This is a discussion on Great Way to Improve Your Glove Save Skill within the Off-Ice Training forums, part of the The Clinic category; True... Depends on what you are wanting to do at that point of the game. Other team changing and my ...
True... Depends on what you are wanting to do at that point of the game. Other team changing and my team coming back hard? Move that puck baby. My team on dead legs - hold it. Most players in my league are no greatly skilled (including myself). Clear to the corner allows my really strong players (one of two) to pick up the puck and carry it out. Just about as good as a whistle.
I carry a tennis ball in my hockey bag. Before I get my gear on, I'll put on my glove & throw the ball against the wall & do 10-15 catches. That seems to help to synch my eyes/brain with my glove hand. To make it more difficult, you can try it while in your stance, shuffling from side to side & even throwing the ball into a corner to get unexpected rebounds. With only 3 minute warm-ups for our men's league games, I have to do a LOT of warm-ups before the warm-up.
Try this and see whether it works: Stand about 5' or so in front of a smooth wall. Have another person holding a tennis ball stand some distance behind you. Get into your stance wearing your glove. Have the person with the ball throw it against the wall and try to catch it as it bounces off the wall. Obviously, the person should be someone you trust so he/she doesnt throw it at the back of your head and who can throw accurately. With this drill, you can work on your reaction time and work the different levels/heights. During the off-season, my then girlfriend, now my wife, threw. If you go with your significant other, make sure he/she isnt pissed at you. :)
I routinely toss a water filled roller hockey ball with my son.. It has some substantial mass and doesn't pop out like bouncy/lighter balls do. We do a bunch of tosses with him facing me. Then he turns around, I yell "Now!", he turns and has to find the ball and try to catch it. I may have to start incorporating his blocker as well. I try to toss the ball as soon as I say "Now". This doesn't give him a lot of reaction time. It's fun and gets him in the game.
Today, he didn't want to play catch and had one of the worst games EVER. But he kept on playing even though his team lost 9-1. Proud of him for that. He was kinda bummed but excited. Bummed about the loss, excited he got an assist. Love this crazy 11 year old goalie!!!
I do the tennis ball warmup as well. Very useful when you have limited warmup time on ice.
I really have to do the tennis ball thing. My glove hand is horrible and I know that will help but UGH I hate doing it because I'm so bad at it. (Yes, I am fully aware that this is precisely WHY I should do it... ) I have a game tonight. Maybe I'll give it a try. Has to be somewhere where no one can see me though, because I'm that bad at it. LOL.
Peek in on my goaltending life at my blog From the Couch to the Crease.
@maalivahti: when I do the tennis ball thing, I'm good to go the minute I hit the ice. When I don't, I'm cold the first few minutes and it takes a few shots before I warm up. Unfortunately, by then we're down 2-0. So it helps!
I found I have to wear my goalie glove when playing catch... I keep trying to catch a puck the same way I do a baseball. Maybe because my trapper is not quite there yet as far as the break-in process, but my movements and approach to the catching action is different between them. This has been one of the hardest things for me to try to get used to. A trapper just doesn't close exactly like a baseball glove...I've been working at it though. (I'll be totally screwed up when baseball season starts!)
Also need to mention, the palm and finger protection in a goalie trapper is MUCH better.
Last edited by Goalie Mom & Son; 02-20-2012 at 12:32 PM.
Don't Think, Just Do!
I started juggling for about 10mins before games and my glove improved dramatically. I have been going through a slump though, so i have also been throwing a tennis ball against the wall before games. Hasnt really helped yet, but ive got really good at catching the tennis ball!
Have you ever had a dream that you were so sure was real? What if you could not wake up from that dream, how would you tell the difference between the real world and the dream?
playing catch doesn't work well for me as in hockey I catch with my left hand and in baseball I catch with my right (it's odd) so I took to going into my basement before leaving and getting one of those big rubber balls, and getting on my knee's in the butterfly position and bouncing the ball off the wall to my glove hand and concentrating on watching the ball into the glove, found it helped me alot.
Pads: RBK 5k , C/A: Vaughn Epic 8800, Mask: NXI Phantom, Gloves: Battram Nexus, Pants: Itech, Skates: Bauer One55
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