How to Develop Good Mental Skills as an Ice Hockey Goalie

Many people agree that being a goalie in ice hockey is 80 percent mental. You must have your head in the game and be a step ahead of the play at all times to be successful. This means you need to keep your eyes on the puck, stay concentrated on the game, and communicate with your defense men throughout play time. There is always room for improvement. Read on to learn how to develop good mental skills as an ice hockey goalie.

Instructions

    • 1

      Visualize making the save. This can be done on or off the ice--either at practice, before a game, or during down time at home. You should picture yourself in the net and visualize as the opposing players come at you, then picture the shot and watch the puck all the way into your pads as you make the save. This will help you in a game by making you focus on the play all the way down the ice.

    • 2

      Focus on the puck. Regardless of where the puck is on the ice, it's a good idea to keep your eyes focused on the puck so you are ready for anything when it comes at you. It's a necessity to know where the puck is at all times as well, so by focusing on the puck, you won't be caught off guard.

    • 3

      Read the play. This is huge for a goalie because it will prepare you for what the opposing team is going to do. Once you get used to reading the play you will be able to think a step ahead of the other team and figure out if they are going to try to deke, shoot, or pass as they enter your zone.

    • 4

      Talk to your defense. When the play is in your zone, it's important to keep the lines of communication open with your defense men. You need to let them know if they are screening you, how much time they have if an opponent is coming in on them, and also to figure out who's playing the puck--you or the defense.

    • 5

      Stop the puck. If you keep this as a mantra, it helps you do your job well. Some goalies will over think a play or their angles and let a bad shot go in the net. If you don't think too hard about the little stuff, and just focus on stopping the puck, it's much easier to do just that.

    • 6

      Visualize the goal scored on you. If the other team does score, you should take the time between the goal and the face-off to visualize exactly what happened to allow that shot to become a goal. This allows you a minute to dwell on the goal, figure out what went wrong, and not let it happen again. It also keeps you from dwelling on the goal during the game, which could lead to a distraction or throw you off your game and allow the opponents to score more frequently than if you were not distracted.