local rink's pro shop or to a sporting goods store that carries what you will need and ask questions.
There are also many goalie forums online where you can get some great feedback on equipment.
You will need a goalie mask, throat protection, chest and arm protector, glove (catcher), blocker, goalie pants (girdle), Leg pads, skates and a goalie stick.
Even if you have been playing and/or skating for years, it's different moving in goal equipment; it may seem very bulky at first.
Get used to skating and moving with your pads on, it will make learning the position much easier. , This refers to your stance while waiting for a shot.
There are many styles of play and every goaltender has their own preference.
Basically you want to make sure the blade of your stick is flat on the ground.
Bend your knees slightly, as though you are sitting in a chair with your upper body fairly tall.
How far apart your skates are depends on how you play and what is comfortable for you.
Keep your glove up and with the palm facing the play ready to catch. , No matter what happens during a game, whether you are in good position or not, moving, standing still, up or down always always always be square to the puck.
This means your chest and your leg pads should be facing the puck no matter what.
This alone will at least give you a chance to make a save even if you are out of position. , Whether you are moving to your right or left always lead with your stick.
The stick should go where you are going first.
By doing this you ensure that even if you can't get your pads in front of a shot in time your stick will be there. , Most goaltenders today play a butterfly style at least to some extent.
Many new goaltenders know to drop to their knees but, they do not know how to butterfly.
You want to go straight down onto the inside of your knees with your stakes out to your sides as far as you can.
Do not jump off your skates to drop and do not put your pads underneath you.
There are two reasons why, one is for safety.
If you drop that way you are exposing your knees and thighs.
Even if you wear extra knee and thigh protection under your pads you are still exposing yourself to potential serious injury.
The second reason is you do not cover as much net.
In a proper butterfly your pads should turn so they are flat with the face of the pad facing the play and your skates away from your body to cover your sides.
This covers much more area and gives you a better chance to make a save. , Many new goaltenders either play with their sticks in the air, or when they butterfly they make one of two mistakes.
The first mistake is they hold their stick to their side.
The second is they slouch and the stick sits on it's heal.
The puck cannot slide under your stick if it is on the ground.
When you butterfly your elbow needs to stay up so that your stick blade stays flat on the floor.
You also need to make sure you keep your stick in front of you to cover the five hole which if you are not already familiar with is the gap between your legs. , There are two thing to focus on when talking about playing angles.
The first is making sure you are on your angle or lined up with the net and the puck properly.
If the puck is on the floor, the puck, you and the center post of the net should all be in a straight line at all times no matter where on the floor the puck is.
The second thing to focus on with angles is taking the shooters angle away or challenging the shooter.
To do this you simply come farther out of your net.
The farther out you are the less the shooter can see the net.
For example hold your hand up right against you computer monitor.
How much of the monitor can you see? Now slowly move your hand back toward yourself.
How much of the monitor do you see now? When you play, the net is the monitor, you are your hand and the shooter is you.
A guide line I give goaltenders is if the puck is above the face off circles you should at least be at the top of your crease.
How far you actually come out depends on how you play and what you are comfortable with. , Never takes you eyes off the puck at any time during a game.
All you have to do is look away for a second and you might lose where the puck is.
Then you may find yourself not knowing where the shot is coming from and not being square and on your angle as a result.
Taking it a step further, watch the puck all the way into you.
If a shot hits you in the chest, watch the puck all the way to your chest.
If it hits your leg pad, watch it into your leg pad.
If it's going to your glove, watch it all the way into your glove.
About the Author
Alexander Young
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in crafts and beyond.
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