Goalie Skating Drills

Stance

• Teach goalies the proper stance, as this is the foundation for goalie skating technique. A goaltender should bend her knees and keep her butt down, similar to a squat position. Feet remain shoulder-width apart and weight is centered. The stick blade should be one foot in front of the toes of her skate, according to Brad Moore of LakevilleHockey.org. Remind the goalie that no matter what lateral movement she pursues (while not making a save), she should remain connected to her basic stance with her head level. To communicate the effectiveness of the stance, have the goalie stand completely still in this stance while players shoot. Note how many pucks are blocked even though the goalie has not made a physical attempt to block them.

T-glide

• In the T-glide, the goaltender's feet should be positioned as a "T," using the back skate to push off to begin skating and the front skate straight ahead to guide the goalie's motion. Have his teammates stand to the left and right of the goal in two even lines. A player from the left side will shoot, as the goalie attempts to T-glide to the left and block it. Next, a player will shoot from the right. The goalie will T-glide back and forth, blocking as many shots as possible.

Shuffle

• The previous drill can be repeated using a shuffle instead of a T-glide. In a shuffle, the goaltender's skates are straight ahead and parallel. Have the goalie use one skate to push off, keeping most of her weight on that skate. If her weight is properly balanced, the other skate should slide across the ice while parallel to the skate pushing off. This is a difficult drill for new goalies to learn, so encourage young goaltenders to have patience. The shuffle is used for shorter distances when the goalie is almost in position to block the puck. Have the goalie keep her chest up while shuffling her skates in short steps back and forth from post to post.

Pivot to Post

• For this drill, the goalie should begin at the top of the crease as he might find himself during a match. As the shooter approaches, the goalie will pivot and push off back toward the goal using either a T-glide or shuffle technique. He will then set up at the post, assuming his stance. Have shooters attack from many angles at a quick pace so he will have to shuffle and T-glide in all directions. At the advanced level, have him defend against two opponents, making his job more difficult.

Box Drill

• This drill should prepare the goalie to comfortably navigate and protect the crease around her goal. Start with the goalie facing the sideboards. She will push off and pivot to face the center of the rink at the top-left part of the crease. Two pushes will help her glide across the top of the crease. She will then pivot to face the opposite sideboard and push back to the other post. This square should be navigated in both directions, using T-glides and shuffles.

Cone Drill

• Line up five to seven cones in a row about six feet from the boards. Have the goalie start with his back against the boards and just to the right of the first cone. On your whistle, have the goalie skate forward and left to the first cone, then backward to the boards again. The goalie should repeat this rapidly until he reaches the end of the line of cones. He should then repeat this drill in the opposite direction so he becomes comfortable skating forward and backward both left and right.