The Mental Goalie Podcast Episode 2 Show Notes – To listen to this Episode visit Spotify

What’s up goalguards, this is Coach Austin from The Mental Goalie and you’re listening to the Mental Goalie podcast. More athletes than ever are recognizing the importance of having a strong mental game and powerful mindset, and in a position such as goaltending, the stakes are even higher. On this show, broken up into short episodes, I break down easy ways for you to start your mindset journey on the ice. Over the next few months, we are going to discuss the ways ELITE goaltenders are able to play in the moment, not let mistakes get to them, and build confidence so that every time you step on the ice, you can perform at your very best.

Before we get into today’s episode, if you are an athlete struggling with confidence in your game and mental toughness during your training sessions, head over to thementalgoalieschool.com/mindsetacademy to schedule your free clarity call today and start the journey becoming an ELITE athlete. 

On today’s episode, we are going to be discussing team practices and how to maximize our development at a team practice. A lot of goalies, and goalie parents, DREAD team practices. But in order to truly maximize our time on the ice in a team practice, we have to first understand a little bit about why they are the way that they are. 

On a team with 18 skaters and 2 goalies, the goaltending position makes up about 10% of the entire team. Coaches create practice plans that are intended to help the majority of the team, and unfortunately, the goaltending position is often left forgotten about. As a goalie coach, I believe more effort should be made into implementing drills that will benefit the goalies during team practices, but this is unlikely to happen consistently and so we are left trying to figure out the best way to maximize our own development in an unfriendly environment.

Who’s had the experience of being a target at practice? 60 shots in 60 seconds type of target? With shot after shot after shot, there’s almost no time to reset or even think about corrections you can make from goal to goal. It’s the exact opposite of a goalie lesson with your goalie coach. 

But, ice time is ice and we have to figure out a way to get something from this bombardment. I have a couple of tips you can do as goalies to make that happen. 

1: During constant shooting drills, focus on ONE thing

When the drill is a constant shooting drill, you will not always have time or energy to go down on every shot. In situations like these, pick one skill to focus on. I like to make sure I am on angle for every shot and use it as an opportunity to work on tapping my posts and coming out aggressively to cut the angle down. Often, you are not using the crease, and so practicing your angles in this manner can help make a huge difference once you step back into the crease. 

If you are a goalie that needs to work on your hand projection, use this as an opportunity to practice extending your hands before the shot. If you always play deep, this is an opportunity for you to find the top of your crease and practice feeling comfortable coming out of your net.

You may not be going down on every shot, and you certainly won’t be stopping every shot, but you’ll be working on something simple that will ultimately benefit your game and turning a bad goalie drill into an opportunity to get better. 

2: During Lopsided Odd Man Rush Drills, Treat it Like a Challenge

Many teams like to warm up with flow drills that end up being 2-0s, 3-0s, 3-1s, and breakaways. Be easy on yourself, you should not expect yourself to make every single save on these drills. In fact, on 3-0s and 2-0s, there is no excuse for your forwards to NOT be scoring, they should be embarrassed if they can’t score 100% of the time on a 3-0 drill. 

That being said, as the netminder, that drill now becomes a challenge! Since the shooters should always be expected to score, any save you make is something to be proud of. Work to get in front of every shot, follow every pass, hold your feet as long as you can, and challenge yourself to commit highway robbery! The challenge should be easy once you understand that you are not expected to stop a high percentage of these odd man rushes. Once you come to terms with that fact, you’ll find yourself saving more and more because you’re just having fun. Challenge yourself to stop as many as you can, but don’t get down when your team scores. 

3: Talk to Your Coach

Your coaching staff may be creating practices for the majority of your team, but they also have to have a dedication to your development. Ask them if once a practice you can have a drill dedicated to you that still involves the whole team. Be prepared with a drill in mind, or a skill you want to work on. Remember, most coaches do not know how to coach goalies, you’ve got to help in this regard. If they can’t commit to once a practice, then ask them if you can have more time between shots to reset. As long as you are showing effort, a  good coach should comply with this request. There can be a major difference between a shot every 2 seconds and a shot every 5 seconds. If you speak to your coach respectfully, and without attitude, you can help him/her understand this.

4: View It As an Opportunity

One word I’ve been using a lot in today’s episode is opportunity. You may not enjoy team practices, you may feel you get nothing out of them, and if that is your attitude, then you won’t! But, if you understand that every time you are on the ice it is an opportunity to get better, then you will improve. Sure it’s not a goalie practice, it’s not a private lesson with your favorite goalie coach, but if you step on the ice with a purpose, then you will be able to improve even in the worst environments. 

But, just like the previous three points, this last tip is up to you. Only you can truly shift your mindset to one of opportunity versus obligation. If you view practice as something you HAVE to do, it will always feel forced and not fun. But if you view it as something you GET to do, all of a sudden you are grateful for the opportunity and have created a growth environment for yourself to flourish. 

That’s all I have for you today goalies, remember, team practices are not meant for the goalies, but you can get out of them what you put in.

As always, thank you for listening! Don’t forget to hit that subscribe button so you never miss an episode, and if you need a little more guidance, a little more push, check out my coaching program at thementalgoalieschool.com/mindsetacademy.  

Keep pushing yourselves forward, keep your hands out, stick down, and I’ll see you next time!