Hockey goaltenders face more pressure than just about any position in sports. The slightest mistake can mean the difference between victory and defeat. When instructing goaltenders, coaches must always remember the position is as much mental as it is physical, with the goaltender's ability to shake off bad goals and remain focused through adversity being critical to success. Goaltending coaches need to emphasize a few key elements to ensure their players are prepared for the position's unique demands.
Style
In the early days of the National Hockey League, most goaltenders played a stand-up style, remaining on their skates to stop pucks. Such pure stand-up netminders have all but vanished from the modern game, with butterfly goaltenders now dominating the position. Butterfly goalies drop to their knees and splay their feet wide to take away as much of the ice as possible on every shot, relying on upper-body positioning and quick hands to defend high shots. The other prevalent goaltending style, often known as hybrid, combines butterfly principles with some stand-up techniques. Coaches need to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of each player to determine the best style for the individual. Forcing a natural stand-up goalie to play a strict butterfly style won't result in much success.
Technique
Once he's determined the best style for the given player, the goaltending coach must then drill proper techniques. Skating provides the foundation for everything, and coaches need to instruct the correct way to push off and move within the goal crease to prevent goalies from stumbling around losing their balance. Coaches must also teach the correct stance, including how to hold the gloves and stick. Maintaining flawless technique will enable goalies to make initial saves and then recover for potential rebounds without difficulty.
Positioning
Positioning refers to where the goaltender stands in relation to his net and the shooter. Many novice goaltenders make the mistake of staying too deep in the goal crease, leaving lots of net for shooters. Of course, being too aggressive and leaving the crease to challenge can also be disastrous, causing the goaltender to lose his net and surrender easy goals. The goaltending coach needs to stress the importance of proper positioning, teaching goaltenders to stay square to the shooters, to maintain proper angles and to play at the top of the crease to take up as much net as possible.
Mentality
Goaltenders need to have short memories. All goaltenders, even the world's best, give up goals; it comes with the territory. But how a goaltender responds after giving up a goal will determine his success as a netminder. The best goalies learn to put mistakes behind them and stay focused on the next shot. Coaches need to instill this mental toughness in their pupils, inspiring confidence and keeping the goalie's mental focus on the present moment and not past mistakes.
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