By / Eli Wilson
Contrary to popular belief, it is not the position of the puck in relation to the goaltender that will influence the goalie’s decision to get up or stay down on a recovery. It is actually the position of the shooter in relation to the puck that will determine what kind of recovery the goalie should use.
Imagine a situation where the goalie makes a pad save on a shot from the point and the rebound goes all the way out to the high slot. If there is nobody there to get the puck and shoot it right away, the goalie will have time to get back up on his feet. However, if there is an opposing player ready to one time the puck back toward the net, then the goalie will have to stay down and get his body across as quick as he can.
Just like with the butterfly slides, if the puck is more than a stick length from the goalie, he has to position his hands in a reactive position, as there will be a fairly good amount of net available for the shooter to fire at.
In order to execute a good inside edge push, the goalie has to use some of the technical elements he uses when he executes a T-Push recovery and a butterfly slide.
The inside edge push can be broken down into three steps: the turn, the step, and the push.
The Turn
The turn can be broken down into three distinct movements. The first thing the goalie has to do is to get her eyes on the puck. Head control is probably the most important element when executing an inside edge push. If the goalie does not see the puck when she starts bringing up her back leg, she will never end up square to the puck.
Once she has turned her head enough that she can see the puck, the next step is to make sure her shoulders are fully squared up with the puck.
If the rebound is more than a stick length away from the goalie, she will have to position her hands in a reactive position. Consequently, as her shoulders are squaring up to the puck, both gloves should come up and face the puck. The catcher should also be facing down at the puck. It is very important on a reactive inside edge push that the goalie’s hands, arms, and shoulders move as a unit. One of the common mistakes that I see with young goalies is that they do not stay in control of their hands. They push with their hands down and behind their body.
The last step in the turn is sliding the inside leg underneath the body, to prepare the way for the back leg to get up.
However, if the goalie has to go up in her crease in order to get to her rebound, she does not have to bring her leg underneath her body. All she has to do is to position her head and shoulders on the puck and step right away.
The step
Goalies must understand that there is a difference between stepping and simply bringing their leg up. When doing an inside edge push, goalies have to step. Stepping means that when the goalie brings his back leg up, his foot ends up right in front of his body. In addition, the skate blade should be facing in the direction of where the goalie wants to go and his toe should be pointing at the puck.
If the step is done properly, the goalie’s full body should now be square to the puck, leaving him ready to push towards his rebound.
The push
It is very important that when the goalie’s skate is up that his inside edge is inclined in a way that it is digging into the ice. Beginner goaltenders often make the mistake of having their blade flat on the ice, with the result that they slip and get no power at all in their pushes.
Just like goalies do when they execute a T-Push or a butterfly slide, they must ensure that when performing an inside edge push that they push through their entire blade. Beginners or goalies with little flexibility at the hip level often push only with their heel, losing the extra power coming from their ankle.
Goalies should finish their push with their toe, allowing their ankle to give them extra power.
Another common mistake I see is goalies that try to rush too quickly in the movement with the result that they pull their body before they have time to push. If goalies pull their body too quickly, it will result in their back leg moving too far away from their body. This means that they will lose all the power from their back leg. Keep in mind that power comes from underneath the body.
Quick feet are also essential to a successful inside edge push. Right after the goalie has pushed, he has to bring his power leg down under his body to cover the five-hole.
Keep training hard and check back next issue for more of my goalie tips and techniques.
And remember…keep your eye on the puck!
Eli Wilson is the goaltending coach of the Ottawa Senators and is also president of Calgary’s World Pro Goaltending school. |