Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Simple Movement Drills 

These are simple goaltender drills that need to be done EVERY time you are on the ice. Do not cheat the drills, do not do them half speed or half assed, do it right, do it often and develop your speed AFTER you have the technique perfected. 


Source is: StaubersGoalcrease in MN. 
These guys always produce really solid technical information, that the average minor hockey coach and goaltender can still understand. 

Staying Square to The Puck


Good explanation of how to stay square as the play develops down the wing and how the goaltender stays square and moves with the puck while staying at the proper depth. 

All of the information is correct and well presented, the only caution I would add is that when the puck gets below the circle as at 2:50, the goaltender should back up to the post to prepare for the inevitable pass across or the player driving behind the goal line. 

When practicing this drill, it is also important to immediately gain a solid anchored post position as soon as the pick goes behind the goal line. 

Source: GotttaLoveCTHockey - It doesn't say who the presenter is, but he does a great job. 

Proper VH Positioning 


Price showing the 'Dead Arm' or 'VH' or 'One Leg Up' position (pick a name for it). 

That this is a scripted video and not an actual practice session. This is obvious because Price does a lot of the movement at 1/2 speed and even uses a T Push for the simple movement part of the drill before the pucks are introduced. You can see he even loses his balance at 2:41 when he tries to transition from 'T' to down, this is because he is too upright and wouldn't be using a T push if this were a 'real' situation. 

When the shots start coming, he uses proper technique and does a solid shuffle into the drop - no T PUSH, when it counts, he does it right and there are no holes to shoot for. 

This is a solid move to learn, but should only be used when a player cuts very deep (below the circle) or walks out from behind the net. Far too many goalies are using this technique in the wrong situations and the result is a lot of unnecessary goals being scored. 

It is also an awkward position and requires a lot of work to learn proper balance and a quick transition into and out of - this means a lot of practice is needed to perfect this technique, Price makes it look easy, but it is not. 

It is also very important to note that Price is 6'3" and is using a low glove position, which he CAN get away with because of his height. For goalies who do not have the height to full the net over the shoulders, we recumbent the high glove position to fill this space (see pic below). It is very important to understand exactly what areas you leave open and understand how to close them. This is a stationary position, so you can't have ANY holes. 

Also worth noting, many goalies are moving away from this technique in favour of the 'Reverse VH' or 'Hip Drop' position…more on that later. 


Source: IN Goal Magazine

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

MERRY CHRISTMAS!


Every interaction, every connection, becomes the fabric our lives are woven with. 

I encourage you to take some time to be grateful for what you have, the people who care about you and the time we have. Show someone... better yet, show EVERYONE that they matter, not just over the next week, but for the rest of your life. 

I wish you and your family all the best this Christmas and holiday season and for the rest of YOUR life. 

With each passing year, I become more aware of the true meaning of life and more determined to continue this quest. I am continually grateful and more conscious and comfortable being me, for the incredible experiences I have been so fortunate to live through. I am so grateful for the people in my life, the good and yes, most certainly the bad times which I have learned to embrace as learning experiences. 

Each experience, every emotion, all the trials and tribulations have helped to shape my life and I strive to learn from them all. I wouldn’t be who I am without this combination of experiences. What we choose to take from them, the emotions we choose and the reactions we allow ourselves, define who we are. 

This time of year, most of us find a few moments to reflect on our families and our loved ones. We take some time to be with these people and we try to enjoy the holiday season before we forget it all and go back to our day to day routines. 

We stress ourselves to insane levels, getting ready for the ‘big day’. We worry that the food might not be perfect, the gifts not extravagant enough, if the kids will behave appropriately and if everyone will just get along for the holiday season.

What would happen if we expended this much time and effort into just being attentive and interested in the people in our lives. What if we didn’t worry about the stuff that really doesn’t matter and focused on the things that we will remember forever. 

My hope and goal for the next year is to take the time and make a concerted effort to be grateful every single day and to show those I love and those I just met, that they all matter to me and to express my gratitude for having them in my life. 

I want to take this opportunity to thank YOU for having been a part of my life and for allowing me to be a part of yours. No matter if we see each other every day or how small or insignificant you may think our connection is, we all matter and every moment shapes and defines our overall life experience.


Merry Christmas & All The Best For The New Years Ahead!

Chris Dyson


One on one training, there is no better method to learn and improve your technical game. 


Friday, December 19, 2014

How To Play Angles and Fill The Net Efficiently

An excellent graphic explantation of squareness, depth control, movement, and angles. 

The circle movement and comparison to the crease are superb in helping goalies and coaches to understand minimal movement is required to be efficient. 

Every coach and goalie can understand this short video and learn from it. 

A word of caution to younger goalies: The high glove position of the goalie in the video is a style choice to be made as you develop your mature and develop, but you can clearly see it leaves a lot of open net, unnecessarily. I would suggest all younger goalies, NOT adopt this hand position until proficient in net coverage with a fully developed understanding of your own spatial environment. 

Source: Bill Ladd - This is an instructional video to help teach the concepts of positioning and angles to ice hockey goalies. In the video I use several excerpts from multiple sources, including Zach Sikich's terrific DVD series: ProHybrid Training.

How To Be 'Square' AND On Angle


Absolutely the perfect explanation and graphic representation of how to stay square to both the puck and net. 

Coaches are always telling the goaltender to "BE SQUARE to the puck", but they seldom, if ever, explain to young goals that 'being square to just the puck' is completely useless, if the goaltender does not understand that that is only HALF the key to playing an angle. 

Being square to both the puck and net are BOTH required if the goaltender hopes to stay on angle and 'be square to the puck'



Source: An excerpt from Goaler U's Instructional Goaltending Mastery series

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Excellent Lateral Drills, with Focus on Visual Attachment and Reactions

Excellent visual attachment to the puck and reactions to what happens after the save, this is something most coaches do not require their goalies to do, resulting in lazy drills and poor reaction in games. 

Again, simple, very effective and perfectly executed drills. 

Source is: StaubersGoalcrease in MN. 
These guys always produce really solid technical information, that the average minor hockey coach and goaltender can still understand. 

Lateral Movement Done PROPERLY

Far to many coaches are teaching T Pushes on short lateral movements. IMHO this is WRONG! Solid shuffle steps allow for more options and better balance, while T Pushes create an imbalanced slide with no option to butterfly while in motion. 

This video demonstrates great technique and simple drills. 

The only issue is late in the video when you see Stalock getting a little lazy and leaving his stick behind on the glove saves, resulting in a loss of lateral movement. 

Source is: StaubersGoalcrease in MN. 
These guys always produce really solid technical information, that the average minor hockey coach and goaltender can still understand. 

Post Lean - Solid Technique, but requires patience and balance.


This is very well done with good information. Sound isn't the best, but the information is very well done and informative. I have never been a fan of the'VH" and this technique eliminates all the issues associated with it. 

Source is: StaubersGoalcrease in MN. 
These guys always produce really solid technical information, that the average minor hockey coach and goaltender can still understand. 

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Posted this before, but it's just as funny every time you watch it. 

Monday, December 15, 2014

Big THUMBS UP to Glencoe and Bothwell minor hockey organization for having foresight and consideration for their goaltenders.

They brought me in as part of our MENTOR program over the sat 2 weeks to work with every team and ever goalie in their organization to help the coaches better understand how to properly and effectively work with their goaltenders.

I was thrilled to be able to help all involved.

Thank you to the coaches and parents who were so helpful. 

Mask/Helmet stickers are finally in - get yours FREE

Great new stickers that really make a statement!
Your's free just for asking
If you need it shipped, we ask that you just cover the shipping cost.


Student Success - Congratulations to Kwinten

Congratulations to Kwinten Kool, long time Puckstoppers student who won the Silver Stick Tournament this past weekend with a stelar performance in the final game, winning in OT.

Way to go Kwinten. 


I'm back!!

It has been a very long time since I regularly posted to this blog and I apologize to those who have requested that I utilize this medium more frequently and have told me they enjoy the comments, suggestions and tips.

I was involved in a car accident on April 1st, 2014, when another driver ran a red light. A back injury makes it impossible to play goal any longer and I have been of work since late June.

While this has changed my life, I whew it as an opportunity to really get back into Puckstoppers and make some huge changes that will help goaltenders, coaches and parents all over the world.

I have dedicated my time to creating a program for coaches to educate them on proper technique and developing a true understanding of how to properly work with goaltenders.

I have created new programs for Puckstoppers, currently writing a book on goaltending and while I really want to play, I am having a blast doing what I am passionate about…helping goaltenders become better so they can enjoy the game more.

Look for lots of postings (2-3 a week) and some really solid content.

I am excited to be doing this again and I welcome your comments and suggestions to improve this Blog.

Chris Dyson