Hockey Goalie Training Drills

The hockey goalie used to be the one who couldn't skate that well or the member of the team that had a few extra pounds and could block the biggest area of the net. That prototypical goalie of yesteryear has since been replaced, as today’s goalies must be more athletic and active than their predecessors. The modern goalie has the benefit of more advanced training, with drills both on and off the ice that hone many of the goalie’s required skills.

  1. Reaction Drills

    • Hand-eye coordination drills improve the reflexes needed to stop the puck, whether from a redirected shot or a rebound save. One off-ice drill has the goalie catch a series of tennis balls. A sequence of large black numbers are written on the balls, which are then randomly thrown at the goalie. The goalie must identify the number of the thrown ball prior to catching it. This trains the goalie to watch the puck from the shot to the save. Another type of reaction drill has the goalie dressed and on the ice, where a large screen is placed 10 to 15 feet away from the goal. The screen is roughly six inches from the ice surface, obscuring the goalie’s view of the shooter on the other side, who shoots pucks through the slot. This works on the goalie’s reaction time to quick shots.

    Lateral Drills

    • Goalies must constantly shift their position in relation to the puck’s on-ice position. Sometimes this means incremental adjustments to their angle or the need to dart across the mouth of the net, or crease, to make a quick play. Drills exist to help improve those skills. One drill is to tie the ends of a 20-foot rope around the goal posts; as a coach or team member stands holding the rope at the point, a triangle is formed. The person then skates to the left or right, leaving the goalie to follow the point of the triangle accordingly. Another drill: two shooters stand in the left and right face-off circles and randomly fire pucks; the goalie must stay as active as possible to stop all the incoming shots.

    Screen Drills

    • Most goalies dread being screened if a shot is released from the top of the face-off circles because they can’t see the puck. A drill that addresses this situation trains the goalie to essentially play the shot as an intelligent guess. The goalie stands in their crease as a player stands in front of them, blocking the goaltender's sightlines. The goalie cannot do anything to clear the player from her view; she'll have to look around the opposing player to find a good vantage point, or “guess” where the puck will be when it’s shot. This trains the goalie to play close to their crease and not over-play a similar situation that could result in a goal against their team.